HackNe vs BetterNews
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HackNe
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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.
BetterNews
A modern reader for Hacker News, offering enhanced features not found on the original site. It provides personalized feeds, keyword alerts, and a built-in reader with customizable themes and text sizes.
- Personalized Home feed
- Keyword alerts
- Built-in reader
- Customizable themes and text size
- Cross-device sync
- Search stories and comments
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BetterNews is a modern reader for Hacker News, with the features the site never gave you. WHAT YOU GET • Top, Time, and New feeds, plus the classic HN view • Threads with collapse rails, new-comment highlighting, and comment permalinks • Follow keywords and people, and get a personalized Home feed • Keyword alerts the moment a matching story lands • Daily email digests, on your schedule and timezone • Favorites, read-state, and preferences synced across all your devices • Search across stories, comments, and people • Direct messages with verified HN users • A built-in reader, light and dark themes, adjustable text size, and multiple typefaces Signing up is free and takes one tap. No passwords.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: HackNe at every 5 days against BetterNews's every 2 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
HackNe ships an update every 5 days, BetterNews every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HackNe | BetterNews |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 5 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Tansu Asici | Steven Truong |
In-app purchases
HackNe
No in-app purchases
BetterNews
No in-app purchases
