Comparison

Be Native vs Hacktivate

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

Head to head
About

Be Native

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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. Be Native runs natively on iPhone Duo, with layouts for every pose. Fold it to keep video above its information without interrupting playback, read articles like a book across the hinge, or use bedside mode for full-screen video and large podcast controls. 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. ASK, FIND AND KEEP LEARNING Ask Be Native answers questions using your courses, lessons, podcasts, articles and transcripts, on device. Spotlight helps you find lessons by idea, not just by matching words. SiriAI can find lessons, create and manage notes, and play podcasts. These features require iOS 27, Apple Intelligence and SiriAI (beta). SiriAI currently speaks English only. More languages are coming soon. Your Library groups saved, in-progress and completed content, with search, sorting and filters. Organize notes in notebooks and folders, recover them from Recently Deleted, and build your own lists. Article read-aloud remembers your place across devices. On iPad, read articles in a two-page landscape layout. Add Shortcuts to resume a course, reopen recent content or open notes.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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)
Features
Read full description

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

Be Native4 screens
Hacktivate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Be Native at 5.0 against Hacktivate's 4.7. Be Native also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 88%). Hacktivate's advantage is ratings volume (32 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Be Native 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Be Native 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's written reviews are positive against 88% of Hacktivate's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Be Native ships an update every 9 days, Hacktivate every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Be Native versus Hacktivate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBe NativeHacktivate
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.7 (32 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better87.8% of reviews
Number of ratings232 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS18.4 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB184 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBN CodingHudson Heavy Industries

Customer experience

Be Native

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Hacktivate

All ratings32 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral6.3%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive87.8%
Neutral9.8%
Negative2.4%

Bugs and requests

Be Native

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

5 purchases

Be Native

Subscriptions5
  • Junior Developer (Monthly)$17.991 Month
  • Senior Developer (Monthly)$29.991 Month
  • Junior Developer (Annually)$178.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Developer Senior (6 Months)$180.996 Months
  • Senior Developer (Annually)$299.991 Year
4 purchases

Hacktivate

One-time4
  • Hint Packet$0.99
  • Hint Payload$3.99
  • Hint Overload$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Unlock Campaign$14.99

Questions

Is Be Native free?
Be Native is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hacktivate free?
Hacktivate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Be Native or Hacktivate?
Be Native is rated higher. Be Native averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Hacktivate averages 4.7 from 32 ratings.
Do Be Native or Hacktivate have ads?
Neither Be Native nor Hacktivate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Be Native or Hacktivate?
Be Native ships an update every 9 days, and Hacktivate every 5 days. Most recently, Be Native was updated on October 20, 2026 and Hacktivate on October 15, 2026.

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