Comparison

stdout. vs Wello

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

Head to head
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.

About

Wello

Features
Read full description

Read Hacker News in a calmer, cleaner, more focused way. Wello is a thoughtfully crafted Hacker News reader designed to make every part of the experience feel clearer, faster, and more comfortable. From top stories and product launches to deep comment threads and saved reads, Wello helps you stay close to the conversations that matter without the usual clutter. Built for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Wello brings a polished reading experience to every screen, with thoughtful navigation, powerful search, flexible reading preferences, and seamless continuity across devices. WHY WELLO A calmer way to read Wello strips away friction and gives Hacker News a cleaner, more refined reading experience. Stories with context Go beyond the headline with story details, metadata, and threaded discussions in one clear view. Search that works better Quickly find stories, launches, discussions, and job posts with built-in filters and a faster path to the right result. Save what matters Keep standout posts close, build your own reading list, and return when the time is right. Designed for every device Enjoy a focused phone experience, a spacious multi-column layout on iPad, and a native desktop feel on Mac. FEATURES - Browse Top, New, Best, Ask, Show, and Jobs - Read stories and comments in a clean, distraction-light interface - Explore discussions with a layout designed for clarity and depth - Search Hacker News by relevance or recency - Filter results by content type, author, score, or story ID - Save stories for later and keep favorites organized - Revisit recently viewed stories with ease - Open articles in your preferred browser - Use Reader Mode for supported articles - Personalize the accent color and story banner preferences - Sync saved stories and recent activity with iCloud - Continue reading across devices with Handoff MADE FOR CURIOUS READERS Wello is built for founders, developers, designers, indie makers, students, and curious minds who use Hacker News to discover ideas, follow products, and stay connected to meaningful discussion.

Screenshots

stdout.4 screens
Wello3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Wello at none against stdout.'s shown. stdout.'s advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs weekly) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, 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

stdout. ships an update every 4 days, Wello weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
stdout. versus Wello: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterstdout.Wello
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days โ€” betterWeekly
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad โ€” better
Requires iOS17.0 โ€” better26.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size5 MB4 MB
Age rating17+9+
DeveloperHanshuo TanDaniela D'Alonzo

In-app purchases

None

stdout.

No in-app purchases

None

Wello

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is stdout. free?
stdout. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wello free?
Wello is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do stdout. or Wello have ads?
stdout. shows ads; Wello does not.
Which is updated more often, stdout. or Wello?
stdout. ships an update every 4 days, and Wello weekly. Most recently, stdout. was updated on October 24, 2026 and Wello on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons