Comparison

Rosella for Hacker News vs Hacker Reader

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Rosella for Hacker News

Features
Read full description

Rosella is a beautiful Hacker News reader, designed from the ground up to provide the best possible experience on iPhone and iPad. * Full Hacker News functionality Read stories, participate in discussions, vote, see poll results, submit content, reply to others and view user profiles. You can do it all from Rosella! * Make It Yours Hide stories from websites you dislike, choose your favorite colors, and customize the experience with many more options! * Designed for iPhone (and iPad!) Rosella features a native, clean interface that makes it feel right at home on your device. * No tracking, no ads Rosella is a privacy respecting app made by an independent developer. Whether you're a longtime Hacker News user or just discovering it, I hope you'll enjoy using Rosella. Try it out and take your Hacker News game to the next level! Disclaimer: This app is an independent creation and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Y Combinator or the official Hacker News site in any way.

About

Hacker Reader

A native iOS client for Hacker News offering a streamlined reading experience with home screen widgets, community interaction, and a beautiful, dark-mode-friendly design. Securely log in to upvote, comment, and bookmark stories.

Highlights
  • Browse all story categories
  • Upvote stories and comments
  • Secure login with HN account
  • Post comments and replies
  • Bookmark stories
  • Home screen widgets
  • Dark mode support
Features
Read full description

Hacker Reader is a beautifully designed native iOS client for Hacker News, featuring home screen widgets, authentication, and a delightful reading experience. BROWSE ALL STORY CATEGORIES • Top Stories - The most popular stories on HN • New Stories - Recently submitted content • Ask HN - Questions and discussions from the community • Show HN - Projects, products, and creations shared by users • Jobs - Opportunities from YC companies and startups INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY • Upvote stories and comments with your HN account • Secure login using the official Hacker News website • Post comments and replies to stories and comments • Bookmark stories for later reading HOME SCREEN WIDGETS • Three widget sizes: Small (3 stories), Medium (5 stories), Large (10 stories) • Dark mode support matches your system theme • Tap stories to open directly into the app BEAUTIFUL, NATIVE DESIGN • True dark mode with lights-out black theme • Automatic theme switching follows your system preference • Link previews with Open Graph images • Collapsible comment threads for easy navigation PRIVACY & SECURITY • Your credentials never leave your device • Login uses the official Hacker News website in a secure WebView • Session cookies stored in device keychain via SecureStore • Open source - view the code on GitHub More features coming soon! Hacker Reader is built with modern technologies: React Native, Expo Router, TypeScript, and SwiftUI for widgets. It's designed and developed by an indie developer who loves Hacker News and wanted to create the best possible reading experience. Questions or feedback? Open an issue on GitHub, hit me at X @danielcspaiva or reach out via the support URL. Not affiliated with Y Combinator or Hacker News. Built using the official HN API: https://github.com/HackerNews/API

Screenshots

Rosella for Hacker News4 screens
Hacker Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hacker Reader at none against Rosella for Hacker News's 1. Hacker Reader also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). Rosella for Hacker News's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Rosella for Hacker News sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Hacker Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rosella for Hacker News ships an update every 6 weeks, Hacker Reader every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 5 level
Rosella for Hacker News versus Hacker Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRosella for Hacker NewsHacker Reader
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB59 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperDiego Otero DiazDaniel Capistrano Sarinho Paiva

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Rosella for Hacker News

One-time1
  • Rosella Pro$4.99
None

Hacker Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Rosella for Hacker News free?
Rosella for Hacker News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hacker Reader free?
Hacker Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Rosella for Hacker News or Hacker Reader have ads?
Neither Rosella for Hacker News nor Hacker Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rosella for Hacker News or Hacker Reader?
Rosella for Hacker News ships an update every 6 weeks, and Hacker Reader every 3 months. Most recently, Rosella for Hacker News was updated on September 14, 2026 and Hacker Reader on September 7, 2026.

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