# HN vs Native Reader for Hacker News

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HN at 60% against Native Reader for Hacker News's 20%. HN also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.4). Native Reader for Hacker News's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

HN ships an update every 6 months, Native Reader for Hacker News every 2 days. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | HN | Native Reader for Hacker News |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/native-reader-for-hacker-news/id931789125/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **5** |
| Positive reviews | **60.0% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 6 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Sokichi Fujita](https://appshunter.io/developer/847443161) | [Cristian Monterroza](https://appshunter.io/developer/796818573) |

## 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


### Native Reader for Hacker News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/native-reader-for-hacker-news/id931789125)

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.

**Highlights:** Filter stories by Rank, Points, or Comments, Responsive text sizes, Share articles to social platforms, Swipe to hide stories, Ad-free reading, Dark mode

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HN free?

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

### Is Native Reader for Hacker News free?

Native Reader for Hacker News is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do HN or Native Reader for Hacker News have ads?

Neither HN nor Native Reader for Hacker News shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HN or Native Reader for Hacker News?

HN ships an update every 6 months, and Native Reader for Hacker News every 2 days. Most recently, HN was updated on November 1, 2026 and Native Reader for Hacker News on November 1, 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.*