Comparison

HackNe vs stdout.

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

Head to head
About

HackNe

Features
Read full description

HackNe for Hacker News is a native iPhone app built for reading Hacker News in a clean, fast, and simple way. Browse the feeds you actually care about: - Top - New - Best - Ask - Show - Jobs Open articles directly inside the app, then jump into the discussion with one tap. Read nested comment threads, check user profiles, and follow the conversation without losing your place. HackNe is designed for people who want a straightforward Hacker News experience that feels at home on iPhone. No clutter, no unnecessary complexity, just stories, comments, and links that matter.

About

stdout.

Features
Read full description

stdout. is a native iOS client for Hacker News, built from the ground up with SwiftUI. It goes far beyond content aggregation โ€” offering a rich, interactive experience designed around how you actually read. DUAL THEMES Switch between two handcrafted visual modes. Zen offers warm, editorial typography with Georgia serif headlines. Terminal transforms the app into a retro green-on-black CRT aesthetic, complete with monospaced type and animated scanlines. OFFLINE-FIRST WITH SWIFTDATA Stories and comments are cached locally so the app loads instantly on launch. When your connection drops, you keep reading seamlessly with a subtle offline indicator. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Add a Top Stories widget to your home screen in Small or Medium size. The widget updates every 30 minutes and matches your in-app theme. Tap any story to jump straight to it. NATIVE INTERACTIONS Long-press any story to save it to Favorites, share the link, or hide it from your feed. Pull-to-refresh and save actions are accompanied by haptic feedback for a tactile, responsive feel. IN-APP READING Story links open in a themed Safari View Controller with optional Reader Mode โ€” no context switching to external apps.

Screenshots

HackNe3 screens
stdout.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: HackNe at none against stdout.'s shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HackNe ships an update every 5 days, stdout. every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
HackNe versus stdout.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHackNestdout.
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days โ€” better
AdsNo โ€” betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size1 MB5 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperTansu AsiciHanshuo Tan

In-app purchases

None

HackNe

No in-app purchases

None

stdout.

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HackNe free?
HackNe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is stdout. free?
stdout. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HackNe or stdout. have ads?
stdout. shows ads; HackNe does not.
Which is updated more often, HackNe or stdout.?
HackNe ships an update every 5 days, and stdout. every 4 days. Most recently, HackNe was updated on October 2, 2026 and stdout. on October 8, 2026.

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