# Octal (Hacker News iOS app)

10 Hacker News commenters recommended Octal (Hacker News iOS app) and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a lightweight Hacker News reader with good touch targets and night mode; one critic finds nested threads hard to read in heated debates.

## Why people recommend it

- Best Hacker News reader (2 comments): "Been using it for years and I have never found a better reader for hn." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47716708)) "Octal is the best one. Typing this comment from it right now." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47654174))
- Used in place of website (2 comments): "most of the time for HN I browse using Octal instead of the website" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46625717)) "Octal is the best one. Typing this comment from it right now." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47654174))
- Pleasant UI and good touch targets (2 comments): "The Octal app has better touch targets on mobile and manages to show more text at the same time." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46626044)) "Night mode, Pleasant UI, and lightweight" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47655934))

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Octal (Hacker News iOS app)", https://hackerapproved.com/p/octal/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).