# HN Reader vs Z Combinator for Hacker News

The clearest difference is rating: Z Combinator for Hacker News at 3.7 against HN Reader's 1.8. Z Combinator for Hacker News also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). HN Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Z Combinator for Hacker News holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 1.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of HN Reader's written reviews are positive against 50% of Z Combinator for Hacker News's.

HN Reader ships an update every 2 months, Z Combinator for Hacker News every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HN Reader | Z Combinator for Hacker News |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hn-reader-hacker-news-reader/id919243741/reviews) | **[3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/z-combinator-for-hacker-news/id1638242818/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 46.7% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 12 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Ricouard](https://appshunter.io/developer/372456982) | [Jiaqi Feng](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462586544) |

## 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


### Z Combinator for Hacker News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/z-combinator-for-hacker-news/id1638242818)

An open-source client for browsing Hacker News. It offers a straightforward way to access news and discussions from the popular tech community.

**Highlights:** Hacker News client, Open source, News aggregation, Discussion access

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HN Reader free?

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

### Is Z Combinator for Hacker News free?

Z Combinator for Hacker News is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, HN Reader or Z Combinator for Hacker News?

Z Combinator for Hacker News is rated higher. HN Reader averages 1.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Z Combinator for Hacker News averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do HN Reader or Z Combinator for Hacker News have ads?

Neither HN Reader nor Z Combinator for Hacker News shows ads.

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

HN Reader ships an update every 2 months, and Z Combinator for Hacker News every 3 weeks. Most recently, HN Reader was updated on November 6, 2026 and Z Combinator for Hacker News on November 3, 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.*