Comparison

Rosella for Hacker News vs HackStream

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” 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

HackStream

Features
Read full description

HackStream is an unofficial Hacker News client designed to streamline your experience.Β  At its core, HackStream has a customizable upvote threshold and you only see stories that meet that level in your feed.Β That way, you can enjoy a clean, focused feed of high-quality posts.Β  ou can bookmark, comment, reply, and upvote directly. Browse new, top, best and more.Β  HackStream keeps you in control of the Hacker News content that matters most to you.

Screenshots

Rosella for Hacker News4 screens
HackStream4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: HackStream at every 3 weeks against Rosella for Hacker News's every 6 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. Rosella for Hacker News sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and HackStream sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rosella for Hacker News ships an update every 6 weeks, HackStream every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Rosella for Hacker News versus HackStream: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRosella for Hacker NewsHackStream
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size17 MB13 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperDiego Otero DiazFiveSheep OU

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Rosella for Hacker News

One-time1
  • Rosella Pro$4.99
1 purchases

HackStream

One-time1
  • Notifications$1.99

Questions

Is Rosella for Hacker News free?
Rosella for Hacker News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HackStream free?
HackStream is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Rosella for Hacker News or HackStream have ads?
Neither Rosella for Hacker News nor HackStream shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rosella for Hacker News or HackStream?
Rosella for Hacker News ships an update every 6 weeks, and HackStream every 3 weeks. Most recently, Rosella for Hacker News was updated on September 14, 2026 and HackStream on September 2, 2026.

Other comparisons