Hacker News Zero vs HNR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hacker News Zero
A streamlined mobile client for browsing Hacker News. Offers a simple interface with customizable themes and easy navigation between different sections of the site.
- Simple browsing interface
- Dark and light mode themes
- Article/comment switcher
- Navigate front page, Ask HN, New sections
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The best way to browse Hacker News on your iPhone! - Simple interface for browsing - Dark and light mode themes - One big button to switch back and forth between article and comments - Switch between the HN front page, "Ask HN", and the "New" section with ease
HNR
Access and read stories from the popular tech news website Hacker News. Browse top or latest articles, save your favorites, share content, and search for specific topics. Offers customizable color themes including dark and light modes.
- Browse top/latest stories
- Save favorite articles
- Share stories
- Search functionality
- Customizable color themes
- Dark/light mode support
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A convenient way to read stories from the tech news website Hacker News (HN). Features: - Browse 100 top or latest stories - Save favorites - Share - Search - Customizable color with dark/light mode support
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: HNR at 5.0 against Hacker News Zero's 4.6. Hacker News Zero's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (7 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
HNR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 2 respectively.
Hacker News Zero ships an update every 6 weeks, HNR every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hacker News Zero | HNR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.2 — better | 15.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | locacha | Michael Hsieh |
Customer experience
Hacker News Zero
HNR
In-app purchases
Hacker News Zero
No in-app purchases
HNR
No in-app purchases
