Comparison

Hydra vs Doomscroll News

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

Head to head
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/

About

Doomscroll News

Stay informed with a curated selection of approximately 10 world news items daily. Designed for quick consumption, this app helps you get essential updates without the overwhelming 24-hour news cycle. Easily track your progress through the daily news list.

Highlights
  • Daily curated news selection
  • Limited news items per day
  • Focus on world news
  • Completionist indicator
  • Designed for quick use
Read full description

**Note: Doomscroll is NOT FREE. There’s a 7-day free trial, though.** Doomscroll is a news reader app that helps you stay informed without feeling overwhelmed. It shows you about 10 curated news items each day. You are supposed to open the app, spend a minute browsing through the news, and then get back to your day. Doomscroll shows you “world news,” which are mostly bad news that are mostly irrelevant to you. This way, you can use your RSS reader for tech news (or finance, or politics) and get your general news from Doomscroll. If you are a completionist, good news for you because it’s easy to scroll through the whole list. There’s a very obvious indicator at the end of the list. If you’re tired of the constant flood of news and want a simpler way to stay informed, Doomscroll is for you. It’s designed to be used for just a few minutes each day, helping you stay updated without getting sucked into the 24-hour news cycle. I hope you find Doomscroll helpful. - - - By using Doomscroll, you agree to the standard Apple Terms of Use: (https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/).

Screenshots

Hydra4 screens
Doomscroll News4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Hydra at free with in-app purchases against Doomscroll News's subscription. Hydra also leads on ratings volume (807 vs 2) and chart position (#173 vs unranked). Doomscroll News's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 75%) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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 and Doomscroll News sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.00 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Doomscroll News holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hydra has 807 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Hydra's written reviews are positive against 100% of Doomscroll News's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hydra ships an update every 3 weeks, Doomscroll News every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Hydra versus Doomscroll News: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHydraDoomscroll News
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (807 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings807 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#173 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size75 MB15 MB
Age rating+1712+
DeveloperDimitrie MilinovichAnd a Dinosaur

Customer experience

Hydra

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

Doomscroll News

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

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

Doomscroll News

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
1 purchases

Doomscroll News

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$3.001 Year

Questions

Is Hydra free?
Hydra is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Doomscroll News free?
Doomscroll News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hydra or Doomscroll News?
Doomscroll News is rated higher. Hydra averages 4.8 out of 5 from 807 ratings, while Doomscroll News averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Hydra or Doomscroll News have ads?
Neither Hydra nor Doomscroll News shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hydra or Doomscroll News?
Hydra ships an update every 3 weeks, and Doomscroll News every 8 days. Most recently, Hydra was updated on October 30, 2026 and Doomscroll News on October 5, 2026.

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