Cydia and Icy - Which is Better?

Currently, in the iPhone jailbreaking scene, there are two camps – one that is aligned with Cydia and the other aligned with Icy. These are two jailbreak apps that allow you to download even better software into your iPhone, like Winterboard and Cylay. Of course, that still doesn’t explain which one is better, so let’s get to the heart of the matter here, which is better, Icy or Cydia?

“Industry” Trusted

After the fall of the Installer App, Cydia became the go-to standard for jailbreaking apps on the iPhone. As such, the APT repositories and the entire backbone of the jailbreaking community is based on the house that Cydia built. Everything from the developer kit to the software used by the jailbreak community starts in Cydia, therefore, you get native support while working under Cydia that may occasionally bother you in Icy.

Reliable Repositories and Software

This may be a personal issue with Icy, but I’ve yet to install it successfully on my phone. While I have messed around with the interface on other iPhones, the actual program seems to refuse to install itself on my phone. While this may bias me towards Cydia, I still see it as a more reliable engine, add to that the fact that Cydia comes pre-installed with more repositories, it’s a clear winner in this category.

Support from the Community

Because Icy is a relatively new development in the jailbreak community, Cydia has many guides available on how to get apps working through it. Icy on the other hand can leave you with your hands up in the air trying to troubleshoot a problem that has little to no documentation.

Light

Icy is a light program and works like a much larger and more elaborate program. With a memory footprint that is much smaller than Cydia, this might be a great reason to switch over. Cydia chugs along on initial startup, whereas Icy performs all its necessary tasks in the background, allowing you to deal with other concerns in the meantime.

Amazing Interface

The Icy interface is particularly nice. While the Cydia interface is not ugly at all, the Icy interface is more user-friendly and intuitive, reducing the number of menus and retaining functionality. Cydia can be daunting for newbies to deal with, whereas Icy allows beginners to quickly and easily navigate the repository categories looking for particular pieces of software.

Built on Cydia

The greatest thing Icy has going for it is that it’s built on the same engine and package that Cydia is, only using a better streamlined system for the lighter memory footprint. Therefore, the programs and repositories that work in Cydia should work in Icy the same way. Furthermore, the installed programs in Cydia can transfer over easily and quickly to Icy, and while the repos won’t carry over, it’s just a matter of re-installing them into Icy.

Overall, you just have to decide what kind of user you are. If you’re a tinkerer who likes a more in-depth program with deeper features, go for Cydia, it’ll work better for you. However, if you’re an entry-level jailbreaker just looking to play around with the jailbreak tools and apps, Icy is a far better fit for its user-friendliness.