It’s almost impossible to keep track of all twitter iPhone clients out there. So I took a deeper look into the iPhone twitter world.
Originally planned as a podcast for my German audience only, I compared and discovered so many apps, that I thought I could give this blog a kick-start by translating and enhancing the information.
Comparison Table
also available:
PDF file
Twittelator Pro
Twittelator is probably the most advanced twitter app for the iPhone. It supports up to 7 picture sharing sites like Twitpic and 5 URL shorteners.
I guess it’s the only app, where you can upload video (3GS only) and audio right through the app. It also supports read it later. It also supports read it later which is an awesome tool to save web pages for later reading.
Birdfeed
Birdfeed is less known, but also has some nice features.
It has a very clean interface and you can check services like Favrd and Follow Cost to check out new followers.
Moreover it’s possible to log in with your tr.im user id in order to keep track of your shortened URLs.
Tweetie
Tweetie has a well-arranged interface and is very fast. It has become my favourite twitter app month ago. But lately, especially after the firmware 3.0 update, which came with copy&paste functionality, I’m missing some functions like URL shortening or uploading multiple pictures.
Because Tweetie is so fast and I’m now used to the nice interface, I’ll still use it as one of my favourite apps.
TweetDeck
TweetDeck is better known as the platform independent adobe air application for computers. Now you can download TweetDeck for free in the iTunes app store.
It’s organized into coulombs, which you can move like you want to. Search, DMs, mentions, groups. You name it.
You can also sync with your desktop application, so that you always have the same view on your computer and your iPhone.
TwitterFon Pro
With TwitterFon Pro you can authenticate with your bit.ly account so that posted links are tracked there, which is quite unique for an iPhone twitter app.
I had a hard time finding the pro settings, which hid behind my username at the top of the screen, but then everything just worked perfectly.
TwitterFon Pro has every standard function you need but for the price I’d have expected even more functions.
Twitterrific Premium
Note: Twitterrific is also available for free but with ads. There is no limitation to the free version. Decide for yourself which version you want to chose.
Personally I think the default theme is too dark, but that’s a matter of taste. Besides it’s really elegant and also has a lot of features.
For example you can scroll through your timeline using links and twitter-usernames while writing a new Tweet. You don’t even have to copy and paste. Just click the link.
iTunes Link: Twitterrific Premium
iTunes Link: Twitterrific Free
SimplyTweet
I also don’t like the standard colours of SimplyTweet. For me it’s too green.
Apart from that, SimplyTweet is fast and has some unique features like adding multiple pictures to a tweet, before sending it out.
The only thing that confused me was, what they say to “groups” in SimplyTweet: saved views. But it works exactly the same way. Only tweets from selected users will appear in a saved view.
Just recently SimplyTweet was updated, so that it now also supports push notifications and a lot of themes. With that improvement SimplyTweet is one of the best iPhone Twitter Apps out there.
iTwitter
iTwitter uses the push notification which came with firmware 3.0. You can receive mentions and DMs even if the app is closed. But there is a big limitation: It only works with tweets send from iTwitter itself. Honestly I don’t know why you would make such a decision as an app developer.
Apart from that, iTwitter has a very clean interface and has every standard function except URL shortening.
What I like most about iTwitter is how mentions are displayed. The first/reference Tweet is shown below the original. This makes it a lot easier to see, what the tweet is about, right from your timeline.
Twinkle
In my early iPhone days I used Twinkle a lot. It was the first app which made twitter really useful and entertaining for me.
But it seems, that there is no improvement at all. Well you can add your facebook profile but you can download the original facebook app or use #fb hashtag instead.
Even worse: Updates are send to twitter and some weird Twinkle Tapulous network, so that it’s almost impossible to keep track of your followers.
You can’t even see mentions. I don’t know why anyone should use Twinkle any more.
Nambu
Nambu is weird. It combines several different services but has only a few functions.
You can post updates to Twitter, Friendfeed, pic.im, tr.im and other microblogging sites like ping.fm, identi.ca or laconi.ca.
The unique feature is, that you can translate tweets. Those translations can be funny but at least you know what the tweet is about.
Twitterena
Twitterena is colourful. Too colourful!
Although you can chose between themes in the Twetterena settings they are all flashy.
Even though I don’t like the design the app itself provides you with all the basic functions.
NatsuLion
This small Lion here is a really fast and free iPhone twitter client, which is equipped with only the essential functionality.
You can see your timeline, mentions, direct messages, favourites and you can send updates, of course. But what’s really missing is the photo upload.
If you don’t like sending photos NatsuLion might be the perfect choice if you want a fast app just with basic features.
Twitbit
As far as I know Twitbit is the only twitter iPhone app which supports the new push notification service for all direct messages and mentions. (update: SimplyTweet does it too, now)
At the moment Twitbit doesn’t push realtime but it’s almost there.
The app itself has a clean interface and all the basic functions except one: Retweeting. Obviously this is a very important feature. Since this is version 1.0 there is still hope for improvements.
Stopover
The following apps differ from those you can see above. They are made for a special purpose like audio recording.
TweetMic
TweetMic has only one function: Send audio recordings to twitter. Just hit record, use a standard-message or type a new one and hit “publish to twitter”.
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Twitfire
Twitfire is for sending status updates only. But it provides you with the ability to lookup user names, search for an URL with google or send your GPS position.
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Tweeter
Tweeter is the perfect app for ultra minimalists. The only feature it has, is to add a “footer” to every tweet. Just a speedy app to post updates to twitter.
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Gyazickr
The Gyazickr app makes it possible to post pictures to twitter very fast. What’s special about this app is, that it can send pictures to flickr and tumblr! This is currently the fastest way I know to send flickr pictures to twitter with an iPhone app.
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Since this is a brand new blog I would be happy about any social media recommendation. Thank you!
