Which Reddit 3rd Party Apps Still Work After API Price Hike Fallout

The recent API price hike by Reddit has caused several popular third party Reddit apps to stop working. Only a handful of apps like Infinity for Reddit, RedReader, and FatBird For Reddit still function without issues. This article will provide an overview of the API pricing changes, discuss the apps that no longer work, and highlight the main features of the apps that continue to operate.

API Pricing Changes

Reddit announced that it would be implementing a new tiered pricing model for API access that would charge third-party developers based on the number of monthly active users. The highest pricing tier costs over $15,000 per month for apps with over 100 million monthly users.

This dramatic increase made it financially unviable for most third-party developers to continue offering their apps. They would need to introduce subscriptions or in-app purchases to cover the exponentially higher API costs. Most developers decided to discontinue their apps rather than pass on the costs to users.

Apps No Longer Functioning

Some of the most popular and highly-rated Reddit apps immediately shut down when the new pricing took effect in early July. These include:

Sync – One of the most feature-rich clients with powerful customization options. It offered a very smooth and fast Reddit experience.

Boost – A minimalist client focused on speed and ease of use. It had unique features like account switching and content filtering.

BaconReader – A user-friendly app with an intuitive interface. It was praised for its reliability and stability.

Joey – A customizable app with innovative gestures and navigation. It provided lots of theme options and layout settings.

Slide – A lightweight client good for lower-end devices. It had a basic no-frills interface.

Relay – A polished app with excellent moderation tools. It was noted for its consistent updates and active development.

The demise of these apps left many loyal users disappointed. The third-party clients generally provided a much better user experience than the official Reddit app. They offered more features and better performance with less clutter.

Reddit 3rd Party Apps That Still Work

Very few third party apps continue to work normally after the API changes. These include:

Infinity for Reddit

Infinity has emerged as the most popular successor so far. It has an attractive modern design with fluid animations. The app loads content quickly and supports multiple accounts.

Key Features:

• Clean and intuitive interface
• Excellent performance
• Multiple themes and color options
• Support for multiple accounts
• Filters and search functions
• Crossposting and user tagging
• Multimedia downloader

RedReader

RedReader is an open source app focused on privacy. It has a basic no-frills design and the essential Reddit features. It loads pages efficiently and has a dark mode.

Key Features:

• Lightweight and fast
• Open source code
• Dark theme support
• Filters and content blocking
• Multimedia downloader
• Spoiler tag handling

FatBird For Reddit

FatBird has a unique grid-style layout for browsing content. It allows adjusting the column size for posts. The app includes the standard Reddit features but has fewer customization options.

Key Features:

• Post grid layout
• Column width adjustment
• Compact use of screen space
• Spoiler tag support
• Multimedia downloader
• Basic customization options

The Paid API Fallout

Reddit users overwhelmingly prefer the third party apps due to their superior design and reliability. The API pricing changes have largely been seen as a ploy by Reddit to push more users onto its official app. However, the official Reddit app has consistently poor ratings and reviews citing issues like ads, bugs, and lack of features.

Many users are still able to use their favorite third party apps by patching them with modified API keys. But this requires a bit of technical know-how. The few remaining functional clients have seen a surge in downloads from disgruntled Reddit users. But they aren’t full replacements for the polished apps that shut down. The API pricing fallout illustrates Reddit’s disregard for its loyal community and developers.

Reddit’s API pricing overhaul has essentially destroyed the third-party app ecosystem overnight. Only a tiny fraction of apps continue to work without modifications. Users have been left frustrated and angry by the loss of quality Reddit clients. While options like Infinity, RedReader, and FatBird still function, they cannot fully substitute the wide variety of customized experiences provided by the now defunct clients. The API pricing debacle has been a rude awakening to just how little Reddit values anything beyond maximizing its own profits.