Comparison

HackStream vs Hacker News App.

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

Hacker News App.

Features
Read full description

Hacker News, reimagined for iOS. Stay on top of the tech world with a fast, beautiful Hacker News reader built entirely with SwiftUI. Browse stories, read articles in distraction-free Reader mode, dive into discussions, search the entire HN archive, and save articles for offline reading β€” all in a polished dark interface designed for focused reading. BROWSE YOUR WAY Switch between five feed categories β€” All, New, Show HN, Ask HN, and Jobs β€” to find exactly what interests you. A dedicated Top section surfaces the most popular and highest-quality stories of the moment. READ WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS Open any story in Reader mode for a clean, distraction-free article view extracted directly from the source page. Switch to Comments instantly with a sticky tab bar that stays accessible as you scroll β€” so you never lose your place. SEARCH THE FULL ARCHIVE Powered by Algolia, search across every story ever posted on Hacker News. Trending topics like AI, Rust, Startups, and Open Source are one tap away, and your recent searches are saved for quick access. JOIN THE CONVERSATION Read full threaded comment discussions on any story. See points, authors, timestamps, and discussion counts at a glance. Open stories directly on Hacker News or view linked articles in the built-in browser without leaving the app. SAVE FOR LATER Bookmark any story to build your personal reading list. Articles are automatically cached so you can read them offline anytime. Stories you've already read are visually distinguished so you always know where you left off. Swipe to remove when you're done. DESIGNED FOR READERS A refined dark theme with custom typography (DM Sans and Fraunces) puts the focus on content. Smooth pull-to-refresh, infinite scroll pagination, and snappy navigation make browsing effortless. - Five feed categories: All, New, Show HN, Ask HN, Jobs - Top and Best story rankings - Reader mode β€” distraction-free article view - Sticky Reader/Comments tab switcher in story detail - Offline reading β€” bookmarked articles cached automatically - Full-archive search powered by Algolia - Trending topics and search history - Bookmark stories for your personal reading list - Read/unread tracking - Threaded comment views with collapsible threads - In-app browser for linked articles - Home screen widget (small, medium, large) - iPad support with adaptive split-view layout - Pull-to-refresh and infinite scroll - Beautiful dark UI with custom fonts - No ads. No accounts required. No tracking. - Built with SwiftUI and zero third-party dependencies.

Screenshots

HackStream4 screens
Hacker News App.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hacker News App. at none against HackStream's 1. Hacker News App. also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.0). HackStream's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price and device support 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. Hacker News App. asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HackStream ships an update every 3 weeks, Hacker News App. every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences Β· 2 level
HackStream versus Hacker News App.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHackStreamHacker News App.
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 days β€” better
AdsNo β€” betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS26.018.6 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size13 MB5 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperFiveSheep OUIshan r Malviya

In-app purchases

1 purchases

HackStream

One-time1
  • Notifications$1.99
None

Hacker News App.

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HackStream free?
HackStream is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hacker News App. free?
Hacker News App. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HackStream or Hacker News App. have ads?
Hacker News App. shows ads; HackStream does not.
Which is updated more often, HackStream or Hacker News App.?
HackStream ships an update every 3 weeks, and Hacker News App. every 3 days. Most recently, HackStream was updated on October 2, 2026 and Hacker News App. on October 10, 2026.

Other comparisons