Created by former Apple employee Christian Selig, Apollo for Reddit is hands-down the best Reddit reader out there. Forget the official Reddit client for iOS and iPadOS – Apollo is the app I return to day after day when it comes to exploring the fascinating world of Reddit.

In my view, the official Reddit app feels like a rehashed version of Reddit’s freewheeling website. Meanwhile, Apollo is a proper piece of mobile software — the real McCoy, if you will. It gives you a fantastically effective interface for digesting the mountain of news and topical info posted by Reddit’s millions of users.

Now don’t get me wrong. Apollo is by no means swish, flash and fancy. It’s instead the exact opposite – stripped-down and streamlined. But believe me: When it comes to browsing Reddit while on the move, this app gets the job done.

The best Reddit client for iPhone and iPad

Let’s take a closer look. Apollo offers a main Posts interface where users can access a Home section (which pools together posts from all your subscribed-to subreddits), a Popular Posts section (with posts pulled from across the whole of Reddit), and a list of all the subreddits you subscribe to.

These subreddits can then be grouped into favorites for easy access. I often launch Apollo and browse through the Home section when I’ve got time to leisurely sift through new posts, or will instead go straight to a specific subreddit if I’m looking to see what Reddit users are saying about a particular subject.

What’s especially great about Apollo is the option of switching your subreddit view between best, hot, top, new and rising posts. This proves particularly valuable for popular subreddits. Of course, you can upvote, downvote and comment on posts, all from the Apollo app.

Trending subreddits and Reddit rabbit holes

You will find trending subreddits further along in Apollo’s search page, alongside another of my favorite features – a random subreddit button. Click the button and – as its name suggests – you’ll be transported to a totally random subreddit. Granted, this could take you to pretty dark places on the internet if you’re unlucky, but I find this feature a heck of a lot of fun.

Comprehensive gestures make one-handed browsing incredibly easy – especially if, like me, you often read Reddit in bed before falling asleep.

Premium features make Apollo even better

While Apollo is a free app, some optional add-ons will set you back. The first is the $5 Apollo Pro in-app purchase, which adds support for multiple accounts, an automatic dark mode, custom icons and Face ID (or passcode) support. Also, if you want to submit posts to Reddit from Apollo, you must upgrade to Apollo Pro.

Then there’s Apollo Ultra, which adds native support for notifications (for new comments, posts and messages). This is a great feature, although it’s worth noting that the same functionality can be replicated free of charge using the superb Pager for Reddit app.

So, for anyone who likes to take a trip to the sometimes weird, always wonderful world of Reddit, Apollo is a must-have. Like I said, it’s a free app for iOS and iPadOS that can be supercharged with optional in-app purchases if you find that after downloading the app, you like what you see.

Price: Free
Download from: iOS and iPadOS App Store

Awesome Apps is a Cult of Mac series highlighting the best apps around. We will feature our favorite apps as well as new and notable ones. Apps are transformative, and these are the best.