There is definitely not a shortage of Twitter clients available for the iPhone, but among those I have tried two truly stand out: Echofon (by naan syudio) and Tweetie 2 (by atebits). Both have features that I really wish were present in the other, and as a result I will continue to use both for now even though I prefer the way Echofon handles certain things a little better than Tweetie 2.

Echofon

There are three features that Echofon boasts over Tweetie that make it my preferred Twitter client: Push Notifications, automatic converting of names and hash tags into links, and the highlighting of new tweets in a manner that makes it very easy to see what has not been read yet.

Push Notifications – certainly not a deal-maker, but it is quite nice to get a notification when someone replies or direct messages me. This feature alone makes it much easier to keep up with things that are going on without feeling a need to constantly check Twitter in some fashion. It is also customizable, allowing you to set a “sleep” period where notifications are turned off.

Automatic converting of names and hash tags into links – this one is actually the most frustrating thing about Tweetie. In Echofon the original tweet, in list view, has the names and hash tags converted into links so it is extremely easy to look at hot topics or follow a conversation when only seeing some of the tweets involved. Tweetie does do this, but only when clicking on the tweet in question in the list view. I like the simplicity involved in keeping my need to navigate to different pages as minimal as possible, and so Echofon wins out on this feature easily.

Highlighting new tweets – this one is not such a big deal, as both allow you to start in the list at the point where you leave off. Echofon makes it a point to distinguish new tweets in this view by way of changing the background color slightly for new tweets, making it easier to pick out where you leave off at a glance. Again, this is more of an aesthetic/usability feature that just adds a little more polish to an already great application, and gives Echofon a slight edge over Tweetie.

Tweetie 2

There are two features in Tweetie 2 that I really wish Echofon included: the “nearby” tweet/twitterer discovery and the offline mode.

“Nearby” tweet/twitterer discovery – this is a really neat feature, and one that I really like having available. The interface can be changed between a map with “bubbles” denoting the location of a tweet or a list view for quickly scanning through what is going on around you.

Offline mode – this is the most compelling reason to use Tweetie at the moment, because it actually caches the data on the phone. While really not an issue given I am never in an area without coverage, it is a really nice implementation and something I could see being usable while traveling for certain.

Both Applications

Both applications have very polished, very well-designed interfaces that are a pleasure to use and look at. As a fairly long-time Apple user this is a must when I use any application, because if it does not have that aesthetic appeal that makes it feel and behave as simply and nicely as native Mac apps I tend to delete it and never look back. In many ways Tweetie has a nicer interface than that of Echofone, especually with the glowing orb at the bottom denoting when new tweets, replies, or direct messages are present. The map for nearby tweets is also very neat and well done. In short, both applications are a joy to use.

Both Echofon and Tweetie also provide excellent feedback when composing a tweet, including counters that tell you exactly how many characters you have left/are over. Each also responds very quickly and seamlessly (something I disliked about a few other clients that I tried in the past that seemed very sluggish or unresponsive).

Screenshots

Echofon list view:

Tweetie 2 list view:

Tweetie 2 “nearby” map:

Update

Apparently Echofon does have a somewhat hidden “nearby” tweet/twitterer discovery as well, though not quite as nicely done (there is not a map feature, which is a feature of Tweetie I really like).