# HN vs Hackery

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HN at 60% against Hackery's 0%. HN also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hackery sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. HN asks for nothing beyond the download.

HN ships an update every 6 months, Hackery every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on August 2, 2026 and July 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HN | Hackery |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[3.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackery/id1095090759/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **4** |
| Positive reviews | **60.0% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 5 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 6 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sokichi Fujita](https://appshunter.io/developer/847443161) | [Tim Shim](https://appshunter.io/developer/322829589) |

## What reviewers say

### HN

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hn-hacker-news-reader/id858527021)

Access Hacker News stories with a clean and high-performance interface. Bookmark articles, share them via integrated services like Twitter and Facebook, and enjoy a simple design with dark mode support.

**Highlights:** Top, New, and Best stories, Bookmark stories, Integrated sharing (Twitter, Facebook, Mail), High performance fetching, Simple and clean design, Dark mode support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hackery

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackery/id1095090759)

This app offers a clean and distraction-free way to read Hacker News stories. It prioritizes content visibility with large headlines and integrates with Safari's Reader Mode for an optimal reading experience on iPhone and iPad.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free reading experience, Large, bold headlines, Safari Reader Mode integration, iPad and split-screen support, Clean and simple interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy me a coffee | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HN free?

HN is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hackery free?

Hackery is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do HN or Hackery have ads?

Neither HN nor Hackery shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HN or Hackery?

HN ships an update every 6 months, and Hackery every 5 months. Most recently, HN was updated on August 2, 2026 and Hackery on July 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*