Comparison

HackStream vs HNPulse

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

Head to head
About

HackStream

Features
Read full description

HackStream is an unofficial Hacker News client designed to streamline your experience.Β  At its core, HackStream has a customizable upvote threshold and you only see stories that meet that level in your feed.Β That way, you can enjoy a clean, focused feed of high-quality posts.Β  ou can bookmark, comment, reply, and upvote directly. Browse new, top, best and more.Β  HackStream keeps you in control of the Hacker News content that matters most to you.

About

HNPulse

Features
Read full description

HNPulse is a native iOS reader for Hacker News with AI-powered Comment Insights that instantly summarize discussions, highlight key arguments, and surface useful resources. BROWSE & READ β€’ Top, Best, New, Ask HN, Show HN, and Jobs stories β€’ Threaded discussions with color-coded comment depth β€’ In-app article reader with Safari Reader β€’ Search stories powered by Algolia AI COMMENT INSIGHTS β€’ Instant TL;DR for any discussion β€’ Key arguments ranked by strength β€’ Community sentiment and contrarian views β€’ Useful resources extracted from comments INTERACT β€’ Sign in to your HN account and upvote stories β€’ Configurable swipe actions β€” bookmark, share, upvote, or open in Safari β€’ Long-press context menu for quick actions β€’ Save stories for later with bookmarks β€’ Tap any username to view their profile CUSTOMIZE β€’ 5 themes including Dark and AMOLED Black β€’ Adjustable font sizes and compact mode β€’ Smart caching for offline reading β€’ iPad-optimized layout with sidebar navigation No accounts required. No tracking. No ads. Your data stays on your device. Privacy Policy: https://napso.github.io/hnpulse-site/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

HackStream4 screens
HNPulse4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: HNPulse at 17.0 against HackStream's 26.0. 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. HackStream sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and HNPulse sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HackStream ships an update every 3 weeks, HNPulse fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
HackStream versus HNPulse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHackStreamHNPulse
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS26.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size13 MB5 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperFiveSheep OUNatascha Abrek

In-app purchases

1 purchases

HackStream

One-time1
  • Notifications$1.99
2 purchases

HNPulse

Subscriptions1
  • Annual Premium$3.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlimited Insights$2.99

Questions

Is HackStream free?
HackStream is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HNPulse free?
HNPulse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do HackStream or HNPulse have ads?
Neither HackStream nor HNPulse shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HackStream or HNPulse?
HackStream ships an update every 3 weeks, and HNPulse fortnightly. Most recently, HackStream was updated on October 28, 2026 and HNPulse on October 25, 2026.

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