Comparison

Mlem for Lemmy vs Argus for Reddit

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

Argus for Reddit

A private, ad-free client for browsing Reddit, ideal for users who prefer to read content without an account. It offers features like article summaries, comment sharing as images, and feed customization.

Highlights
  • Ad-free browsing
  • Read-only access
  • Article TL;DR summaries
  • News source reliability ratings
  • Share comments as images
  • Mute users, domains, or filter keywords
  • Import subreddits
Features
Read full description

Argus is a clean, lightweight, ad-free way to browse Reddit, designed for lurkers. Follow your favorite subreddits and explore the comments. No account required. Built for simplicity and privacy. Argus collects no data at all. Your subreddits and settings sync across your devices through your iCloud account. Features: Get a TL;DR of any long post or linked article, using Apple Intelligence, directly on your device. News source reliability ratings directly in your feed. Share comments as an image. No need to send confusing permalinks. Antisocial mode. Drop the comments section and focus on the content. Control your feed: mute users, mute domains, or filter by keyword. Switching from another app? Import your subreddits and you're set. Argus is an unofficial, read-only client. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Reddit, Inc. Reddit is a trademark of Reddit, Inc.

Screenshots

Mlem for Lemmy3 screens
Argus for Reddit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Mlem for Lemmy at 4.6 against Argus for Reddit's 4.0. Mlem for Lemmy also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 62%). Argus for Reddit's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mlem for Lemmy holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 84 and 38 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Mlem for Lemmy's written reviews are positive against 62% of Argus for Reddit's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mlem for Lemmy ships an update every 3 weeks, Argus for Reddit every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Mlem for Lemmy versus Argus for Reddit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMlem for LemmyArgus for Reddit
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (84 ratings) — better4.0 (38 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better61.9% of reviews
Number of ratings84 — better38
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB31 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperEric AndrewsJulian Baker

Customer experience

Mlem for Lemmy

All ratings84 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral5.5%
Negative14.5%

Argus for Reddit

All ratings36 ratings
Positive72.2%
Neutral5.6%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive61.9%
Neutral9.5%
Negative28.6%

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

Argus for Reddit

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Mlem for Lemmy

No in-app purchases

None

Argus for Reddit

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mlem for Lemmy free?
Mlem for Lemmy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Argus for Reddit free?
Argus for Reddit is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mlem for Lemmy or Argus for Reddit?
Mlem for Lemmy is rated higher. Mlem for Lemmy averages 4.6 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while Argus for Reddit averages 4.0 from 38 ratings.
Do Mlem for Lemmy or Argus for Reddit have ads?
Neither Mlem for Lemmy nor Argus for Reddit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mlem for Lemmy or Argus for Reddit?
Mlem for Lemmy ships an update every 3 weeks, and Argus for Reddit every 5 weeks. Most recently, Mlem for Lemmy was updated on October 24, 2026 and Argus for Reddit on October 25, 2026.

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