# HN Reader vs HACK for Hacker News YC Reader

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HACK for Hacker News YC Reader at 93% against HN Reader's 47%. HACK for Hacker News YC Reader also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.8) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). HN Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HACK for Hacker News YC Reader sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. HN Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

HACK for Hacker News YC Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HACK for Hacker News YC Reader has 1.6K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of HN Reader's written reviews are positive against 93% of HACK for Hacker News YC Reader's.

HN Reader ships an update every 2 months, HACK for Hacker News YC Reader every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HN Reader | HACK for Hacker News YC Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hn-reader-hacker-news-reader/id919243741/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hack-for-hacker-news-yc-reader/id1464477788/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **1.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 46.7% of reviews | **93.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 12 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Ricouard](https://appshunter.io/developer/372456982) | [Pranoy Chowdhury](https://appshunter.io/developer/952263202) |

## What reviewers say

### HN Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hn-reader-hacker-news-reader/id919243741)

Access Hacker News articles and comments offline with background refresh and a convenient Today widget. Save articles to Safari Reading List for later viewing. Open source and developed in Swift.

**Highlights:** Offline reading, Today widget integration, Background refresh, Save to Safari Reading List, Read comments, Open source

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### HACK for Hacker News YC Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hack-for-hacker-news-yc-reader/id1464477788)

This app offers a beautiful and intuitive way to read tech, startup, and STEM news from Hacker News. It provides advanced features like push notifications, threaded comments, and powerful search, with extensive customization options for a personalized reading experience.

**Highlights:** Ad-free and subscription-free reading, Push notifications for replies, Nested threaded comments with collapse, Swipe to upvote and favorite, Submit new posts and drafts, Powerful Algolia-powered search, Customizable themes, fonts, and layout

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nice Tip | $3.99 | one-time |
| Kind Tip | $6.99 | one-time |
| Generous Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Amazing Tip | $12.99 | one-time |
| Hack Premium | $14.99 | one-time |
| Godzilla Tip | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HN Reader free?

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

### Is HACK for Hacker News YC Reader free?

HACK for Hacker News YC Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, HN Reader or HACK for Hacker News YC Reader?

HACK for Hacker News YC Reader is rated higher. HN Reader averages 1.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while HACK for Hacker News YC Reader averages 4.7 from 1.6K ratings.

### Do HN Reader or HACK for Hacker News YC Reader have ads?

Neither HN Reader nor HACK for Hacker News YC Reader shows ads.

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

HN Reader ships an update every 2 months, and HACK for Hacker News YC Reader every 3 days. Most recently, HN Reader was updated on September 19, 2026 and HACK for Hacker News YC Reader on October 15, 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.*