Comparison

Hydra vs RSS

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

Head to head
About

Hydra

Experience subreddits with a fast, fluid, and native iOS client. Enjoy seamless browsing, an immersive media viewer, and customizable themes. It's designed for both casual users and power Redditors.

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 NSFW 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

RSS

This news reader allows you to control your content with advanced filtering options. Blacklist, whitelist, or graylist terms to ensure you see what matters without wasting time. Enjoy a clutter-free experience with no ads or data sharing.

Highlights
  • Advanced filtering (blacklist, whitelist, graylist)
  • Content control
  • Clutter-free reading
  • No ads, account, or data sharing
  • iCloud syncing
  • One-time in-app purchase for unlimited filters
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A clutter-free reader app with easy-to-use but advanced filtering options, including a blacklist, a whitelist, and a graylist. You control what reaches you. Miss less while wasting less time. No ads. No account needed. No data sharing. No subscriptions. Effective Filtering: Add terms quickly to a filter list by selecting text. You can manage entire topics by selecting parts of a website link, such as '/crosswords/'. Articles containing a blacklisted term are automatically trashed. If no whitelisted term is present, articles containing a graylisted term are also automatically trashed. You can review the trash occasionally to verify your settings. Transparent And Fair Purchase Model: Start with up to 100 filter entries, then unlock unlimited filters with a one-time in-app purchase (5 USD)—no subscriptions or recurring fees. This lets you scale up to thousands of filter terms effortlessly.

Screenshots

Hydra4 screens
RSS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Hydra at Free against RSS's $4.99. Hydra also leads on ratings volume (797 vs 2) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). RSS's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 74%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position 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

Hydra is free to download; RSS costs $4.99 up front. Hydra sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and RSS sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hydra holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hydra has 797 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 74% of Hydra's written reviews are positive against 100% of RSS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hydra ships an update every 3 weeks, RSS weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Hydra versus RSS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHydraRSS
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.8 (797 ratings) — better4.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews74.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings797 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#170#157 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size75 MB28 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperDimitrie MilinovichVolker Koch

Customer experience

Hydra

All ratings736 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral1.2%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews149 reviews
Positive74.5%
Neutral6.0%
Negative19.5%

RSS

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 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

RSS

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

RSS

One-time1
  • One-Time Unlock$4.99

Questions

Is Hydra free?
Hydra is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RSS free?
RSS costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hydra or RSS?
Hydra is rated higher. Hydra averages 4.8 out of 5 from 797 ratings, while RSS averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Hydra or RSS have ads?
Neither Hydra nor RSS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hydra or RSS?
Hydra ships an update every 3 weeks, and RSS weekly. Most recently, Hydra was updated on October 24, 2026 and RSS on October 18, 2026.
Which is more popular, Hydra or RSS?
Hydra currently peaks at #170 in the App Store charts, and RSS at #157. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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