On June 12th, Gizcoupon reported that following in the footsteps of Twitter, the renowned American Q&A platform Reddit has also decided to reform its API. Reddit has announced that starting from July 1st, it will begin charging for its existing API services. The current free Reddit API will expire on June 30th, rendering third-party Reddit applications unable to function properly.
According to Gizcoupon, under Reddit’s new policy, third-party developers will be charged $0.24 per thousand API calls. Although it offers a “free API,” users are only allowed to make 10 calls per minute. It will inevitably hinder normal browsing experiences.
Many third-party app developers protest
Numerous third-party app developers have expressed their protest against Reddit’s actions. Additionally, some users taking more drastic measures. Last week, developer Christian Selig announced the closure of his third-party app called “Apollo” on June 30th.
Selig stated that his third-party Reddit app made over 70 billion API calls last month. Therefore, Reddit’s new app policy would result in “nearly $2 million in additional monthly costs and over $20 million per year.”
Similarly, other well-known third-party Reddit apps such as RIF, ReddPlanet, and Sync have also announced that they will cease their services on the same day. RIF has declared that its revenue is far from being able to cover the costs imposed by its API fees.
RIF also criticized Reddit’s developer guidelines for prohibiting third-party apps from displaying advertisements. In contrast, the “official Reddit app can display NSFW (Not Suitable for Work) content, but third-party apps are not allowed to.” This apparent double standard has led to discontent among developers.
Statement from the CEO of Reddit
However, Reddit’s CEO, Steve Huffman, has affirmed that despite user protests, he will not abandon the plan to charge for accessing the platform’s API. He believes this is necessary for Reddit to sustain itself. Huffman mentioned that it is currently not profitable. It cannot continue to offer free API access to commercial entities that require extensive data usage.
Amidst the debates between developers and Reddit’s official stance, the ones most affected are the users who have purchased or are subscribing to third-party apps. In this situation, Reddit is evidently determined to implement its paid API system. It renders all third-party Reddit apps unusable. Many users have expressed their dissatisfaction. But their complaints have been overshadowed by the war of words between developers and Reddit’s official representatives. Ultimately, the ones suffering from this “war” are the users who have purchased third-party apps.
Gizcoupon readers who have purchased “one-time payment” third-party Reddit apps can seek refunds through the respective app stores or contact the app developers for compensation.
