# Hacker News by Emerge vs Hacker News Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hacker News by Emerge at none against Hacker News Reader's 6. Hacker News by Emerge also leads on ratings volume (5 vs 1). Hacker News Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hacker News Reader sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Hacker News by Emerge asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Hacker News by Emerge against 5.0 for Hacker News Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hacker News by Emerge has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Hacker News by Emerge ships an update every 6 weeks, Hacker News Reader every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hacker News by Emerge | Hacker News Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-by-emerge/id6740922950/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-reader-hackernows/id6749719853/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.5** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Emerge Tools](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571511777) | [Rodrigo Cardoso](https://appshunter.io/developer/1831862800) |

## What reviewers say

### Hacker News by Emerge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-by-emerge/id6740922950)

Experience Hacker News with a free, open-source client built for a fast, native iOS experience. Optimized for performance and efficiency, it's community-driven and welcomes developer contributions.

**Highlights:** Native iOS experience, Open source and community-driven, Performance and efficiency optimized, Fast and lightweight design, Developer contributions welcome

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hacker News Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-reader-hackernows/id6749719853)

A native iOS application offering a streamlined Hacker News experience. Users can read, vote, comment, and post stories, browse different sections, and organize content with custom groups. It prioritizes speed and privacy.

**Highlights:** Vote, comment, and post stories, Browse Ask, Show, Jobs, and New sections, Read threaded discussions, Submit stories, Create custom story groups, iCloud sync for groups

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Iron | $0.99 | per month |
| Steel | $1.99 | per month |
| Mithril | $2.99 | per month |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hacker News by Emerge free?

Hacker News by Emerge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hacker News Reader free?

Hacker News Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hacker News by Emerge or Hacker News Reader?

Hacker News by Emerge and Hacker News Reader are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Hacker News by Emerge or Hacker News Reader have ads?

Neither Hacker News by Emerge nor Hacker News Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hacker News by Emerge or Hacker News Reader?

Hacker News by Emerge ships an update every 6 weeks, and Hacker News Reader every 10 days. Most recently, Hacker News by Emerge was updated on October 21, 2026 and Hacker News Reader on October 24, 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.*