Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Third-party Reddit apps are in large bother attributable to an upcoming API entry change.
- Based on one developer, persevering with to permit entry to an app might value upwards of $20 million every year.
- Even when apps transitioned to solely supporting paid customers, it nonetheless would possible be untenable.
Replace, Might 31, 2023 (06:13 PM ET): Within the unique article beneath, we mentioned we had reached out to Reddit for some readability on this situation relating to third-party Reddit apps. We now have a response from the corporate.
A Reddit spokesperson had this to say:
We’ve got been in touch with third-party apps and builders, together with Apollo, over the course of the final six weeks following our preliminary announcement about API modifications, and our stance on third-party apps has not modified. We’re dedicated to fostering a protected and accountable developer ecosystem round Reddit — builders and third-party apps could make Reddit higher and achieve this in a sustainable and mutually-beneficial partnership, whereas additionally protecting our customers and information protected.
Expansive entry to information has impression and prices concerned, and when it comes to security and privateness we now have an obligation to our communities to be accountable stewards of information.
Lastly, Reddit information for business use might want to adhere to our up to date API phrases of service and premium entry program. We’ve had a long-standing coverage in our previous phrases that outlined business and non-commercial use, however sadly a few of these agreements weren’t adhered to so we clarified our phrases and reached out to pick organizations to work with them on compliance and a paid premium entry tier.
It appears like Reddit just isn’t backing away from this variation. Judging from this assertion and Christian Selig’s weblog publish, most third-party Reddit apps may not survive.
Authentic article, Might 31, 2023 (04:22 PM ET): In April this 12 months, Reddit introduced some important modifications coming down the pipeline. In a weblog publish, the corporate confirmed it will start charging some builders for third-party entry to Reddit APIs. The language of the weblog publish was extremely obscure, referencing solely “a brand new premium entry level” for API entry for builders that “require extra capabilities, greater utilization limits, and broader utilization rights.” In different phrases, the extra information devs use, the extra it can value them.
Now, we even have some numbers to affiliate with this upcoming coverage change. Based on Christian Selig — the lead developer of Apollo, an iOS-only third-party Reddit app — Reddit plans on charging about $12,000 per 50 million requests. This would possibly sound cheap to non-developers, however Selig makes it clear that that is horrible information.
Based on Selig, Apollo noticed a whopping seven billion API requests in April 2023. Doing the maths, he would have wanted to pay Reddit $1.7 million that month. That might equate to round $20 million every year.
Like loads of third-party Reddit apps, Apollo has a paid tier. However, even with that revenue, the numbers don’t add up. “The typical Apollo consumer makes use of 344 requests per day, which might value $2.50 monthly,” Selig says in a Reddit publish on the matter. That quantity “is over double what the subscription presently prices, so I’d be within the purple each month,” he mentioned.
After all, Selig (and different devs who run Reddit apps) might simply cost customers more cash. Nevertheless, Selig thinks that the amount of cash Reddit plans to cost is “not based mostly in actuality.” He goes on to do some extrapolation of how a lot cash the common Reddit consumer brings in, and involves the conclusion that it’s about $0.12 every month.
You learn that proper: if these numbers are true, Reddit is asking for devs to pay 20x greater than what every consumer brings in income to the corporate. Clearly, Selig thinks that’s unfair.
Selig stops wanting saying that he would shut Apollo down if this coverage goes via. Nevertheless, he makes it very clear that he couldn’t afford to maintain it, which means Apollo would want to go darkish. It goes with out saying that if this occurs for Apollo, all however solely the very smallest third-party Reddit apps would comply with swimsuit.
Android Authority has reached out to Reddit for an announcement on this. We’ll replace this text if and once we hear again.
