Old Reddit vs New Reddit: Which Is Better?

Two completely different websites live at the same domain. Type reddit.com, and you get a modern, card-based interface. Type old.reddit.com, and you time-travel to 2018.

Which is actually better? That depends entirely on how you use Reddit.

The Fundamental Differences

Visual Design

New Reddit

• Card-based layout, similar to Facebook or Twitter
• Large images and video thumbnails
• Infinite scroll as primary navigation
• Three view options: Card, Classic, Compact
• Mobile-first design philosophy

Old Reddit

• Compact, text-focused lists
• Thumbnails are small
• Page-based navigation
• Single dense layout
• Desktop-first, almost exclusively

Speed and Performance

New Reddit

• JavaScript-heavy single-page application
• Higher memory usage
• More network requests
• Can feel sluggish on older hardware
• Modern browser features required

Old Reddit

• Traditional page loads
• Minimal JavaScript
• Lower resource usage
• Works on older browsers
• Fast on almost any connection

Real-world difference: Loading a subreddit front page on new Reddit can take 2-3 seconds and use 100MB+ of RAM. Old Reddit often loads in under a second with minimal resource usage.

Feature Availability

New Reddit exclusive features:

• Reddit Chat
• Live streams/RPAN
• Reddit Predictions
• Polls
• Some award types
• Fancy Pants editor
• Achievement system
• Avatar customization

Old Reddit exclusive features:

• Custom subreddit CSS themes
• RES full compatibility
• Some legacy features
• Simpler, faster experience

Available on both:

• Core posting and commenting
• Voting
• Moderation (though interfaces differ)
• Basic account management

Who Should Use What

Old Reddit Is Better For:

Power users

• Heavy browser usage benefits from speed
• RES extension fully supported
• Keyboard shortcuts work reliably
• Information density higher

Moderators

• Toolbox extension works best
• Mod actions faster
• Less interface clutter
• Custom CSS for community identity

Researchers and analysts

• Easier to parse content
• Less visual distraction
• Copy/paste works better
• Data formats more consistent

Privacy-conscious users

• Less tracking
• Simpler requests to monitor
• More compatible with privacy extensions
• Lighter fingerprinting surface

People with older hardware

• Runs smoothly on anything
• Low memory usage
• Works on slow connections
• No modern browser requirements

New Reddit Is Better For:

Visual content consumers

• Images and videos display larger
• Gallery posts work better
• Autoplay for quick browsing
• Modern media player

New users

• More intuitive modern interface
• Discovery features help find communities
• Onboarding designed for new Reddit
• Mobile app continuity

Social feature users

• Chat integration
• Following users
• Live content
• Polls and predictions

Casual browsers

• Less overwhelming initially
• Algorithm helps surface content
• Cleaner for short sessions

How to Switch and Lock Your Preference

Accessing Old Reddit

Direct URL: Navigate to old.reddit.com instead of reddit.com. All links work with old.reddit.com prefix.

Account settings:

1. Go to Preferences (https://www.reddit.com/prefs/)
2. Scroll to "beta options"
3. Uncheck "Use new Reddit as my default experience"
4. Save

Browser extensions: Old Reddit Redirect extensions automatically redirect all Reddit links to old.reddit.com.

Accessing New Reddit

Direct URL: Navigate to new.reddit.com if you've set old as default.

Account settings:

1. Go to Preferences
2. Check "Use new Reddit as my default experience"
3. Save

Mobile Considerations

The mobile apps only show new Reddit design. There's no old Reddit option for mobile apps. Mobile browser can access old.reddit.com but the experience isn't optimized.

Feature Deep Dive

Commenting Experience

Old Reddit:

• Simple markdown editor
• Live preview with RES
• Less formatting but consistent
• Faster submission
• Thread structure clearer

New Reddit:

• Fancy Pants (WYSIWYG) editor
• GIF and emoji pickers
• More formatting options
• Can be slower
• Nested threads harder to follow

Post Creation

Old Reddit:

• Straightforward forms
• Clear submission types
• Fast submission process
• Full markdown control

New Reddit:

• Guided creation flow
• Media upload easier
• Draft saving
• More hand-holding
• Can be overcomplicated

Content Discovery

Old Reddit:

• Manual navigation to subreddits
• Multi-Reddit support prominent
• Less algorithmic curation
• You choose what you see

New Reddit:

• Discovery tab
• Algorithm recommendations
• Trending notifications
• More curated experience

Performance Benchmarks

Testing on a typical modern computer:

Metric	Old Reddit	New Reddit
Initial load time	0.8-1.5s	2-4s
Memory usage	50-100MB	200-500MB
Page navigation	0.5-1s	1-3s
Time to interactive	<1s	2-5s
Network requests	15-30	100-200+

These differences compound over extended sessions. Power users who keep Reddit open for hours notice significant resource differences.

The Reality About Reddit's Direction

Reddit clearly wants everyone on new Reddit:

Development focus: New features appear on new Reddit first, sometimes exclusively.

Mobile parity: The mobile app matches new Reddit. Old Reddit has no mobile equivalent.

Business reasons: New Reddit better supports ads, tracking, and engagement metrics.

Eventual deprecation? Reddit has hinted old Reddit won't exist forever, though vocal user backlash has delayed any removal.

But Old Reddit Persists

Power users stay: The most active, engaged users disproportionately prefer old Reddit.

Moderators depend on it: Many moderation workflows require old Reddit features.

Performance matters: For heavy users, old Reddit's speed advantage is significant.

Custom communities: Subreddits with custom CSS lose identity on new Reddit.

Account Implications

Your Reddit experience affects how you use the platform:

Established accounts often prefer old Reddit. Long-time users developed habits around old Reddit's interface. They're more productive there.

New accounts learn new Reddit. If you started recently, new Reddit is your native experience.

Account activity patterns differ. Users comfortable with old Reddit often have different engagement patterns, more comments, more considered posts, more time spent.

For accounts with years of history, that history was likely built on old Reddit. The habits, preferences, and patterns that made the account valuable came from old Reddit's interface.

Final Thoughts

Neither version is objectively better. They're optimized for different users:

Old Reddit: For power users who want speed, information density, and control.

New Reddit: For casual users who want visual content and modern features.

If you're building serious Reddit presence, old Reddit's efficiency matters. If you're browsing casually, new Reddit is fine.

The good news is both exist, and you can switch between them. Try both, see which matches how you want to use Reddit, and optimize from there.

Just know that old Reddit's days may be numbered. Enjoy it while it lasts, and be prepared to adapt if Reddit eventually forces everyone to the new experience.