Enjoy Reddit on your Android device with these apps

Reddit is a very popular social news site that was founded in 2005. The site is setup so that users submit content, in the form of either a link or a text "self" post. Other users can then vote the submission "up" or "down", which is used to rank the post and determine its position on the site's pages.I just discovered the site myself but I find it very interesting and will usually visit it daily.

Reddit offers an official app for iOS users but there isnt one for Android yet. I assume this will change eventually, but for now Android users will need to use a third-party app. Here are a few that Ive tried.

Reddit News Free, Free

Reddit News Free is one of the more popular Reddit apps for Android. When you open the app, you can immediately begin to search Reddit. The developers designed the app to help maximize the reading space on the screen. There is a simple menu at the bottom with options to refresh, search and log-in, while in the top menu you can easily access all of the categories or subreddits. When you log-in to your account, you can quickly access your subreddits and submissions.

The app has a lot of nice options. You can set how often the app checks for updates, change the app color theme, filter your content by turning NSFW (not safe for work) on or off, imaging caching, and more. When you are browsing and see a post you would like to vote or comment on, you simply swipe it to the left and a new menu appears. That menu will allow you to vote (up or down), save, hide, and comment. As this is a free version, there are ads, but you can purchase the pro version to turn them off.

Reddita (Free)

Reddita is a relatively new app that was designed specifically for Android 3.0 or Honeycomb tablets. Overall it is a very simple app in terms of options but very effective. Upon opening the app, you can log-in to your account or just browse. On the left hand side of the screen is a listing of the subreddits and then on the right (taking up about 75 percent of the screen) is a listing of all the posts. The app maximizes the reading area for you. When you see a post you are interested in, click on the balloon with numbers in it to the right. This will then open up the full post so you can see all comments and votes. Here you can vote or comment yourself.

Within the settings area, you can set up to have the voting arrows shown in the feeds, filter your content, have YouTube videos open up in the YouTube app, change the frequency of updates, and use sound notifications. This is the free version of the app. The ads though are compactly displayed on the lower right of the screen and really do not get in the way. If you want to remove them completely you can purchase the pro version.

Pix-o-Reddit (Free)

Pix-o-Reddit is an app specifically for those who want to browse and search images on Reddit. Again, a very simple app in terms of options but quite effective. The two settings available are the pre-fetched images per subreddit and then the quality of the images. When you open the app you can log-in or begin browsing. The main screen will show images for the subreddits that you are subscribed to. To change the subreddits you have listed, simply access the menu and go to manage subreddits. There you can add the subreddits you want to view. The more subreddits you have, the longer it will take to download.

When you find an image you like, simply click on it to get a full screen preview. A new menu will appear. From this menu, you can download it, set it as your wallpaper, share it with others, comment, and of course, vote it up or down. The app is free and has no ads. There is a support button if you want to help out the developers.

Reddit is Fun (Free)

Reddit is Fun appears to be the most downloaded Reddit app currently available in Google Play. It is a decent app with a nice selection of features. The app has two menus, one on top (which is always visible) and one on the bottom which you can access with the menu button or is visible in landscape mode. The bottom menu is where you can log-in, manage your accounts, change settings, search and submit a link. The app makes it easy to pick a subreddit and see the posts in that topic. When you find a post you want to vote or comment on, tap it once and it will be highlighted and a small menu will appear under it.

This app has been optimized for both tablets and phones. It comes with a home screen widget. The app is free but there is a Golden platinum version you can purchase. In addition to this app, the developer has also created a pictures widget app that will display the pictures from subreddits you choose on your home screen.

Bacon Reader for Reddit (Free)

Bacron Reader is another apps that works extremely well on tablets or phones. The interface is designed to provide the maximum reading areas, with only one menu bar on top. A small pull-down menu on the right will allow you to view your inbox, account settings, manage your subreddits, and the app settings. Also along the top menu there is a search button and a button to submit your own post. The listing of postings will give you the title, the number of votes, which subreddit it is in, and a thumbnail of any photos. When you click on the posting, it will open to full screen with a new menu where you can comment, share and vote.

Within the app settings you have a good number of options to choose from. You can set up thumbnails, organize your timeline, get notifications, change refresh intervals, filter content and more. The app also has a home screen widget option. This a free app but the ads are along the bottom and really do not interfere with reading. You can purchase the pro version to remove the ads.

Download the Appolicious Android app