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Specialized Readers – better ways to read 4 online services

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Most people have at least one website they gravitate to on a regular basis. Whether you’re checking in on your favorite topics on Reddit, looking up obscure facts on Wikipedia, or diving into interesting thinkpieces on Medium, you might find there’s a better experience out there for you if you know the right apps to download.

But the official apps for these services aren’t always great, while some websites actually work better in Safari than they do from a native app. So, to help you figure out whether your reading time on these sites could be better spent, we’ve rounded up some popular media platforms and researched the best way to access each one.

Reddit

What is it? Essentially a series of discussion boards, split into topics and communities (subreddits) covering pretty much anything you can imagine. Anyone can post content and – in theory – the best stuff rises to the top thanks to Reddit’s user-powered upvote system.

Apollo for Reddit

Best way to read? The Reddit website isn’t well optimized for mobile, and while the official app offers an improvement it’s not the best option available. For that, instead download third-party Reddit client Apollo, a labor of love from a talented solo developer who consistently adds feature requests from users and support for the latest iOS capabilties. It’s a smart, slick way to browse Reddit built on a bed of common sense that the website sometimes lacks. A reasonably-priced premium subscription unlocks some bonus stuff – but even for free, this app is an easy recommendation for anyone looking to dive into a Reddit rabbit hole.

Apollo for Reddit

Substack

What is it? Substack allows you to subscribe to digital newsletters, providing a platform for independent writers to share their work. You can sign up for regular emails from interesting people and experts, supporting everything from independent journalism to niche interest blogs.

Best way to read? By default, subscriptions arrive by email. But that’s not perfect: new posts are easily missed, old ones hard to find, and the Mail app isn’t the prettiest home for long-form articles. Solution: Substack Reader, the platform’s official app. This acts as a repository for all your subscriptions, allowing users to view a feed of latest posts without wading through junk mail. There’s a Discover tab to help you find new content, you can opt to recieve new posts by push notification, and the reader view’s pretty nice too.

Wikipedia

What is it? The internet’s largest open-source encyclopaedia, freely aggregating information on pretty much everything in the world. It’s one of the biggest websites in the world and transformed the way people research and consume knowledge.

V for Wikipedia

Best way to read? V for Wikipedia

There are several good Wikipedia-readers out there, but V has a premium, hand-crafted feel we really dig. It combines the superb typography found in real-world books with the smarts available in a digital interface. Navigation is quick, articles look great, and there’s a gorgeous location-based search you won’t find elsewhere. But the real benefit of using an app over the basic Wikipedia website is the easy discoverability of interesting items and the facility to bookmark your own favorites.

Medium

What is it? Perhaps the largest example of social journalism, Medium allows anyone to publish individual blog posts. It’s used by paid journalists and independent writers alike and covers a huge range of topics.

Best way to read? Medium’s official app isn’t the best option for writers, but stick to reading and it’s a more refined experience than the website – although the layout of the two is very similar. It’s easy to follow writers you enjoy, notifications can be set up so you never miss a post, and Medium’s discovery algorithm does a good job of recommending further reading. Plus everything just works a little better than the web app.

Bonus: RSS

Finally, if you’re looking for a more general reading solution, check out our guide to the best RSS reader apps, which allow you to follow your favorite news sources and blogs from all over in a single repository.