Comparison

Flamingo Reader vs HNreader

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

Head to head
About

Flamingo Reader

Features
Read full description

Flamingo is a minimalist reader for Hacker News. You can check the sources of this app on Github : https://github.com/kirualex/Flamingo Contributors : - Alexis Creuzot - David Bonnet

About

HNreader

Features
Read full description

Reader app for https://news.ycombinator.com (aka "Hacker News") with a focus on the comments. Features: - Supports sections "Top", "New", "Show" and "Ask" - Nested comments: press on a comment to reveal more entries of the discussion - Supports macOS, iOS (iPhone) and watchOS (Apple Watch) This application is Free and Open Source software (FOSS), source code is available at https://github.com/yep/HNreader

Screenshots

Flamingo Reader3 screens
HNreader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: HNreader at 4 against Flamingo Reader's 2. Flamingo Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Flamingo Reader ships an update every 17 months, HNreader every 27 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Flamingo Reader versus HNreader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlamingo ReaderHNreader
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 17 months โ€” betterEvery 27 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch โ€” better
Requires iOS13.0 โ€” better17.6
Further details โ€” not scored
Size4 MB5 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperAlexis CreuzotJahn Bertsch

In-app purchases

None

Flamingo Reader

No in-app purchases

None

HNreader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flamingo Reader free?
Flamingo Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HNreader free?
HNreader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Flamingo Reader or HNreader have ads?
Neither Flamingo Reader nor HNreader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flamingo Reader or HNreader?
Flamingo Reader ships an update every 17 months, and HNreader every 27 months. Most recently, Flamingo Reader was updated on September 26, 2026 and HNreader on September 11, 2026.

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