Comparison

Hacker News Reader vs HackStream

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

Head to head
About

Hacker News Reader

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
Read full description

The best native Hacker News reader for iOS. Read, vote, comment, and post. HackerNows is a native iPhone app that brings the full Y Combinator Hacker News experience to your device. No webviews, no compromises, just a fast, clean way to stay on top of tech news and developer discussions. Everything you expect from HN: • Vote, comment, post, and favorite stories • Browse Ask, Show, Jobs, and New sections • Read threaded discussions with a clean, native layout • Submit stories directly from the app Organize your way: • Create custom story groups to save and sort what matters • iCloud sync keeps your groups updated across all your devices Built for the community: • Lightweight, fast, and privacy-focused • Optional patronage: support the app if you want, when you want https://hackernows.app/eula

About

HackStream

Features
Read full description

HackStream is an unofficial Hacker News client designed to streamline your experience.  At its core, HackStream has a customizable upvote threshold and you only see stories that meet that level in your feed. That way, you can enjoy a clean, focused feed of high-quality posts.  ou can bookmark, comment, reply, and upvote directly. Browse new, top, best and more.  HackStream keeps you in control of the Hacker News content that matters most to you.

Screenshots

Hacker News Reader4 screens
HackStream4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Hacker News Reader at 18.0 against HackStream's 26.0. 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. Hacker News Reader sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and HackStream sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hacker News Reader ships an update every 10 days, HackStream every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Hacker News Reader versus HackStream: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHacker News ReaderHackStream
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB13 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperRodrigo CardosoFiveSheep OU

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Hacker News Reader

Subscriptions3
  • Iron$0.991 Month
  • Steel$1.991 Month
  • Mithril$2.991 Month
One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99
1 purchases

HackStream

One-time1
  • Notifications$1.99

Questions

Is Hacker News Reader free?
Hacker News Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HackStream free?
HackStream is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hacker News Reader or HackStream have ads?
Neither Hacker News Reader nor HackStream shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hacker News Reader or HackStream?
Hacker News Reader ships an update every 10 days, and HackStream every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hacker News Reader was updated on October 24, 2026 and HackStream on October 19, 2026.

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