Comparison

HackTheNews vs GistForge

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

Head to head
About

HackTheNews

Features
Read full description

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 summariesβ€”helping 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

About

GistForge

Features
Read full description

GistForge scrolls like TikTok but reads like Hacker News. Each full-screen card is a 5-second decision β€” is this tech story worth your full attention? Our AI writes a tight TL;DR, the reasons to care, and the three facts that matter. Tap through to read the original article or join the Hacker News discussion. WHO IT'S FOR - Engineers, designers, and founders who skim 50+ HN posts a week - Non-native English readers who want bilingual tech news - Anyone tired of ad-heavy RSS readers WHAT'S INSIDE - 5 HN-native categories: Best, Top, Show, Ask, New - Adjustable time range: today to past year - Bilingual content: every story rewritten in English and Simplified Chinese - AI-summarized briefs: TL;DR, Why care, Key facts - Tap-to-source: read the original article or HN discussion - Dark mode by default - Works without an account PRIVACY FIRST - No accounts, no ad tracking, no advertising identifiers - Crash reports (Sentry) and 5 anonymous interaction events only - No personal data leaves your device beyond what's needed to fetch the next page of stories - Full privacy policy at app.quantumforgex.com/privacy GistForge is built by an indie developer. No VC, no growth team, just a focused tool for tech readers. Terms of Use (EULA): https://app.quantumforgex.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://app.quantumforgex.com/privacy/

Screenshots

HackTheNews4 screens
GistForge4 screens

Verdict

The call

HackTheNews and GistForge are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters β€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them β€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

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

Both are free to download. HackTheNews sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and GistForge sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HackTheNews ships an update fortnightly, GistForge weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
HackTheNews versus GistForge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHackTheNewsGistForge
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details β€” not scored
Size39 MB43 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperHackTheNewsε’žζž— ζ΄ͺ

In-app purchases

2 purchases

HackTheNews

Subscriptions2
  • HackTheNews Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
  • HackTheNews Premium Yearly1 Month trial$39.991 Year
2 purchases

GistForge

Subscriptions2
  • GistForge Pro$1.991 Month
  • GistForge Pro$14.991 Year

Questions

Is HackTheNews free?
HackTheNews is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GistForge free?
GistForge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do HackTheNews or GistForge have ads?
Neither HackTheNews nor GistForge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HackTheNews or GistForge?
HackTheNews ships an update fortnightly, and GistForge weekly. Most recently, HackTheNews was updated on September 10, 2026 and GistForge on September 19, 2026.

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