Apollo Reddit Client Looks Like Apple Made It, and In a Way, It Did
Christian Sellig, a former Apple intern, was never happy with the quality of Reddit clients for iOS. They usually don't follow the iOS user interface guidelines, Sellig says, so he set out to create his own Reddit client. He gathered feedback from thousands of Reddit users over the course of several years, took what he learned working at Apple, and put a lot of work into developing a gorgeous, powerful Reddit client called Apollo.
App Feels Like
App Feels Like
Apollo is a gorgeous, easy to use Reddit client. You don't have to sign into your account to use it, but you're certainly missing out on the entirety of the experience without doing so.
Images in Apollo are, by default, presented inline. You can change this by switching to Compact view in Settings, but the speed and beauty with which Apollo treats images is a welcome improvement over the normal experience. Even comments benefit from this, with inline previews of the content.
Even images from sites other than Reddit, like Imgur photos, are rendered inline, so you don't have to change to another app to see them.
If you click on a link within a Reddit post, that link opens in a web viewer within Apollo — no more switching to Safari and back to follow links.
Navigating in Apollo Reddit Client is equally fantastic, with a lightning-fast jump bar and groupings of popular and trending posts.
The way Reddit *should* look on an iOS device
The Good
Apollo has become my go-to client for Reddit on my iPhone. Since Sellig designed it following iOS guidelines, it just feels like an app that was destined for the iPhone or iPad. It's right at home, looks and acts like many of the apps Apple has preinstalled on the devices.
The ability to switch between Large or Compact mode is terrific for those times when I need to quickly peruse Reddit topics. I can get the images out of the way, and just read the titles. When I'm ready to just browse, I turn off Compact mode and enjoy the gorgeous image rendering the app affords me.
Navigating between subreddits is a breeze, with the fast jump bar. You can tag your favorite subreddits, and then access them quickly from the top dropdown menu.
Apollo features great gesture controls, fully customizable, for upvoting, downvoting, replying, and saving posts. You can also upvote, downvote, collapse, or reply to comments with simple swipe gestures. Other control groups include your inbox, profile posts, and profile comments.
The Bad (Spoiler alert: there is no bad)
There isn't much not to like about Apollo Reddit Client. It works beautifully, looks like a native iOS app, and offers plenty of functionality.
The only real "negative" is that you don't get all of the features for free. I totally understand that, since Sellig obviously wants to benefit from his development and maybe even make a living.
You can unlock all of Apollo's features with a Kind Tip of $2.99. That will provide you with the following features, on top of the free ones:
- Submit posts
- Multiple accounts
- Auto dark mode
- Custom app icon
- Touch ID and passcode
- Customize gestures
- Keyword filters
- Comment color themes
- Default Reddit homepage
- Gif timeline scrubbing
If you really want to give more, Sellig also supports additional tips of $4.99 or $9.99. There aren't any recurring costs or fees, and the contributions help support an amazing client.
The verdict
Apollo is an amazing creation, and does everything so well I had to struggle to find something negative to say about it. Sellig has done an amazing job of bringing Reddit to the iPhone and iPad in a way that makes it look right at home.
