Comparison

HackLens vs Samay

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

Head to head
About

HackLens

Features
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HackLens is the best way to browse, read, and follow Hacker News on mobile. Enjoy a clean, modern, and fast interface built for reading and discovering the latest in tech. Key Features: Clean and modern UI Read full stories or generate AI-powered summaries Search stories View trending stories from the last 1h, 6h, or 24h Bookmark stories to read later Appearance settings: light/dark mode + adjustable font size Follow topics you care about Get notifications when your topics have new stories Sync bookmarks, topics, and appearance settings across devices Whether you're a developer, creator, designer, or tech enthusiast, HackLens keeps you updated with the stories that matter. A better way to explore Hacker News β€” wherever you are.

About

Samay

Features
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Samay (Hindi/Sanskrit for time) helps you effortlessly compare and plan across multiple time zones β€” all in one clean, customizable view. Whether you’re coordinating with a remote team, planning international travel, or scheduling across continents, Samay makes global time intuitive and visual. Core Features: β€’ Multi-Timezone Grid View: β€’ Compare times across multiple cities in a clear, scrollable grid. Date Selection: β€’ Quickly switch between dates using a horizontal date picker. Smart Location Management: β€’ Add or remove cities with persistent storage. Default Setup: β€’ Starts with New York, London, Tokyo, and your current location. Customization Options β€’ 12-hour or 24-hour time formats β€’ Hourly or 30-minute intervals Multiple calendar systems: β€’ Default β€’ Forex β€’ Gregorian β€’ Islamic β€’ Hebrew β€’ Buddhist Visual & Accessibility Controls β€’ Show or hide timezone names Highlight weekends β€’ Work-hours highlighting (custom start & end times) β€’ Night/day visualization β€’ High-contrast mode β€’ Zoomed-in view for focus Built for Performance β€’ Native SwiftUI experience β€’ Local persistence with SwiftData β€’ Accurate time calculations using TimeZone APIs β€’ Optimized caching for smooth scrolling and fast updates Samay is designed to feel fast, precise, and calm so time never gets in the way of planning.

Screenshots

HackLens4 screens
Samay4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: HackLens at 3 against Samay's 1. HackLens also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

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

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
HackLens versus Samay: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHackLensSamay
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 β€” better17.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size33 MB9 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAzz-eddine BERRAMOUShubh Thorat

In-app purchases

None

HackLens

No in-app purchases

None

Samay

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HackLens free?
HackLens is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Samay free?
Samay is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HackLens or Samay have ads?
Neither HackLens nor Samay shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HackLens or Samay?
HackLens ships an update monthly, and Samay monthly. Most recently, HackLens was updated on October 14, 2026 and Samay on October 4, 2026.

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