Comparison

Hacker News Reader vs Principal AI

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

Principal AI

Visualize GitHub activity with a unique 2D representation of your repository's structure. Track commits, view file changes, and explore project history in an engaging, visual format. Designed for developers who appreciate code as an art form.

Highlights
  • Live Activity Feed
  • File City visualization
  • Commit details
  • Commit timeline
  • Pull-to-refresh
  • Swipe navigation
Features
Read full description

Principal AI transforms GitHub activity into a visual experience. Watch commits come to life through File City — a two dimensional visualization that turns your repository's structure. WHAT YOU'LL SEE • Live Activity Feed — Recent commits from featured repositories, grouped by hour • Change Visualizations — Changed Files Highlighted • Commit Details — Author, message, timestamps, and code stats at a glance • Commit Timeline — Swipe through commits and watch the city change with each one DESIGNED FOR DEVELOPERS Built for those who appreciate code as craft. Whether you're tracking your favorite open source projects or just want a beautiful way to see what's happening in the developer world, Principal AI brings GitHub activity to your pocket. FEATURES • Pull-to-refresh to see the latest commits • Swipe vertically between repositories • Swipe horizontally between commits • Tap the commit timeline to jump between changes No account required to browse the activity feed. From Noetic Labs — building tools for developers who see code differently.

Screenshots

Hacker News Reader4 screens
Principal AI3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Principal AI at none against Hacker News Reader's 6. Principal AI also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Hacker News Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, rating, 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. Hacker News Reader sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Principal AI asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Hacker News Reader against 5.0 for Principal AI. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hacker News Reader ships an update every 10 days, Principal AI every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Hacker News Reader versus Principal AI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHacker News ReaderPrincipal AI
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB44 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperRodrigo CardosoFernando Ramirez

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
None

Principal AI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hacker News Reader free?
Hacker News Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Principal AI free?
Principal AI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hacker News Reader or Principal AI?
Hacker News Reader and Principal AI are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Hacker News Reader or Principal AI have ads?
Neither Hacker News Reader nor Principal AI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hacker News Reader or Principal AI?
Hacker News Reader ships an update every 10 days, and Principal AI every 4 weeks. Most recently, Hacker News Reader was updated on October 24, 2026 and Principal AI on October 12, 2026.

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