# Hacker News Reader vs Principal AI

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hacker News Reader | Principal AI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-reader-hackernows/id6749719853/reviews) | [5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/principal-ai/id6761268899/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **3** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 22 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rodrigo Cardoso](https://appshunter.io/developer/1831862800) | [Fernando Ramirez](https://appshunter.io/developer/1846460167) |

## What reviewers say

### Hacker News Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-reader-hackernows/id6749719853)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Iron | $0.99 | per month |
| Steel | $1.99 | per month |
| Mithril | $2.99 | per month |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $4.99 | one-time |


### Principal AI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/principal-ai/id6761268899)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*