--- title: APIs — and what they have to do with Reddit — explained - The Hustle description: APIs allow the integration of handy third-party apps, but Reddit readers may be in trouble. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1002540124-hustle-og-image.webp --- # APIs — and what they have to do with Reddit — explained ![Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) [Juliet Bennett Rylah Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/JBRylah) Published: June 05, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 If you spend as much time reading Reddit as I do (hello, fellow r/nosleep fans), you know the mobile app can be a little clunky. ![APIs — and what they have to do with Reddit — explained](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1002540124-hustle-og-image.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1002540124-hustle-og-image.webp) Thus, many users have adopted third-party readers — e.g., Apollo, Replay, Infinity — but an API change may have them doomed. #### **What are APIs?** [Application programming interfaces](https://www.ibm.com/topics/api) (APIs) let computer programs talk to each other, which makes it easier to develop and integrate third-party applications. Examples: - Using PayPal to make online purchases - Logging in to a website with your Facebook or Google account - Travel booking sites that pull data from multiple airlines or hotels #### **What’s this got to do with Reddit?** Recently, Reddit announced it will start charging for every time a third-party API sends it a request to retrieve information. This has some developers sounding the alarm: - Apollo creator Christian Selig [said](https://www.reddit.com/r/apolloapp/comments/13ws4w3/had_a_call_with_reddit_to_discuss_pricing_bad/) his popular Reddit-browsing app made ~7B requests in May, which would now cost $1.7m/month — or an infeasible $20m/year. - Another top app, Reddit is Fun, [said](https://www.reddit.com/r/redditisfun/comments/13wxepd/rif_dev_here_reddits_api_changes_will_likely_kill/) Reddit will now block ads on third-party apps, which accounts for most of RIF’s revenue. If any of this sounds familiar, it’s likely because Twitter just pulled a similar move, asking $42k+/month for access to data used by researchers. (Twitter [reversed course](https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/2/23708739/twitter-transportation-emergency-alerts-api-free) on charging traffic and public emergency accounts.) #### **Why would a website do this?** Some, like Facebook, have [restricted access](https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/02/facebook-rolls-out-more-api-restrictions-and-shutdowns/) to curb cyberattacks or leaks. And obviously, monetization. Reddit will [also cash in](https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/18/23688463/reddit-developer-api-terms-change-monetization-ai) on AI companies that scrape its posts for data and recoup the ad revenue it loses when people use apps to bypass ads. *Kotaku* [speculates](https://kotaku.com/reddit-third-party-3rd-apps-pricing-crush-ios-android-1850493992) Reddit also wants to lure people to its ad-free Reddit Premium. - Meanwhile, Reddit is* *preparing to IPO, but lead investor Fidelity recently cut its estimated stake by 41%, part of a wider trend among growth stage startups, [per](https://techcrunch.com/2023/06/01/fidelity-reddit-valuation/) *TechCrunch*. Reddit’s director of consumer and production communications Tim Rathschmidt [told](https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/31/23743993/reddit-apollo-client-api-cost) *The Verge *that it intends to keep working with third-party apps “to help them improve efficiency, which can significantly impact overall cost” — but how it’ll all shake out remains to be seen. ## Follow us on social media Pop up for Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. Always free. 100% fresh. No bullsh*t. JOIN FREE ### 100% Free CRM Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. 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