Haiker vs Other Hacker News Apps
Compare Haiker with other popular Hacker News clients. See how auto-translation, reply notifications, and multi-language support set Haiker apart.
Haiker vs other Hacker News clients
Haiker is the only Hacker News client built specifically for non-English speakers. Here is how it compares to other popular HN apps.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Haiker | Hacker News (web) | HN app alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-translation of posts and comments | Yes | No | No |
| Reply in your language (auto-translated to English) | Yes | No | No |
| Push notifications for replies | Yes | No | Limited |
| Dark mode | Yes | No (reader mode only) | Yes |
| Bookmarks | Yes | No | Some |
| Multiple story types | Top, New, Best, Ask, Show, Jobs | All | Varies |
| iOS support | Yes | Web only | Some |
| Android support | Beta (APK) | Web only | Some |
Who is Haiker for?
Haiker is designed for non-English-speaking developers and tech enthusiasts who want to:
- Read Hacker News stories in their native language
- Participate in English-language discussions without switching keyboards
- Get notified when someone replies to their comments
- Browse HN on mobile with a native app experience
Supported languages
Haiker currently supports auto-translation for:
- Chinese (Simplified)
- Japanese
- Korean
- Hindi
- German
- French
- English
How auto-translation works
- Set your target language in Haiker settings (e.g. Chinese, Japanese, Korean)
- Open any Hacker News story or comment — the text is automatically translated into your target language when displayed
- When you write a reply in your language, Haiker translates it to English before posting
- Both the original and translated text are visible
This means you can read in Chinese and reply in Chinese, and your comment appears in English on Hacker News — without ever switching keyboards or using a separate translation tool.
Login and privacy
Haiker uses a proxy-based login flow. Your Hacker News credentials are sent through our server to authenticate with the official HN website. We do not store your credentials or session cookies. For full details, see How HN Login Works.
You can also use Haiker without logging in — browse stories, read comments, and use auto-translation without an HN account.