Comparison

Stella* vs Mlem for Lemmy

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

Head to head
About

Stella*

This app is a user-oriented information gathering tool that optimizes web content for easy reading on any device. It offers customizable appearance, intuitive navigation, and offline reading capabilities, allowing users to control their information sources without relying on external services.

Highlights
  • Optimized web content rendering
  • Customizable font sizes and themes
  • Intuitive and animated UI
  • Offline article storage
  • Extensible information sources
  • One-handed operation support
Features
Read full description

Stella News Reader is a new generation information-gathering tool that is designed to be completely "User-Oriented". Often the information you get from the web can get easily lost in annoying noise, with the character size lacking consistency from site to site and it being difficult to identify important sections, so finding what is truly necessary can be a struggle. This app is equipped with a powerful embedded optimize engine, and publicly published html contents are automatically converted to the display most appropriate for each device, to make, as it were, one unified application UI. Freed from the need to load unnecessary elements, the app operates at high speeds and as the user can freely change the outer appearance and choose the format that the user feels easiest for them to read, the focus can be purely on the content. Users completely take the initiative in relation to the information with unlimited sources of information and the user can expand the source by adding feeds in the same way as with normal readers. Moreover, the UI has been designed carefully in order to enable optimization of screen sizes and rotations for each device, and through extensive use of animation, operation is highly intuitive. Stella is a completely stand alone reader, and can be used without reliance on external services or accounts. You can use the app without divulging your personal information, receiving junk mails or being faced with the possibility of the providers stopping the service. Key Features: - iPhone 6/6 Plus & iOS 8 are fully supported. - All webpages are concurrently parsed by the app's machine learning engine and, rendered as in human-readable appearance form. - Font sizes and themes are customizable for easy reading. You can also select the same appearance as Safari. - Intuitive & animated UI. You can always keep one-handed operation even on landscape mode of iPhone 6 Plus. - No setup is required. In its initial state, the app shows news that is buzzed on major social media. - Sources are extensible as in the manner you like. The app can also be used as an ordinary RSS reader. - Article storing functionality gives you the ability for offline reading. If original pages are deleted from the net, you can keep them forever. - Folders to classify for later reading. Future Updates: We'll work on diversification of available sources and improvements of the app's in-depth customizability, etc.

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!

Screenshots

Stella*4 screens
Mlem for Lemmy3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Mlem for Lemmy at 4.6 against Stella*'s 3.5. Mlem for Lemmy also leads on monetization model (free vs paid) and review sentiment (80% vs 64%). Stella*'s advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 84 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Stella*'s written reviews are positive against 80% of Mlem for Lemmy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stella* ships an update every 5 weeks, Mlem for Lemmy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Stella* versus Mlem for Lemmy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStella*Mlem for Lemmy
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (18 ratings)4.6 (84 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.1% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1884 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB71 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperOwletLabs LLCEric Andrews

Customer experience

Stella*

All ratings18 ratings
Positive55.6%
Neutral22.2%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive64.1%
Neutral17.2%
Negative18.8%

Mlem for Lemmy

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

Bugs and requests

Stella*

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or 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

In-app purchases

None

Stella*

No in-app purchases

None

Mlem for Lemmy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Stella* free?
Stella* is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mlem for Lemmy free?
Mlem for Lemmy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Stella* or Mlem for Lemmy?
Mlem for Lemmy is rated higher. Stella* averages 3.5 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Mlem for Lemmy averages 4.6 from 84 ratings.
Do Stella* or Mlem for Lemmy have ads?
Neither Stella* nor Mlem for Lemmy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stella* or Mlem for Lemmy?
Stella* ships an update every 5 weeks, and Mlem for Lemmy every 3 weeks. Most recently, Stella* was updated on October 14, 2026 and Mlem for Lemmy on October 20, 2026.

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