Comparison

Hacker Flow vs Nautilus for Hacker News

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

Head to head
About

Hacker Flow

This news reader app uses AI to personalize your feed, surfacing stories you're most interested in. It offers features like popular comment threads, read-later functionality, and a distraction-free reading experience with adjustable text size and dark mode.

Highlights
  • Personalized AI-powered feed
  • Popular comment threads
  • Read later and liked articles
  • Distraction-free reader
  • Adjustable text size
  • Dark mode
  • Home and lock screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Hacker Flow is a smarter way to read Hacker News. A native iOS client that learns what you care about and puts the best stories first. Your personal front page - For You Feed. A personalized feed powered by AI that learns your interests over time. No two feeds are the same — yours surfaces the stories you actually care about. - Popular Threads. Instantly see the most upvoted comments in any discussion. Skip the noise and jump straight to the replies driving the conversation. - Read Later & Liked. Save articles to your personal reading list with one tap. Keep track of stories you've liked so you can always find them again. Also includes: Ā· Clean, distraction-free article reader with adjustable text size Ā· Home and lock screen widget Ā· Top, Best, and New feed filters Ā· Native Share Sheet support Ā· Dark mode Got feedback? Please share it in-app (Go to Settings -> Feedback)

About

Nautilus for Hacker News

Features
Read full description

Nautilus is an independent reader for Hacker News, built around three ideas: remember what you've read, understand what matters, and give you a private research layer around the discussions you care about. The core experience is entirely free — every feed, your full HN account, on-device AI, offline reading, and every research tool below. No ads. No tracking. No account required to browse. UNDERSTAND EVERY THREAD • Cited camps, the crux, and the one comment worth reading — distilled from the whole discussion, not just the top reply. • Source-vs-HN claims and counter-arguments, every claim traceable to a real comment. • Ask a focused follow-up when you need something more specific. NEVER LOSE THE THREAD • New-comment tracking with a quick-jump banner, plus a searchable reading history. • Discussion Lineage traces earlier submissions and closely related prior threads, so you never miss the real conversation. • Thread Explorer maps huge threads visually — comments new since your last visit, OP replies, saved comments, and search matches at a glance. PRIVATE BRIEFING • A short reading queue built from what you read, save, and follow — refreshed privately, on your schedule. • Choose Quick, Standard, or Deep and Nautilus packs your queue to fit. • Built entirely on-device. STORY RULES • Hide, dim, or highlight stories automatically by keyword, domain, author, score, and more — or collect matches, get notified, or exclude them from your Briefing. • See exactly which rule matched and why, with a test preview before you save. RESEARCH TOOLS • Radar: evidence-backed watchlists for technologies, companies, keywords, and repositories, with every claim cited. • GitHub Context: repo facts, README, and license rendered in Nautilus's own reading view — no login required. • Contributor Context: public HN profile facts and relevant prior posts, with transparent match reasons. No reputation scores, ever. YOUR HACKER NEWS ACCOUNT • Vote, reply, comment, favorite, and submit with your own account. • Optional reply notifications and a daily reminder to check the front page. • Your session lives only in the iOS Keychain. ON-DEVICE AI — PRIVATE • TL;DR, explanations, and translation for comments. • Runs entirely on your device. SYNC & OFFLINE • Optional iCloud sync keeps your library, notes, and preferences current across devices — using your own private iCloud database. • Offline packs for stories and articles, ready for on-device reading. EDITIONS • Restyle the entire app instantly with hand-tuned Editions — new colors, type, and texture. • Several Editions are free. A one-time purchase unlocks the full gallery. BUILT FOR iOS • Command Palette and full keyboard shortcuts with a hardware keyboard. • An iPad Research Workspace that expands to three panes when space allows, for reading, notes, and context side by side. • Home Screen widgets, Live Activities, Spotlight search, and Siri Shortcuts. • A Safari extension that finds the HN discussion for the page you're reading. • Localized into dozens of languages, with Dynamic Type and VoiceOver support. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No ads. No trackers. No analytics. We don't operate a server that could see what you read. • Hide stories and block users to make your feed truly yours. Nautilus is an independent app. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Hacker News or Y Combinator.

Screenshots

Hacker Flow4 screens
Nautilus for Hacker News4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hacker Flow at every 2 days against Nautilus for Hacker News's every 10 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

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

Both are free to download. Hacker Flow sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Nautilus for Hacker News sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hacker Flow ships an update every 2 days, Nautilus for Hacker News every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 7 level
Hacker Flow versus Nautilus for Hacker News: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHacker FlowNautilus for Hacker News
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB113 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperByte Goods君 ē®”

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Hacker Flow

One-time10
  • Nice Tip$0.99
  • Hacker Flow Small Tip$0.99
  • Starter Pack (50 AI Credits)$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Generous Tip$3.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
  • Regular Pack (150 AI Credit)$4.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
  • Bundle Pack (350 AI Credits)$9.99
  • Amazing Tip$14.99
  • Power Pack (800 AI Credits)$19.99
4 purchases

Nautilus for Hacker News

One-time4
  • Nice Tip$1.99
  • Unlock Editions$1.99
  • Generous Tip$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Legend Tip$9.99

Questions

Is Hacker Flow free?
Hacker Flow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nautilus for Hacker News free?
Nautilus for Hacker News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hacker Flow or Nautilus for Hacker News have ads?
Neither Hacker Flow nor Nautilus for Hacker News shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hacker Flow or Nautilus for Hacker News?
Hacker Flow ships an update every 2 days, and Nautilus for Hacker News every 10 days. Most recently, Hacker Flow was updated on October 28, 2026 and Nautilus for Hacker News on October 29, 2026.

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