Comparison

Mlem for Lemmy vs Hydra

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Mlem for Lemmy

Experience the Fediverse through a native iOS app designed for seamless interaction with all major Lemmy instances. Enjoy powerful features like swipe actions, quick account switching, and extensive customization for an optimized mobile experience.

Highlights
  • Native iOS Swift development
  • Lemmy instance compatibility
  • Swipe actions
  • Account quick-switching
  • Customization options
  • Optimized backend
Features
Read full description

Mlem for Lemmy is beautiful, smooth, and compatible with all major Lemmy instances. Written fully in iOS' native Swift, Mlem lets you experience Lemmy while taking advantage of the best your device has to offer. With powerful, easy-to-use features such as swipe actions and account quick-switching, a robust set of customizations, and a highly optimized backend, Mlem offers the mobile Lemmy experience you deserve!

About

Hydra

Experience Reddit browsing with a fast, fluid, and native iOS client. Organize topics, enjoy an immersive media viewer, and utilize quick gestures for seamless interaction. Customize themes and modes for a personalized experience.

Highlights
  • Lightning-fast loading
  • Multireddit support
  • Favorite subreddits
  • Native iOS design
  • Image and video viewer
  • Multiple account support
  • Quick access gestures
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Hydra is the best client for browsing your subreddits and the ultimate experience on iOS. It's fast, fluid, and designed to make browsing more seamless than ever before. If you're looking for a powerful yet beautifully simple client, Hydra is the way to go. "Hydra makes Reddit feel like a natural part of iOS. Everything just flows." - u/goosewatergoose "This app is what you get when the developer really understands what a great user experience should be. It’s everything the Reddit app isn't" - DAC, UK "Long time Apollo user. Found the app a month ago. Great work so far, just wanted to convey the props" - @gruthsc3 (Discord) Hydra is crafted with a native iOS design, making it feel right at home on your device. It loads fast, responds instantly, and makes browsing an incredibly intuitive experience. Packed with powerful features, it's built to be the ultimate companion for both casual browsing and hardcore Redditors alike. Features that make Hydra shine: - Lightning-fast loading for seamless scrolling and browsing - Multireddit support for organizing and following your favorite topics - Favorite subreddits to keep your go-to communities at your fingertips - A beautifully designed, native iOS experience that feels right at home - Gorgeous image and video viewer for an immersive media experience - Multiple account support so you can switch effortlessly - Quick access gestures to upvote, downvote, reply, and more with a swipe - Markdown support to get the most out of your posts and comments - System share menu integration to easily share content anywhere - Full inbox access for messages and notifications - Private messages support to stay connected with other users - Powerful search to find posts, subreddits, and users in an instant - Customizable themes to match your style - Compact mode for an optimized browsing experience - Highly customizable UI to tailor Hydra to your needs - Blur content and spoilers for a safe browsing experience - Low data mode to keep your usage efficient - Beautiful, intuitive UI/UX that makes using Hydra a delight Hydra is always evolving with new features and improvements based on feedback from the community. If there's something you'd love to see, drop by the /r/HydraApp subreddit and let me know! Hydra is an unofficial client, but it just might be the best one you've ever used. --- This is an unofficial client for the Reddit service (Reddit is a registered trademark of Reddit, Inc., and this app is not affiliated with or endorsed by Reddit). --- Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Mlem for Lemmy3 screens
Hydra4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mlem for Lemmy at none against Hydra's 5. Hydra's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.6) and ratings volume (807 vs 84). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hydra sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Mlem for Lemmy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hydra holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hydra has 807 ratings behind it against 84, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Mlem for Lemmy's written reviews are positive against 75% of Hydra's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Mlem for Lemmy versus Hydra: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMlem for LemmyHydra
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (84 ratings)4.8 (807 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.4% of reviews — better74.8% of reviews
Number of ratings84807 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#172 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB75 MB
Age rating12++17
DeveloperEric AndrewsDimitrie Milinovich

Customer experience

Mlem for Lemmy

All ratings84 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive80.4%
Neutral5.4%
Negative14.3%

Hydra

All ratings807 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.6%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews151 reviews
Positive74.8%
Neutral6.0%
Negative19.2%

User reviews

Mlem for Lemmy

From 84 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ High quality and thoughtfully made app
  • 👍 Joy to use
  • 🌟 On par with Apollo for Reddit
  • 🚀 Seamless Lemmy experience
  • ✅ Mostly stable now

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Cannot sign up/validate username
  • 🐛 Annoying bug: loses progress when switching apps
  • 🐛 Bouncing back to feeds list is irritating
  • 🐛 Minor bugs introduced with updates
  • 🐛 Embedded content shows as links, not playable

Hydra

From 807 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Massive potential
  • 👍 Closest thing to Apollo
  • 👍 Best option for 2025
  • 👍 Better in almost every way
  • 👍 Superior Reddit Client++

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Sketchy security

Bugs and requests

Mlem for Lemmy

Reported bugs

19 issues
  • Cannot validate username for account creation
  • Loses progress when switching to another app while composing a post/reply
  • App bounces back to the subscribed feeds list in various situations
  • New bugs introduced with each update
  • Embedded content (videos) only show as links
Show 14 more
  • Changing font size via iOS Accessibility settings breaks drag and drop functionality
  • Media type label in the lower left corner covers parts of the image
  • App crashes frequently
  • Jittery scrolling on ProMotion enabled iPhones
  • Cannot log out of an account without deleting it
  • Requires signing back into the instance every time an external link is followed
  • No way to change font size
  • Timeline is a mess
  • Unable to save images
  • Unable to zoom in on images
  • Unable to load images on their own without comments
  • Bad app icon (furry)
  • No full screen for pictures, always goes to post
  • Login required from the start for some users

Requested features

19 requests
  • Customizability for each feed type (e.g., bold headlines)
  • Larger card view option
  • Compact view option
  • Option to customize gestures
  • Fix embedded content to be playable
Show 14 more
  • Fix font size breaking drag and drop
  • Option to not display media type label or hide it
  • Mark inbox as read automatically
  • Hide post option
  • Customizable swipe options on posts
  • Cross-post functionality
  • Set Reader mode as default for links
  • Ability to zoom out on pictures
  • Ability to save images
  • Search for posts within a community
  • Block communities from post options menu
  • Filter instances option
  • Collapse all comments by default
  • Up/Down votes on the right side

Hydra

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Expect some bumps

Requested features

2 requests
  • Customizing the gestures and hiding the username on the tab bar
  • Content blocking, comment images, startup feed, and others

In-app purchases

None

Mlem for Lemmy

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Hydra

Subscriptions1
  • Hydra Pro$2.991 Month
One-time4
  • Nice Tip$1.99
  • Generous Tip$4.99
  • Amazing Tip$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Incredible Tip$19.99

Questions

Is Mlem for Lemmy free?
Mlem for Lemmy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hydra free?
Hydra is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mlem for Lemmy or Hydra?
Hydra is rated higher. Mlem for Lemmy averages 4.6 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while Hydra averages 4.8 from 807 ratings.
Do Mlem for Lemmy or Hydra have ads?
Neither Mlem for Lemmy nor Hydra shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mlem for Lemmy or Hydra?
Mlem for Lemmy ships an update every 3 weeks, and Hydra every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mlem for Lemmy was updated on October 30, 2026 and Hydra on October 30, 2026.

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