# SmartRSS vs Gem for Hacker News

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Gem for Hacker News at none against SmartRSS's 3. Gem for Hacker News also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 days). SmartRSS's advantage is device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SmartRSS sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.29 per month. Gem for Hacker News asks for nothing beyond the download.

SmartRSS ships an update every 6 days, Gem for Hacker News every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmartRSS | Gem for Hacker News |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartrss-rss-reader-and-podcast/id6749771900/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **17** | — |
| Positive reviews | 90.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 83 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [铫 刘](https://appshunter.io/developer/1807203451) | [Jiaqi Feng](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462586544) |

## What reviewers say

### SmartRSS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartrss-rss-reader-and-podcast/id6749771900)

This app offers an intelligent RSS reading experience with AI-powered article summaries and text-to-speech functionality. It synchronizes across multiple platforms and services, providing a clean, customizable interface for modern content consumption.

**Highlights:** AI-powered article summaries, Natural text-to-speech audio, Cross-platform synchronization, Adaptive Material You Design, Intelligent feed organization, Offline reading support, OPML import/export

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $1.29 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $11.99 | per year |
| Premium Lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |


### Gem for Hacker News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gem-for-hacker-news/id6762153947)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmartRSS free?

SmartRSS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Gem for Hacker News free?

Gem for Hacker News is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do SmartRSS or Gem for Hacker News have ads?

Neither SmartRSS nor Gem for Hacker News shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SmartRSS or Gem for Hacker News?

SmartRSS ships an update every 6 days, and Gem for Hacker News every 3 days. Most recently, SmartRSS was updated on October 28, 2026 and Gem for Hacker News on October 25, 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.*