# 9to5Mac vs Hacker Feed

9to5Mac and Hacker Feed both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 83% of Hacker Feed's written reviews are positive against 41% of 9to5Mac's. Hacker Feed also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). 9to5Mac's advantage is ratings volume (4.8K vs 439). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 9to5Mac sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Hacker Feed asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for 9to5Mac against 4.8 for Hacker Feed. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 9to5Mac has 4.8K ratings behind it against 439, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of 9to5Mac's written reviews are positive against 83% of Hacker Feed's.

9to5Mac ships an update every 3 months, Hacker Feed every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | 9to5Mac | Hacker Feed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (4.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/9to5mac-breaking-tech-news/id955138289/reviews) | **[4.8 (439 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-feed/id1451386900/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.8K** | 439 |
| Positive reviews | 40.9% of reviews | **82.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 34 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Seth Weintraub](https://appshunter.io/developer/955138288) | [Ken Toh](https://appshunter.io/developer/445688316) |

## What reviewers say

### 9to5Mac

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/9to5mac-breaking-tech-news/id955138289)

Stay informed with the latest news for Apple devices and other tech. Enjoy an ad-free reading experience with a clean layout and push notifications for breaking stories. An optional premium subscription offers enhanced features.

**Highlights:** Latest Apple news, Ad-free reading, Push notifications, Dark Theme, Optimized layout, Access to network sites

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Subscription | $1.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Informative content
- 📱 Great app for Apple news
- 🌓 Useful dark mode
- 👍 Modern design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Paywall restricts access
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- ⏱️ Slow content loading
- 💸 Expensive subscription
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Subscription issues
- Inconsistent dark mode support
- Unreliable push notifications
- Crashes when opening articles
- Broken Disqus login functionality

**Requested features**

- Dark mode icon support
- Improved notifications
- In-app commenting
- Yearly subscription option
- Faster content updates


### Hacker Feed

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-feed/id1451386900)

A fast and elegant application for reading Hacker News stories. Browse top, new, and specialized sections with beautiful typography and thumbnail options. Includes built-in reader mode, comment management, and iCloud syncing for bookmarks.

**Highlights:** Browse Top, New, Show HN, Ask HN, Jobs stories, Beautiful typography with compact/large thumbnails, Built-in Safari view with reader mode, Expand/collapse story comments and threads, Bookmark favorite stories with iCloud sync, Share story links to other apps, System Dark Mode support

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and responsive performance
- 👍 Clean, simple, and intuitive interface
- 🆓 Free with no ads or tracking
- 📱 Lightweight app that doesn't drain resources
- 🔖 Built-in bookmarks/save feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎨 Limited customization options
- 📏 Fixed font size not adjustable
- 🖱️ Accidental thread collapsing on touch
- ⏱️ Recent loading delays when opening HN links
- 📊 Limited feed density/compactness

**Reported bugs**

- Cached stories not updating with latest content
- Stories not loading
- Intermittent loading delays when opening links
- Thread collapsing on accidental screen touch

**Requested features**

- Dark mode
- Adjustable text/font size
- User account login for voting and commenting
- Ability to post new threads
- Search functionality


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 9to5Mac free?

9to5Mac is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Hacker Feed free?

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

### Which has better reviews, 9to5Mac or Hacker Feed?

Hacker Feed is rated higher. 9to5Mac averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.8K ratings, while Hacker Feed averages 4.8 from 439 ratings.

### Do 9to5Mac or Hacker Feed have ads?

Neither 9to5Mac nor Hacker Feed shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, 9to5Mac or Hacker Feed?

9to5Mac ships an update every 3 months, and Hacker Feed every 5 days. Most recently, 9to5Mac was updated on October 26, 2026 and Hacker Feed on October 26, 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.*