When comparing Now for Reddit vs RedReader, the Slant community recommends RedReader for most people. In the question“What is the best Reddit app for Android?” RedReader is ranked 1st while Now for Reddit is ranked 10th. The most important reason people chose RedReader is:
The app is completely free and there is no tracking through advertisement since there are none. For those that are security conscious on their devices this makes a great choice for a Reddit app.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Clean slick interface
With the card-based UI, the app fits in very well design wise with the Material Design of the OS. Everything is intuitive to use being that the interface is familiar and follows Google's design guidelines.
Pro Translucent nav bar for Android 4.4+
Now for Reddit utilizes the transparent nav bar implemented in Android 4.4+, making for a cleaner looking interface.
Pro Nicely designed launcher icon
The design of the icon for Now for Reddit is clean, simple and fits well with material design.
Pro Configurable card sizes
Now for Reddit is one of the few Reddit clients that come with the ability to change how much content can be viewed on the screen. You'd also be hard pressed to find another Reddit client that can show you full-size images (via full-size cards) without you having even tapped on the image.
Keep in mind that the configurable card sizes might also have an impact on battery consumption, ranging from tiny cards (most battery efficient) to full size cards (most battery/data hungry).
Pro UI for phones and tablets
The design of the app lends itself well to phones and tablets alike no matter the orientation that the device is being held in. Not having to switch apps depending on the users device is a nice feature.
Pro Great performance/less jank
Using Android's profile GPU rendering tool it can be clearly shown how the Now for Reddit is generally more responsive than quite a few of the other popular reddit clients. For people obsessive about the 60 FPS mark, it would be hard to find a near 60 FPS experience as good as Now for Reddit.
Pro Easy navigation of subreddits
Pro Free with no ads/tracking
The app is completely free and there is no tracking through advertisement since there are none. For those that are security conscious on their devices this makes a great choice for a Reddit app.
Pro Simple navigation
Scrolling and swiping actions make for an intuitive interface that is easy to control.
Pro Open Source
RedReader is completely open source meaning the code is available for anyone to look at or use. It's a completely open environment for understanding the app if one is so inclined.
Pro Clean UI
The user interface is simple in its layout making it easy to read and use.
Pro Truly Ad-free
No ads, open-source.
Cons
Con Can be CPU and/or data intensive
Reddit Now tends to use a lot of data as well as runs the CPU pretty hard, which in turn drains the battery fast.
Con Hard to navigate when you subscribe to many subreddits
Con Delayed messages
Most Reddit clients refresh your inbox upon opening the app, notifying you instantly about any messages that you have. Now for Reddit on the other hand may not alert you of any messages even if you're using the app. The delay is generally short, but sometimes can take up to a couple of hours with no noticeable pattern. As a workaround, it's possible to manually refresh, but this might be a deal-breaker for some.
Con Has to reload sometimes and will always reload and forget your place (goes back to frontpage) if you reopen the app from its launcher icon
Con Minimal UI
This is a pro and a con. I love the simplicity but it is lacking some QOL features.