Sotheby's vs Fair Warning
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sotheby's
Access extraordinary art, precious objects, wine, and jewelry from auctions worldwide. Track bids, register for auctions, and explore past and upcoming sales with expert insights.
- Bid in live and online auctions
- Track bids and registrations
- Browse open, upcoming, and past auctions
- Search past and present lots
- Manage profile and view purchases
- Access favorite auctions and lots
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Extraordinary auctions. Exceptional finds. Anytime, anywhere. The Sotheby’s iOS app provides collectors with exceptional access to the world’s most extraordinary art, precious objects, wine and jewellery, together with the unparalleled expertise of our world-class specialists. Track your bids and registrations effortlessly. Bid in live and online auctions. Browse open, upcoming, and past auctions. Browse fixed price retail items in search results. Quickly access your favorite auctions and lots. Search past and present lots. Manage profile, view purchases, and customize your settings.
Fair Warning
Access a curated selection of unique art through live, one-lot online auctions. Discover hard-to-find pieces, explore detailed lot information, and bid from anywhere. Connect with specialists for inquiries or viewings.
- Curated art discovery
- Live online auctions
- High-definition images
- Detailed lot information
- Direct specialist contact
- Schedule viewings
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Fair Warning is a highly curated auction house where you can access one-lot, live auctions. DISCOVER a range of highly curated art that is fresh to the market, hard to find, and by artists who have our long-term conviction. EXPLORE our upcoming lot, pinch into high-definition images, and read our lot details, including catalogue notes. BID in our online live auctions from wherever you are, so you never miss a chance to collect the best works of art. CONTACT our team at the click of a button to speak to a specialist or schedule a viewing.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Fair Warning at 4.4 against Sotheby's's 3.4. Fair Warning also leads on review sentiment (63% vs 24%) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Fair Warning holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 95 and 34 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Sotheby's's written reviews are positive against 63% of Fair Warning's.
Sotheby's ships an update every 2 weeks, Fair Warning every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sotheby's | Fair Warning |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (95 ratings) | 4.4 (34 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 24.3% of reviews | 62.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 95 — better | 34 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 123 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Sotheby's | Fair Warning Art Inc. |
Customer experience
Sotheby's
Fair Warning
Bugs and requests
Sotheby's
Reported bugs
10 issues- Cannot sort auction lots
- Cannot follow, view, or bid
- App crashes on launch
- ID verification camera not focusing
- Photo upload issues
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- Saved objects not displaying correctly
- App freezes or crashes during use
- Lot details never load
- AppleTV app fails to open
- App thinks it's on an iPhone on iPad
Requested features
8 requests- Allow sorting of auction lots
- Improve search functionality
- Enable calendar integration
- Make app landscape compatible
- Simplify personalization options
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- Improve account integration
- Allow file uploads for ID verification
- Fix AppleTV app issues
Fair Warning
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sotheby's
No in-app purchases
Fair Warning
No in-app purchases
