# ObserveHN vs HackTheNews

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ObserveHN at none against HackTheNews's 2. HackTheNews's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HackTheNews sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. ObserveHN asks for nothing beyond the download.

ObserveHN ships an update every 7 months, HackTheNews fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ObserveHN | HackTheNews |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/observehn/id6503405610/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **5** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 3 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Evan Japundza](https://appshunter.io/developer/1695172341) | [HackTheNews](https://appshunter.io/developer/1852327292) |

## What reviewers say

### ObserveHN

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/observehn/id6503405610)

This reader app provides a streamlined way to access the latest tech news and discussions from Hacker News. It features interactive widgets for quick access to top stories and a clean, minimalist design for an enhanced reading experience.

**Highlights:** Interactive home screen widgets, Clean and minimalist design, Effortless navigation through categories, Upvote posts and join discussions, SwiftUI integration for smooth performance

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### HackTheNews

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackthenews/id6755159012)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HackTheNews Premium Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| HackTheNews Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ObserveHN free?

ObserveHN is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HackTheNews free?

HackTheNews is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do ObserveHN or HackTheNews have ads?

Neither ObserveHN nor HackTheNews shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ObserveHN or HackTheNews?

ObserveHN ships an update every 7 months, and HackTheNews fortnightly. Most recently, ObserveHN was updated on October 17, 2026 and HackTheNews on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*