Comparison

Hacker News by Emerge vs SelfCuration

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

Head to head
About

Hacker News by Emerge

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
Read full description

The best way to read Hacker News Introducing a free, open-source HN client designed to give you the best Hacker News experience. Developed by Emerge Tools (a Y Combinator company) in partnership with Supergooey. This app is a labor of love, crafted by a team with deep expertise in mobile app development. Why choose this HN client? • Native iOS Experience: We believe in the power of native apps. Hacker News for iOS is designed to offer a fast, smooth, and intuitive user experience that only a truly native app can provide. • Open Source and Community-Driven: The app is completely open source, inviting developers to contribute, learn, and improve it together. We want to give back to the HN community, which has been instrumental in our growth. • Performance & Efficiency: Leveraging Emerge’s newest tool, Reaper, we’ve optimized Hacker News for iOS to be as lean as possible, stripping away unnecessary code and resources to deliver a fast, lightweight app. • Dogfooding at its Best: We built this app to experience firsthand what our users do. By using Emerge’s own suite of mobile development tools, we’re constantly refining our product to make it better for everyone. We welcome your feedback and contributions. Whether it’s a feature request, a bug report, or a new idea, your input helps shape the future of the app. And if you’re a developer, contribute to our open-source codebase on GitHub: https://github.com/EmergeTools/hackernews/tree/main/ios Privacy Policy: https://www.emergetools.com/HackerNewsPrivacyPolicy.html

About

SelfCuration

Features
Read full description

A news curation app that lets you build your own feed — no algorithms, no interference. Manage RSS articles, Podcasts, and YouTube channels all in one place, organized by genre. Add only the sources you trust, filter out noise with keywords, and read at your own pace. [Subscription Details] This app offers a 2-week free trial. After the trial, it converts to a monthly subscription of 300 JPY (or equivalent in your local currency). Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. [Key Features] · Unified management of RSS articles and Podcasts and YouTube channels · Filter by genre tab for quick browsing · One-tap Japanese translation for English articles · Keyword filters to hide unwanted articles · Bookmark articles you want to revisit · Add 100+ recommended sites and Podcasts in one tap · Export/import your settings Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Hacker News by Emerge4 screens
SelfCuration4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hacker News by Emerge at none against SelfCuration's 1. Hacker News by Emerge also leads on iOS requirement (17.5 vs 26.2). SelfCuration's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SelfCuration sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Hacker News by Emerge asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hacker News by Emerge ships an update every 6 weeks, SelfCuration every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Hacker News by Emerge versus SelfCuration: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHacker News by EmergeSelfCuration
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.5 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEmerge Tools株式会社ジャングルライフ

In-app purchases

None

Hacker News by Emerge

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

SelfCuration

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Plan14 Days trial$1.991 Month

Questions

Is Hacker News by Emerge free?
Hacker News by Emerge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SelfCuration free?
SelfCuration is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hacker News by Emerge or SelfCuration have ads?
Neither Hacker News by Emerge nor SelfCuration shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hacker News by Emerge or SelfCuration?
Hacker News by Emerge ships an update every 6 weeks, and SelfCuration every 5 days. Most recently, Hacker News by Emerge was updated on September 17, 2026 and SelfCuration on October 8, 2026.

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