Hacksy vs Hacker Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hacksy
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Hacksy is a modern and minimalistic Hacker News reader that serves as a one-stop shop for all tech-related news. Found an interesting article you’d like to read later? Just swipe to add it to your bookmarks. Read a comment that resonated with you? Save it to reference it anytime. Want to search the extensive Hacker News archives? Hacksy’s got you covered. What truly makes Hacksy stand out is its seamless reading experience — you can follow both the discussion and the article at the same time, without ever having to choose between one or the other.
Hacker Reader
A native iOS client for Hacker News offering a streamlined reading experience with home screen widgets, community interaction, and a beautiful, dark-mode-friendly design. Securely log in to upvote, comment, and bookmark stories.
- Browse all story categories
- Upvote stories and comments
- Secure login with HN account
- Post comments and replies
- Bookmark stories
- Home screen widgets
- Dark mode support
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Hacker Reader is a beautifully designed native iOS client for Hacker News, featuring home screen widgets, authentication, and a delightful reading experience. BROWSE ALL STORY CATEGORIES • Top Stories - The most popular stories on HN • New Stories - Recently submitted content • Ask HN - Questions and discussions from the community • Show HN - Projects, products, and creations shared by users • Jobs - Opportunities from YC companies and startups INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY • Upvote stories and comments with your HN account • Secure login using the official Hacker News website • Post comments and replies to stories and comments • Bookmark stories for later reading HOME SCREEN WIDGETS • Three widget sizes: Small (3 stories), Medium (5 stories), Large (10 stories) • Dark mode support matches your system theme • Tap stories to open directly into the app BEAUTIFUL, NATIVE DESIGN • True dark mode with lights-out black theme • Automatic theme switching follows your system preference • Link previews with Open Graph images • Collapsible comment threads for easy navigation PRIVACY & SECURITY • Your credentials never leave your device • Login uses the official Hacker News website in a secure WebView • Session cookies stored in device keychain via SecureStore • Open source - view the code on GitHub More features coming soon! Hacker Reader is built with modern technologies: React Native, Expo Router, TypeScript, and SwiftUI for widgets. It's designed and developed by an indie developer who loves Hacker News and wanted to create the best possible reading experience. Questions or feedback? Open an issue on GitHub, hit me at X @danielcspaiva or reach out via the support URL. Not affiliated with Y Combinator or Hacker News. Built using the official HN API: https://github.com/HackerNews/API
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Hacker Reader at 16.4 against Hacksy's 18.0. 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Hacksy ships an update every 2 months, Hacker Reader every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hacksy | Hacker Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Janusz Polowczyk | Daniel Capistrano Sarinho Paiva |
In-app purchases
Hacksy
No in-app purchases
Hacker Reader
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hacksy free?
Is Hacker Reader free?
Do Hacksy or Hacker Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hacksy or Hacker Reader?
Other comparisons
