For the past couple of months that I have been using my iPad, I’ve used two outstanding Twitter apps – the veteran Twitterific which also has an iPhone version and new comer Osfoora HD for Twitter. While both Twitter apps are great in terms of features, performance and interface there has got to be something which separates them.
So, if you still don’t know which Twitter app to use on your iPad, here’s our take on these two excellent apps. Twitterific for iPad is available as an ad-supported free app or as a premium app worth $4.99. Osfoora on the other hand is available for $2.99. Hopefully, by the end of this review you would have already decided which app to get.
Main Screen Interface
Both Twitterifc and Osfoora supports landscape and portrait views on the iPad. When in portrait mode, both displays your Twitter public timeline. They differ however on what you can do upon tapping on a tweet. Twitterific lets you reply to author, translate tweet if it’s different from the language you are using, and send the tweet via email. Osfoora lets you do more by adding – Quoted Retweet and Send Direct Message.
The apps also differ in presentation when viewing in landscape mode. Osfoora displays the timeline on the left while equally taking the right side of your iPad’s screen is the currently selected tweet. Twitterific takes this differently by displaying filtering options of what it will display on the right side of the screen. These include – all tweets, mentions, favorites, search results, and trends. Osfoora have these things also but they are located on the task bar located at the lower part of the screen of your iPad. It also adds your Twitter lists, DMs, and Nearby Tweets.
So, which Twitter app has the better iPad interface. Obviously, Osfoora wins in this department, spot on. It is more organize and has more options to explore Twitter using the app.
Features and Functionality
When it comes to features and functionality, Twitterific and Osfoora are almost identical, with Osfoora edging Twitter in some minor aspects. For instance when viewing your Twitter profile, Osfoora gives you more stuff than Twitterific’s Profile view. Aside from listing down your Recent Tweets, Favorite Tweets, People your are following and your followers, Osfoora also gives your lists, list following you,list you follow and RTs.
The two apps also differ when it comes to composing tweets. While both allow you attach photos from your iPad’s photo library, Osfoora adds some more functionality including – tweet a song from your iPad Music Library, directly add contacts to your tweet, geotag and add hashtags to your tweet.
One feature that Twitterific has that Osfoora doesn’t have is the translation tool. It allows you to translate tweets if the language is different from your iPad’s default language setting. Similarly Osfoora has some features which Twitterific doesn’t have. More particularly the ability to change font and an option to tweak several settings for the app. Osfoora also gives you two theme selection, light and dark while Twitterific only has one theme.
So Which is the Better App Then?
Twitterific was my first Twitter app for my iPad. It was among the first apps I installed on my iPad and I enjoyed using it because it practically gives me the overall web experience when using Twitter. Unfortunately when Osfoora came out, I got curious about the name. For one thing, it doesn’t give you an idea that it is actually a TWitter app, unless you read the app description.
So, I got the app, used it for a couple of days and before I knew it I stopped using Twitterific.
But I’m not saying that Osfoora is a better Twitter app than Twitterific – generally. It has served its purpose for me and it’s the app that I automatically open up whenever I want to check my Twitter accounts. Yes, Osfoora is the better Twitter app for me, but not necessarily to everyone else including you.
The good thing is, you can always try using Twitterific’s lite, ad-Supported version to get a feel whether it will work for you. If not, then Osfoora is the best alternative.
