HackTheNews vs stdout.
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
HackTheNews
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HackTheNews is the smartest way to stay current with Hacker News. Available on iOS, web, and mobile, our AI-powered platform delivers intelligent article and comment summariesβhelping you find what matters most, wherever you are. ACCESS ANYWHERE Native iOS app for iPhone and iPad, plus a full-featured web app accessible from any browser. Sync your starred stories and preferences across all devices. Start reading on mobile, continue on desktop. AI-POWERED INTELLIGENCE β’ Get instant AI-generated article summaries before you read β’ Understand comment discussions without scrolling hundreds of replies β’ See key takeaways, arguments, and technical details at a glance β’ Scan dozens of stories in minutes instead of hours POWERFUL FEATURES β’ Browse Top Stories, New, Ask HN, Show HN, and Jobs β’ Smart tagging: Startups, AI/ML, DevOps, Security, Frontend, Backend, Mobile β’ Star stories to read later, synced across devices β’ Archive management to keep your feed clean β’ Tag-based navigation for topics that interest you PREMIUM FEATURES β’ Unlimited AI summaries with no restrictions β’ Advanced sorting by points, comments, or time β’ Tag filtering for specific technology categories β’ Story archiving Terms of Service: https://hackthenews.app/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://hackthenews.app/privacy-policy
stdout.
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stdout. is a native iOS client for Hacker News, built from the ground up with SwiftUI. It goes far beyond content aggregation β offering a rich, interactive experience designed around how you actually read. DUAL THEMES Switch between two handcrafted visual modes. Zen offers warm, editorial typography with Georgia serif headlines. Terminal transforms the app into a retro green-on-black CRT aesthetic, complete with monospaced type and animated scanlines. OFFLINE-FIRST WITH SWIFTDATA Stories and comments are cached locally so the app loads instantly on launch. When your connection drops, you keep reading seamlessly with a subtle offline indicator. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Add a Top Stories widget to your home screen in Small or Medium size. The widget updates every 30 minutes and matches your in-app theme. Tap any story to jump straight to it. NATIVE INTERACTIONS Long-press any story to save it to Favorites, share the link, or hide it from your feed. Pull-to-refresh and save actions are accompanied by haptic feedback for a tactile, responsive feel. IN-APP READING Story links open in a themed Safari View Controller with optional Reader Mode β no context switching to external apps.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: stdout. at none against HackTheNews's 2. stdout. also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). HackTheNews's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). On price there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. HackTheNews sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. stdout. asks for nothing beyond the download.
HackTheNews ships an update fortnightly, stdout. every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HackTheNews | stdout. |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 4 days β better |
| Ads | No β better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No β better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 β better | 17.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 17+ |
| Developer | HackTheNews | Hanshuo Tan |
In-app purchases
HackTheNews
- HackTheNews Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
- HackTheNews Premium Yearly1 Month trial$39.991 Year
stdout.
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is HackTheNews free?
Is stdout. free?
Do HackTheNews or stdout. have ads?
Which is updated more often, HackTheNews or stdout.?
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