Be Native Dev vs Hacktivate
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Be Native Dev
Learn Swift and iOS development through podcasts, videos, and articles. Offers structured courses, guided projects, and professional training with subscription tiers. Content is updated weekly with the latest Apple announcements.
- Hundreds of podcasts, videos, and articles
- Structured courses and guided projects
- Weekly content updates
- Professional training from zero to expert
- Spanish language with English subtitles
- Universal app for iPhone and iPad
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Learn Swift, SwiftUI, and native development for Apple platforms with instructors who have more than 10 years of experience and have taught thousands of students. Be Native combines structured training, guided projects, and continuously updated practical content. Explore sample lessons from many courses and mini-courses to experience the teaching method before choosing a Junior or Senior subscription. BILINGUAL TRAINING New training content includes Spanish and English audio tracks, professional subtitles in both languages, and full transcripts. Dual audio is being extended across the historical catalog. All source code used in the videos is included so you can study, run, and adapt it. FOUR WAYS TO LEARN - Full courses with progressive learning paths and guided projects - Mini-courses focused on specific frameworks, tools, and goals - Quick tips that solve everyday development problems - Practical, reusable code snippets explained with context - Swift, SwiftUI, UIKit, SwiftData, architecture, Xcode, GitHub, and AI-assisted development - Weekly content aligned with the latest iOS, Swift, and WWDC updates CODE NOTES AND EXPLANATIONS Save snippets, development tips, programming notes, and ideas from any lesson or article in the new Notes module. On compatible devices where Apple Intelligence is available, you can also ask the system to explain the code in lesson examples. EXPLORE THE PLATFORM Explore articles, videos, newsletters, live sessions, and original Spanish-language podcasts covering the Apple ecosystem. Save favorites, build topic notebooks, and find the right lesson with private on-device semantic search. A PATH FOR EVERY LEVEL Junior unlocks beginner and junior training. Senior unlocks the full path: beginner, junior, intermediate, senior, and expert. Build solid foundations first and move forward when you are ready. TOOLS THAT SUPPORT REAL LEARNING - Digital notebooks and topic-based notes - Timestamp markers inside every video - Favorites, progress tracking, and notifications - VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, and reduced-motion support - One subscription for iPhone, iPad, and Mac - A Mac experience built from scratch for macOS, with multi-window workflows Be Native also introduces a more modern design, renewed with ideas and feedback from the community. Be Native does not promise shortcuts. It gives you a clear path to understand code, practice with purpose, and become the developer you would hire. Understand the code. Change the world.
Hacktivate
Engage in a cybersecurity challenge with 240 missions across a global map, utilizing real hacking techniques. Learn skills from basic ciphers to advanced firewalls, with tutorials and scalable difficulty.
- 240 graded cybersecurity missions
- Real-world hacking techniques
- Hacker's Toolbox (hashing, encryption, ciphers)
- Global progression across continents
- Comprehensive tutorials and documentation
- Scalable difficulty for all levels
- Cross-device sync (iPhone, iPad, Mac)
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Crack codes. Break firewalls. Conquer the map. Hacktivate is the ultimate cybersecurity challenge: a world map of 240 missions where every puzzle is built on real cybersecurity techniques hackers use. From classic ciphers to covert steganography, you’ll sharpen your brain while infiltrating deeper into the network. No fluff. No filler. Just pure challenges. - 240 graded missions across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and more – unlock all the continents with a one-time purchase. - The Hacker’s Toolbox: hashing, encryption, XOR, ciphers, and beyond. - Real-world attack techniques through Unix terminals, web browsers, digital forensics, SQL injection, and more. - Global progression: unlock regions and learn different specialties each time. - Comprehensive tutorials and documentation teach you the skills you need to win. - Difficulty that scales: from rookies breaking their first code to cyber masterminds cracking the strongest firewalls. - Play on iPhone, iPad, and Mac with a single purchase – your progress is auto-synced. - Include 10 challenge hints for free, but you can buy more using in-app purchase. Every lock is a challenge. Every mission is a test. Every solution pulls you deeper into the system. The network is waiting, and your mission starts now! Terms of service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Privacy policy: https://www.hacktivate.app/privacy Hacktivate for schools: https://www.hacktivate.app/schools
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Be Native Dev at 5.0 against Hacktivate's 4.7. Be Native Dev also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 88%). Hacktivate's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and ratings volume (32 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Be Native Dev sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month and Hacktivate sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Be Native Dev holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hacktivate has 32 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Be Native Dev's written reviews are positive against 88% of Hacktivate's.
Be Native Dev ships an update every 2 weeks, Hacktivate every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Be Native Dev | Hacktivate |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.7 (32 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 87.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 32 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 18.4 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 184 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BN Coding | Hudson Heavy Industries |
Customer experience
Be Native Dev
Hacktivate
Bugs and requests
Be Native Dev
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Hacktivate
Reported bugs
1 issue- 🐛 Useless but paid-for hint system
Requested features
1 request- Dark mode option
In-app purchases
Be Native Dev
- Junior Developer (Monthly)$17.991 Month
- Senior Developer (Monthly)$29.991 Month
- Junior Developer (Annually)$178.991 Year
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- Developer Senior (6 Months)$180.996 Months
- Senior Developer (Annually)$299.991 Year
Hacktivate
- Hint Packet$0.99
- Hint Payload$3.99
- Hint Overload$9.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Unlock Campaign$14.99
Questions
Is Be Native Dev free?
Is Hacktivate free?
Which has better reviews, Be Native Dev or Hacktivate?
Do Be Native Dev or Hacktivate have ads?
Which is updated more often, Be Native Dev or Hacktivate?
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