Comparison

Pulse for Hacker News vs Hacker Reader

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

Head to head
About

Pulse for Hacker News

Features
Read full description

Welcome to Pulse for Hacker News, the dedicated, high-performance client for the world’s most insightful tech community. Stop settling for slow, cumbersome interfaces. Pulse for Hacker News is engineered from the ground up to be the fastest, smoothest, and most dependable way to read, comment on, and track your favorite discussions across all your devices. - Extreme Fluidity and Speed Our primary focus is performance. Pulse for Hacker News delivers an "extreme fluidity" that transforms your reading experience: Instant Loading: Articles and comment threads load instantly, minimizing wait times and maximizing consumption. Buttery Smooth Scrolling: Navigate even the longest comment threads and front pages without a single stutter. Resource Optimized: Designed to be lightweight, preserving your battery life while delivering maximum speed. - Transparently Open Source We believe in transparency and community contribution. Pulse for Hacker News isn't just a reader; it's a public project built by the community, for the community. Trust and Security: You can inspect every line of code. There are no hidden trackers, no excessive permissions, and absolutely no ads. Your reading is your own. Community Driven: Found a bug? Have an idea for a feature? Our open-source model means you can contribute directly or influence the roadmap. We listen to our users. Contribute Today: Find our complete source code on GitHub (https://github.com/jarvislin/HackerNews-KMP). - Modern Design, Essential Features Pulse for Hacker News strips away the distractions and focuses on what matters: the content. Enjoy a suite of features designed to enhance readability and productivity: Intuitive Navigation: Easily switch between the Top, New, Best, and Ask HN feeds with a simple tap. Readability Mode: Open external articles in a clean, stripped-down view for distraction-free reading. Powerful Comment Threading: Clearly organized comment sections with easy-to-use collapse/expand options to follow conversations effortlessly. Cross-Device Consistency: Whether you’re on iOS or another platform, enjoy a consistent, reliable experience. Adaptive Themes: Choose between beautiful Dark, Light, and AMOLED modes to suit your environment and preferences. Why Download Pulse for Hacker News? If you are a serious Hacker News user who values privacy, speed, and a modern, reliable interface, Pulse for Hacker News is the perfect client for you. It’s an ad-free commitment to making the world’s best tech content accessible, fast, and completely transparent. Download Pulse for Hacker News now and join the community that's building the future of the mobile reading experience.

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 β€’ Top Stories - The most popular stories on HN β€’ New Stories - Recently submitted content β€’ Ask HN - Questions and discussions from the community β€’ Show HN - Projects, products, and creations shared by users β€’ Jobs - Opportunities from YC companies and startups INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY β€’ Upvote stories and comments with your HN account β€’ Secure login using the official Hacker News website β€’ Post comments and replies to stories and comments β€’ Bookmark stories for later reading HOME SCREEN WIDGETS β€’ Three widget sizes: Small (3 stories), Medium (5 stories), Large (10 stories) β€’ Dark mode support matches your system theme β€’ Tap stories to open directly into the app BEAUTIFUL, NATIVE DESIGN β€’ True dark mode with lights-out black theme β€’ Automatic theme switching follows your system preference β€’ Link previews with Open Graph images β€’ Collapsible comment threads for easy navigation PRIVACY & SECURITY β€’ Your credentials never leave your device β€’ Login uses the official Hacker News website in a secure WebView β€’ Session cookies stored in device keychain via SecureStore β€’ 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

Pulse for Hacker News3 screens
Hacker Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pulse for Hacker News at every 3 weeks against Hacker Reader's every 3 months. 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pulse for Hacker News ships an update every 3 weeks, Hacker Reader every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 7 level
Pulse for Hacker News versus Hacker Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulse for Hacker NewsHacker Reader
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsβ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks β€” betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetizationβ€”Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.3 β€” better16.4
Further details β€” not scored
Size38 MB59 MB
Age rating17+9+
DeveloperDong Sian LinDaniel Capistrano Sarinho Paiva

In-app purchases

None

Pulse for Hacker News

No in-app purchases

None

Hacker Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pulse for Hacker News free?
Pulse for Hacker News is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hacker Reader free?
Hacker Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pulse for Hacker News or Hacker Reader have ads?
Neither Pulse for Hacker News nor Hacker Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pulse for Hacker News or Hacker Reader?
Pulse for Hacker News ships an update every 3 weeks, and Hacker Reader every 3 months. Most recently, Pulse for Hacker News was updated on September 11, 2026 and Hacker Reader on September 7, 2026.

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