HackStream vs PulseBrief
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HackStream
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HackStream is an unofficial Hacker News client designed to streamline your experience. At its core, HackStream has a customizable upvote threshold and you only see stories that meet that level in your feed. That way, you can enjoy a clean, focused feed of high-quality posts. ou can bookmark, comment, reply, and upvote directly. Browse new, top, best and more. HackStream keeps you in control of the Hacker News content that matters most to you.
PulseBrief
Receive a personalized daily news digest tailored to your interests and preferred tone. This app consolidates important updates into a single, clear read, eliminating the need to browse multiple sources. Stay informed on topics like business, technology, and science without distractions.
- Personalized daily news briefs
- Topic selection
- Customizable brief tone
- Ad-free reading experience
- Consolidated news updates
- Focus on key interests
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PulseBrief helps you stay current on the news and interests that matter to you, without losing time to ads, clutter, and endless tabs. Choose the topics you care about, set the time that works for you, and get a personalized daily brief written in your preferred tone. Each brief pulls the important updates into one clear read, so you can keep up with what matters without bouncing between news sites, feeds, and search results. Whether you follow business, technology, markets, policy, science, or culture, PulseBrief gives you a calmer way to stay informed. Personalized daily briefs require a PulseBrief Pro in-app subscription. A 7-day free trial is available for eligible users. Terms of Use: https://pulsebrief.space/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PulseBrief at none against HackStream's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. HackStream sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PulseBrief asks for nothing beyond the download.
HackStream ships an update every 3 weeks, PulseBrief every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HackStream | PulseBrief |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 — better | 26.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | FiveSheep OU | Daniil Herasymov |
In-app purchases
HackStream
- Notifications$1.99
PulseBrief
No in-app purchases
