Comparison

Hacker Reader vs HackNe

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

HackNe

Features
Read full description

HackNe for Hacker News is a native iPhone app built for reading Hacker News in a clean, fast, and simple way. Browse the feeds you actually care about: - Top - New - Best - Ask - Show - Jobs Open articles directly inside the app, then jump into the discussion with one tap. Read nested comment threads, check user profiles, and follow the conversation without losing your place. HackNe is designed for people who want a straightforward Hacker News experience that feels at home on iPhone. No clutter, no unnecessary complexity, just stories, comments, and links that matter.

Screenshots

Hacker Reader4 screens
HackNe3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: HackNe at every 5 days against Hacker Reader's every 3 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hacker Reader ships an update every 3 months, HackNe every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 7 level
Hacker Reader versus HackNe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHacker ReaderHackNe
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB1 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperDaniel Capistrano Sarinho PaivaTansu Asici

In-app purchases

None

Hacker Reader

No in-app purchases

None

HackNe

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hacker Reader free?
Hacker Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HackNe free?
HackNe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Hacker Reader or HackNe have ads?
Neither Hacker Reader nor HackNe shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hacker Reader or HackNe?
Hacker Reader ships an update every 3 months, and HackNe every 5 days. Most recently, Hacker Reader was updated on September 7, 2026 and HackNe on September 15, 2026.

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