A few years ago, I wrote a lot about Reddit. As a veteran user, I have noticed that the platform, once known for its freedom from censorship, has lost its reputation. A series of unpopular changes, from redesigns to attempts to copy competitors, has caused many to either stop using the site or find ways to ignore the changes. For those who prefer the old design, there is an option to use the classic version, while those who are more particular can choose from hundreds of unofficial applications with fewer issues than the main client. However, recent events have made it clear that these apps may soon stop working. But unlike what happened with Twitter, users are ready to unite and defend their favorite apps.
What has happened?
Reddit has long been offering unrestricted access to its platform through various third-party clients like Reddit is Fun, Apollo, and Boost. However, recent announcements from the social network indicate that they will be altering the API used by these apps and implementing monetization. This signals an end to the era of free access to the platform.
Various apps have made announcements, but the creator of Apollo, Christian Selig, has been at the forefront of the situation, providing clear and transparent explanations of what’s happening in his community. He was the first to raise concerns and warned that the new regulations could be disastrous for the platform and his business. For years, like other clients, Apollo has offered a free version of the app that removes all ads and enables users to customize their feeds and create filters, among other features.
In his address to the Reddit community, the app’s creator reflected on the constructive dialogue they had established with developers. He praised the company’s transparency and noted that Apollo had ample time to transition to a new monetization model and prepare for upcoming changes. However, the announcements were not without their controversies, notably the new API restrictions which stripped third-party clients of access to NSFW content. This decision was met with dissatisfaction from the users, with some perceiving it as veiled blackmail. While this was bad news, the CEO acknowledged the limitations and worked towards a solution.
What’s wrong with the official app, anyways?
Before we discuss the current drama, it is worth explaining what is wrong with the official application, which millions of users completely refuse to use. Here the situation can be easily explained by comparison with Twitter: Elon Musk did basically the same, instantly killing such popular third-party apps as Tweetbot, Twitterific, etc. Not having time to realize what had happened, users either silently accepted the situation or left the platform and moved to Mastodon.
It has long been customary among Reddit fans to hate the official app. It does not allow customization: you cannot customize fonts, color themes, controls, etc. It has a cluttered interface that is difficult to understand, and you wouldn’t call it fast either. It actively collects user data for targeted advertising. The built-in video player often barely works, and, most importantly, it is impossible to disable ads. Compared to it, most third-party applications do a much better job: Slide offers a multi-column mode for iPad, Apollo is smooth, removes ads, and is even endorsed by Apple.
And most importantly, users have repeatedly complained that the official client does not work with screen readers.
“For me, it’s because I hate the direction Reddit is taking, both on the mobile app and the website. It’s turning from a largely text and link-based aggregator to an Instagram clone. I also don’t care much about the gimmick features like awards, chat, or others.
I use old.reddit.com on PC, Relay on Android, and Apollo on my iPhone because it allows me to replicate the Reddit of yesteryear. You can choose between expanded image view or a very compact, old-reddit-like view.”
Why the protest?
On June 1, Christian Selig again addressed his users, who had already come to terms with the imminent disappearance of the free version of Apollo. Most agreed that the app was worth paying for it. But the developers were not prepared for the harsh reality. Selig, the application’s creator, was forced to sound the alarm when things took a turn for the worse. The situation was dire, and the app’s closure was imminent, leaving Selig with no other source of income.
“I’ll cut to the chase: 50 million requests costs $12,000, a figure far more than I ever could have imagined.
Apollo made 7 billion requests last month, which would put it at about 1.7 million dollars per month, or 20 million US dollars per year. Even if I only kept subscription users, the average Apollo user uses 344 requests per day, which would cost $2.50 per month, which is over double what the subscription currently costs, so I’d be in the red every month.
I’m deeply disappointed in this price. Reddit iterated that the price would be A) reasonable and based in reality, and B) they would not operate like Twitter. Twitter’s pricing was publicly ridiculed for its obscene price of $42,000 for 50 million tweets. Reddit’s is still $12,000. For reference, I pay Imgur (a site similar to Reddit in user base and media) $166 for the same 50 million API calls.
As for the pricing, despite claims that it would be based in reality, it seems anything but. Less than 2 years ago they said they crossed $100M in quarterly revenue for the first time ever, if we assume despite the economic downturn that they’ve managed to do that every single quarter now, and for your best quarter, you’ve doubled it to $200M. Let’s also be generous and go far, far above industry estimates and say you made another $50M in Reddit Premium subscriptions. That’s $550M in revenue per year, let’s say an even $600M.
In 2019, they said they hit 430 million monthly active users, and to also be generous, let’s say they haven’t added a single active user since then (if we do revenue-per-user calculations, the more users, the less revenue each user would contribute). So at generous estimates of $600M and 430M monthly active users, that’s $1.40 per user per year, or $0.12 monthly. These own numbers they’ve given are also seemingly inline with industry estimates as well.
For Apollo, the average user uses 344 requests daily, or 10.6K monthly. With the proposed API pricing, the average user in Apollo would cost $2.50, which is is 20x higher than a generous estimate of what each users brings Reddit in revenue.
While Reddit has been communicative and civil throughout this process with half a dozen phone calls back and forth that I thought went really well, I don’t see how this pricing is anything based in reality or remotely reasonable. I hope it goes without saying that I don’t have that kind of money or would even know how to charge it to a credit card.
This is going to require some thinking. I asked Reddit if they were flexible on this pricing or not, and they stated that it’s their understanding that no, this will be the pricing, and I’m free to post the details of the call if I wish.”
– Christian
Sellig’s sincere message to his users sparked a chain reaction, spreading quickly across various subreddits. The feedback from users was clear: if their favorite apps were taken away, they would leave. Some apps have already stopped working, and their creators have announced their closure, including the promising ReSurfer client.
Reddit recognizes the vocal minority and is not intimidated by public opinion. It’s important to remember that there were similar complaints when the redesign was implemented, but eventually, users adapted to the new format. The same will likely happen here.
What will happen?
Several subreddits announced a protest to protest the site’s policies several days ago. On June 12, many subreddits will go dark. Some will only be down for 48 hours, while others may remain offline permanently unless the issue is resolved. The problem also lies in the limited official client tools that many moderators refuse to use.
Reddit’s approach has garnered negative reactions from users and developers. Many find the cost of using the API to be excessive, and there is concern over the site’s restriction of NSFW content. The potential for further censorship is uncertain.
Obviously, Reddit seeks to squeeze out third-party applications, forcing developers to pay a significant amount for incomplete access to data. Forced transition to an official client may lead to an increase in the collection of user data. There are no alternatives as the site does not provide its version of YouTube Premium
Will the protest lead to anything? It’s hard to say. In the past, Reddit has already made concessions, faced with an aggressive reaction from users – for this reason, the old version of the site still exists. What will happen now… it’s hard to say.
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