Hacker News Zero vs HackerReads
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
HackerReads
This app delivers curated tech and hacking news with AI-powered summaries. It offers a clean, distraction-free reading experience for developers and tech enthusiasts, ensuring you stay updated on important stories without the clutter.
- AI-powered summaries
- Curated top tech stories
- Clean, minimal design
- Smart story tracking
- Dark mode support
- Lightweight and fast
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HackerReads surfaces the most important stories in tech, hacking, and software — without the noise. Built for developers, security enthusiasts, and curious minds, HackerReads delivers a focused, no-frills reading experience — now enhanced with AI-powered summaries. Key Features: AI Summaries Quickly understand each story with concise AI-generated summaries. No need to visit external sites. Curated Top Stories Only the most relevant and widely discussed stories are included, ensuring signal over noise. Clean, Minimal Design A distraction-free interface built for fast scanning and in-depth reading. Smart Story Tracking Automatically checks for new top stories, so you stay updated effortlessly. Dark Mode Support Comfortable reading experience whether you're coding during the day or burning the midnight oil. Lightweight and Fast No ads, no clutter. Just performance and simplicity. Whether you're deep in code or on a short break, HackerReads makes it easy to stay up to date with what matters in the hacker and tech world.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: HackerReads at every 5 days against Hacker News Zero's every 6 weeks. HackerReads also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Hacker News Zero's advantage is iOS requirement (11.2 vs 17.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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.
HackerReads holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 3 respectively.
Hacker News Zero ships an update every 6 weeks, HackerReads every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hacker News Zero | HackerReads |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.2 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | locacha | Mahesh Adhikari |
Customer experience
Hacker News Zero
HackerReads
In-app purchases
Hacker News Zero
No in-app purchases
HackerReads
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hacker News Zero free?
Is HackerReads free?
Which has better reviews, Hacker News Zero or HackerReads?
Do Hacker News Zero or HackerReads have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hacker News Zero or HackerReads?
Other comparisons
