> **For coding agents and LLMs:** This is one Social Fetch marketing page (markdown export). For API orientation start with [`/llms.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.txt); for auth and crawl rules use [`/agents.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/agents.txt); for every operation use [`/llms-endpoints.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-endpoints.txt).

## This page

- **On-site (HTML):** [https://www.socialfetch.dev/answers/reddits-official-data-api-vs-social-fetch-whats-the-actual-difference](https://www.socialfetch.dev/answers/reddits-official-data-api-vs-social-fetch-whats-the-actual-difference)
- **Markdown (.mdx) URL:** [https://www.socialfetch.dev/answers/reddits-official-data-api-vs-social-fetch-whats-the-actual-difference.mdx](https://www.socialfetch.dev/answers/reddits-official-data-api-vs-social-fetch-whats-the-actual-difference.mdx)

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# Reddit's official Data API vs Social Fetch — what's the actual difference?

Reddit Data API is for apps that act as a Reddit user: OAuth, developer app, User-Agent, write access. High-volume commercial access got expensive in 2023. Social Fetch is read-only public enrichment behind a Social Fetch API key — no Reddit developer account.

Source: [Reddit data API](https://www.socialfetch.dev/platforms/reddit)

## Related questions

- [Is there a Reddit API that doesn't need OAuth or a developer app?](https://www.socialfetch.dev/answers/is-there-a-reddit-api-that-doesnt-need-oauth-or-a-developer-app)
- [What Reddit data does Social Fetch cover?](https://www.socialfetch.dev/answers/what-reddit-data-does-social-fetch-cover)
- [How do I look up a subreddit by name?](https://www.socialfetch.dev/answers/how-do-i-look-up-a-subreddit-by-name)
- [How do I list a subreddit's posts, and can I sort them?](https://www.socialfetch.dev/answers/how-do-i-list-a-subreddits-posts-and-can-i-sort-them)
- [Subreddit search vs site-wide search vs the subreddit feed — what's the difference?](https://www.socialfetch.dev/answers/subreddit-search-vs-site-wide-search-vs-the-subreddit-feed-whats-the-difference)