Hacker News Zero vs Native Reader for Hacker News
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
Native Reader for Hacker News
Explore Hacker News with advanced filtering and customizable text sizes. Share articles easily and hide unwanted stories with a swipe. Enjoy an ad-free reading experience with dark mode options.
- Filter stories by Rank, Points, or Comments
- Responsive text sizes
- Share articles to social platforms
- Swipe to hide stories
- Ad-free reading
- Dark mode
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Experience Hacker News like never before with our new app! Take full advantage of your iOS device to: * Explore the Top 100 Hacker News stories in innovative ways: filter by Rank, Points, or Comments. * Enjoy fully responsive text sizes that cater to your reading comfort. * Share the articles that resonate with you across all your favorite social platforms. * Quickly hide stories from your feed with a simple swipe to the left! * Immerse yourself in ad-free reading with built-in reader mode. * Switch to dark mode for comfortable reading day or night.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hacker News Zero at 86% against Native Reader for Hacker News's 20%. Hacker News Zero also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and iOS requirement (11.2 vs 16.4). Native Reader for Hacker News's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 weeks). 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.
Hacker News Zero holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Hacker News Zero's written reviews are positive against 20% of Native Reader for Hacker News's.
Hacker News Zero ships an update every 6 weeks, Native Reader for Hacker News every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hacker News Zero | Native Reader for Hacker News |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (7 ratings) — better | 4.2 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better | 20.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 2 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 | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | locacha | Cristian Monterroza |
Customer experience
Hacker News Zero
Native Reader for Hacker News
In-app purchases
Hacker News Zero
No in-app purchases
Native Reader for Hacker News
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hacker News Zero free?
Is Native Reader for Hacker News free?
Which has better reviews, Hacker News Zero or Native Reader for Hacker News?
Do Hacker News Zero or Native Reader for Hacker News have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hacker News Zero or Native Reader for Hacker News?
Other comparisons
