Comparison

HackerLine vs Hacker Reader

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

Head to head
About

HackerLine

Features
Read full description

HackerLine is the ultimate Hacker News reader designed for speed, simplicity, and elegance. Blazing Fast: See the top stories instantly with Ultra-fast loading times. Modern, Elegant Design: Enjoy a sleek, intuitive interface built for smooth navigation. Bookmark Stories: Save your favorite articles for later. Dark Mode Support: Enjoy a beautiful reading experience, day or night.

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

HackerLine4 screens
Hacker Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Hacker Reader at 16.4 against HackerLine's 18.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 7 level
HackerLine versus Hacker Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHackerLineHacker Reader
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequency—Every 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB59 MB
Age rating4+9+
Developerę„šé£Ž 黄Daniel Capistrano Sarinho Paiva

In-app purchases

None

HackerLine

No in-app purchases

None

Hacker Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HackerLine free?
HackerLine 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 HackerLine or Hacker Reader have ads?
Neither HackerLine nor Hacker Reader shows ads.

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