The official Reddit app is a decent way to navigate the platform, but many users found it lacking compared to third-party alternatives. However, recent changes to Reddit’s API fees have forced many of these third-party apps to shut down, limiting the choices available.
We’ve identified the best remaining third-party apps, so you don’t have to stick with the official Reddit app on your Android tablet. And if you’re thinking of leaving Reddit altogether, check out some of our favorite entertainment apps for Android.
TL;DR: Best Alternative Reddit Apps
Feature/Characteristic | Atom for Reddit | Relay for Reddit | Narwhal for Reddit | Infinity for Reddit | Redditoria for Reddit | Now for Reddit |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Platform | Android | Android | iOS | Android | Android | Android |
User Experience | Elegant, simple, fast | Beautiful, intuitive | Customizable, strong | Extensive customization | Minimalist, intuitive | Sleek, easy to use |
Night Mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Inline Previews | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Multi-Account Support | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
Comment Navigation | Basic | Advanced | Basic | Basic | No | Basic |
Subscription | No | Yes ($0.99 to $4.99/month) | Yes ($3.99/month) | Yes ($2.99/month) | No login functionality | Yes ($3.99/month) |
Offline Viewing | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Customization | Moderate | Extensive | Limited | Extensive | Minimal | Basic |
Media Handling | In-app previews and downloads | Inline previews | Inline previews | Inline previews | Media banner | In-app previews |
Notifications | Trending posts | Mail, mod messages, modqueue | Orangered notifications | No | No | Full Reddit mail support |
Unique Features | Data saver, video autoplay | Delightful animations | Swipe voting | Lazy mode (auto-scrolling) | Pinned subreddits, user insights | Sync read posts across devices |
Ad-Free | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
![best reddit clients best reddit clients](https://upvote.shop/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/best-reddit-clients-1024x576.jpg)
Why Many Reddit Clients not working?
Many third-party Reddit apps were discontinued on July 1, 2023, due to a sudden and steep increase in Reddit’s API fees. Previously free, these fees are now being charged because Reddit claims the costs of maintaining the API are high. The company also expressed concerns about machine learning companies using their data to develop profitable chatbots without compensating Reddit.
Most third-party developers understand the need for an API fee, acknowledging that free access is unsustainable in the long run.
However, they were caught off guard by the abrupt announcement, leaving them no time to adjust their apps to the new pricing.
Additionally, Reddit is now blocking API access to not-safe-for-work (NSFW) content, leading to an incomplete experience on third-party apps.
Adding to the turmoil, Reddit leadership accused Christian Selig, the developer of the popular Apollo app, of blackmail during discussions about the API changes. Selig disproved this accusation with a recorded conversation. These issues, along with poor communication and unfavorable decisions, triggered a significant protest, with many Reddit communities going private.
Now, only a few third-party apps remain, most requiring a subscription to function. RedReader, however, received an exception from the API fees, allowing its users to continue using the app for free. Some apps still operate without a fee but restrict users from logging in.
![atom for reddit atom for reddit](https://upvote.shop/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/atom-for-reddit-1024x548.jpg)
Atom for Reddit
- User Experience: Elegant, simple, fast performance on all devices.
- Night Mode: Dark theme to reduce eye strain and battery usage.
- Comments: Expand, collapse, upvote, downvote, reply, and save comments.
- Comprehensive Search: Powerful search with multiple sort options and filters.
- Personalization: Custom settings for data saver, video autoplay, and view modes.
- Multi Account: Manage and switch between multiple accounts easily.
- Goto Random: Discover new subreddits with the random feature.
- Trending: Notifications for trending posts with an option to turn off.
- Media: In-app media previews with a built-in video player and image viewer.
- Download: Download videos, images, GIFs, and GIFV files.
- More: Additional features to enhance your Reddit experience.
Atom for Reddit features a simplistic yet clean interface, offering several customization options and handy tools like an easy account switcher and data saver. Its comment threads are straightforward to read, ensuring you won’t get lost in a maze of icons. However, it does lack some of the advanced features found in apps like Infinity and Relay.
In response to Reddit’s API changes, Atom limits users from loading additional posts once they reach the free API request limit. The developers haven’t provided much information about a long-term solution. Despite this, Atom remains a useful app for those who use Reddit in short bursts.
![relay for reddit relay for reddit](https://upvote.shop/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/relay-for-reddit-1024x700.jpg)
Relay for Reddit
- User Experience: Fun new way to browse Reddit with a beautiful, intuitive interface inspired by Material Design.
- Animations: Delightful animations enhance the overall experience.
- Link & Comment Loading: Links and comments load simultaneously; switch between them with a swipe.
- Inline Previews: Preview pictures, YouTube, GIFs, and HTML5 videos inline.
- Comment Navigation: Advanced navigation for next/previous threads, find words, IAMA, and more.
- Moderator Features: Comprehensive tools for moderation (distinguish, sticky posts, ban users, etc.).
- Themes: Various themes available, including a relaxing night mode.
- Multi-Account: Support for multiple accounts.
- Inbox Replies: Reply directly from your inbox.
- Notifications: Alerts for mail, mod messages, and modqueue.
- Subreddit Filters: Filter out subreddits you dislike.
- Spoiler Support: Full support for spoilers.
- Customization: Extensive options including font style, size, and left-handed viewing.
- Thumbnails: Hi-resolution thumbnails.
- Friends & Search: Full functionality for friends and search.
- Emoticons: Rageface and MLP emoticons via PonyMotes.
Relay for Reddit transformed the Reddit browsing experience on Android with its sleek animations and intuitive gesture-based navigation. Swiping left on a post allowed users to quickly view comments, share the post, or save it. Similarly, swiping on any comment enabled upvoting, downvoting, or replying, making Reddit browsing seamless on smaller screens.
When it came to adding or replying to comments, Relay featured a rich text editor that allowed users to compose comments without needing a desktop. Additional features included user blocking, content filtering, and extensive appearance customization options.
Despite its strengths, Relay is no longer free. It now requires a subscription, with tiers ranging from $0.99 to $4.99 per month. These tiers differ based on the number of API calls allowed, with the lowest tier offering 1,350 API calls per month—approximately 30 minutes of daily use. The highest tier provides unlimited access. Higher-priced plans are also available, with the extra funds supporting ongoing app development.
![narwal for reddit narwal for reddit](https://upvote.shop/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/narwal-for-reddit-1024x555.jpg)
Narwhal for Reddit
- View Any Subreddit: Access all subreddits easily.
- Seamless Browsing: View links and comments simultaneously.
- Swipe Voting: Vote on posts and comments with a simple swipe.
- Custom Themes: Create and personalize your own themes.
- Hide and Save Links: Save and hide links to your Reddit account.
- Post Creation: Add new posts to your favorite subreddits.
- Orangered Notifications: View all your notifications.
- Unlimited Browsing: Download and browse Reddit without limitations.
Narwhal is a strong competitor to the official Reddit app, offering various customization features that allow users to adjust fonts, image views, post views, and more. However, the primary menus are located at the top, which can be difficult to access. A redesign placing these menus at the bottom would greatly enhance usability. The theming options are currently limited to light, blue, and dark modes.
Narwhal is exclusively available on iOS and costs $3.99 per month for unlimited use. Unlike some other apps, there are no additional subscription tiers.
![Infinity for Reddit Infinity for Reddit](https://upvote.shop/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Infinity-for-Reddit-1024x669.jpg)
Infinity for Reddit
- Ad-Free: Enjoy uninterrupted, distraction-free browsing.
- Open Source: Built by a passionate university student, open for contributions at GitHub.
- Subscription Required: Access Infinity with a subscription due to Reddit’s API charges.
- Lazy Mode: Automatic scrolling of posts for hands-free browsing.
- Multi-Account Support: Instantly switch between different accounts.
- Night Theme: Beautifully designed night theme for comfortable viewing.
Infinity for Reddit stands out with its extensive customization options, allowing users to tweak the app’s appearance and functionality to their liking. If the default hamburger menu isn’t your style, you can switch to bottom navigation through the interface settings. You can also personalize fonts, the navigation drawer, main page tabs, time format, posts, comments, and post details—all from the same menu. The theming options are particularly notable, rivalling those of Slide for Reddit.
A unique feature of Infinity is Lazy mode, which enables auto-scrolling on the homepage. The default interval is 2.5 seconds, but you can adjust it up to 10 seconds in the settings. Infinity is open source and was originally free to use.
While the default hamburger menu and blue theme may not appeal to everyone, spending some time customizing Infinity can significantly enhance your experience.
Similar to Relay, Infinity now requires a monthly subscription. However, unlike Relay, all subscription tiers in Infinity offer unlimited use. The cheapest tier is $2.99 per month, which is more affordable than Relay’s unlimited-use tier. Higher tiers are available, with additional funds supporting the developer.
![Redditoria for Reddit Redditoria for Reddit](https://upvote.shop/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Redditoria-for-Reddit-1024x607.jpg)
Redditoria for Reddit
- Pinned Subreddits: Pin your top 4-5 subreddits for easy access as tabs on the main page
- Session Tabs: Clicking a non-pinned subscription adds it to your tabs for that session
- User Insights: Graphs for most-contributed subreddits and frequency-of-use on the user page
- Comprehensive Search: Query for relevant submissions, subreddits, and users with expandable sections
- Recently Visited Subs: List in settings to retrace your steps
- Dark Theme: Follows your system’s dark-theme setting
Redditoria brought a fresh approach to Reddit browsing by simplifying the user experience. Instead of overwhelming your homescreen with numerous posts, it showcased a few posts with a prominent media banner at the top. The app’s minimalist, intuitive UI made it stand out, though it lacked text customization options. If the default text style and size didn’t suit your preference, there was no way to adjust it.
One handy feature was the ability to pin your favorite subreddits at the top, making navigation easier. For those weary of typical third-party Reddit apps on Android, Redditoria offered a refreshing alternative.
Redditoria stopped receiving updates well before the API pricing controversy, with the last update in 2021 as the developer shifted focus to other projects. Despite this, the app remains functional. However, it comes with a significant limitation—you cannot log in and can only view subreddits and posts as a guest.
![Now for Reddit Now for Reddit](https://upvote.shop/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Now-for-Reddit-1024x607.jpg)
Now for Reddit
- Beautiful Interface: Sleek and visually appealing design.
- Easy to Use: Swipe to switch between subreddits.
- Media Browsing: Enjoy browsing photos, GIFs, and funny memes.
- Interaction Options: Vote, comment, save, hide, and share posts.
- Follow Friends: Keep up with your friends and their posts.
- Offline Viewing: Save images and GIFs for offline access.
- Full Reddit Mail Support: Complete support for Reddit messaging.
- Sync Across Devices: Sync read posts between mobile and desktop.
- Text Editor: Excellent text editor for typing comments.
- Subscribe: Access over 500,000+ subreddits.
Now for Reddit might appear outdated compared to its competitors, but it offers a user-friendly interface with practical features. Users can customize the app’s appearance, card style, and subreddit layout to suit their preferences.
The app allows you to disable gestures, filter out NSFW content or specific keywords, and even use the built-in video player to watch YouTube videos without leaving the app. Despite these features, Now for Reddit could benefit from a major UI update to stay competitive.
A subscription fee of $3.99 grants unlimited use of Now for Reddit. There are higher tiers available for those who wish to support further app development.