# 北斗海聊 vs Shiku IM

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shiku IM at none against 北斗海聊's 10. 北斗海聊's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 北斗海聊 sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Shiku IM asks for nothing beyond the download.

北斗海聊 ships an update every 6 weeks, Shiku IM every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 北斗海聊 | Shiku IM |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiku-im/id1160132242/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 80 MB | 180 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Guangdong Hai Liao Satellite Communication Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1115973007) | [Shenzhen Shiku information technology co., LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/474681307) |

## What reviewers say

### 北斗海聊

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1055616092)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 6海聊币 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 7天会员 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 7天-基础通信免费无限量套餐 | $2.99 | one-time |
| 15天-基础通信免费无限量套餐 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 1个月-基础通信免费无限量套餐 | $6.99 | one-time |
| 半年会员 | $31.99 | one-time |
| 6个月-基础通信免费无限量套餐 | $45.99 | one-time |
| 1年-基础通信免费无限量套餐 | $74.99 | one-time |
| 两年会员 | $109.99 | one-time |
| 24个月-基础通信免费无限量套餐 | $119.99 | one-time |


### Shiku IM

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiku-im/id1160132242)

A secure instant messaging app offering high concurrency and availability. It provides a full suite of communication features including text, voice, and video calls, with advanced privacy options and private cloud support.

**Highlights:** High concurrency and availability, End-to-end encryption, Burn after reading messages, Video and voice conferencing, Private cloud deployment, Group chat up to 10,000 members

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 北斗海聊 free?

北斗海聊 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Shiku IM free?

Shiku IM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do 北斗海聊 or Shiku IM have ads?

Neither 北斗海聊 nor Shiku IM shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, 北斗海聊 or Shiku IM?

北斗海聊 ships an update every 6 weeks, and Shiku IM every 3 weeks. Most recently, 北斗海聊 was updated on November 2, 2026 and Shiku IM on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*