Not commenting on your app, but I think the real reason mobile clients are needed for Reddit is that they intentionally try to break the mobile web experience to force their app down your throat. In contrast, HN.. doesn't. The mobile website is pleasant to use, if you are okay with the rather small text buttons.

Hey I’ve never been on HN before but have seen good articles pop up on Reddit. A few minutes ago I searched for hacker news in the App Store, scrolled a bit, and downloaded HACK because it looked the most promising :)

And now I’m posting my first HN comment on this app to the dev hahah.

message me at (my username) at gmail dot com. I'm the creator of Touchbase (www.touchbase.id) that lets users share all their online platforms in 1 profile, and I want to speak on possibly integrating HACK as a platform that users can share their account of.

commenting from HACK rn!! it reminds me of apollo in a good way :)

Unfortunately, HN has nowhere near the diversity of communities and viewpoints as a place like reddit did.

Indeed. And it even has the same features (centralized, ultimately beholden to commercial interests) that destroyed Reddit!

But don't worry, that's not going to happen here. You don't need a decentralized non-profit community, trust me. It's going to work out this time. Really.

Well, as it stands HN is like just another good subreddit.