Comparison

HackStream vs Hackercast

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

Head to head

HackStream

Unofficial HackerNews Client

Daily Tech News & AI Podcast

Free

📡 News

No ratingsView app →

About

HackStream

Features

Read full description

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.

About

Hackercast

Features

Read full description

Hackercast turns top Hacker News stories into your daily audio digest. No time to read? Just listen. Every day, the highest-scoring stories are curated, summarized by AI, and converted into natural-sounding audio you can listen to anywhere.

Screenshots

HackStream4 screens

Hackercast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hackercast at none against HackStream's 1. Hackercast also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. HackStream sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Hackercast asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level

HackStream versus Hackercast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter	HackStream	Hackercast
Price	Free	Free
Update frequency	Every 3 weeks	Every 3 weeks
Ads	No	No
In-app purchases	Yes	No — better
Devices	iPhone	iPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS	26.0	17.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size	13 MB	2 MB
Age rating	12+	4+
Developer	FiveSheep OU	BERENALP BEYGIRCI

In-app purchases

1 purchases

HackStream

One-time1

Notifications$1.99

None

Hackercast

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HackStream free?

HackStream is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

Is Hackercast free?

Hackercast is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

Do HackStream or Hackercast have ads?

Neither HackStream nor Hackercast shows ads.

Which is updated more often, HackStream or Hackercast?

HackStream ships an update every 3 weeks, and Hackercast every 3 weeks. Most recently, HackStream was updated on October 2, 2026 and Hackercast on October 8, 2026.