# CSDN vs GitHub

The clearest difference is ads: GitHub at none against CSDN's shown. GitHub also leads on chart position (#2 vs #131) and review sentiment (63% vs 45%). CSDN's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CSDN sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and GitHub sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for CSDN against 4.8 for GitHub. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GitHub has 37K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of CSDN's written reviews are positive against 63% of GitHub's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CSDN | GitHub |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/csdn/id1437086352/reviews) | **[4.8 (37K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/github/id1477376905/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.7K | **37K** |
| Positive reviews | 45.2% of reviews | **63.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #131 | **#2** |
| Size | 180 MB | 175 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [CSDN Network Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1518701308) | [GitHub](https://appshunter.io/developer/429758986) |

## What reviewers say

### CSDN

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/csdn/id1437086352)

**Currently charting:** #131 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This app is a professional technical platform for developers, offering a vast collection of code resources, training courses, expert Q&A, and the latest industry news. It aims to solve programming challenges and provide reliable answers for all technical queries.

**Highlights:** Extensive code resources, Professional training courses, One-on-one expert Q&A, Latest industry news, Programming learning platform, Technical Q&A

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

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VIP连续包月 | $12.99 | per month |
| OpenClaw体验包 | $2.99 | one-time |
| 30元储值币 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 50元储值币 | $6.99 | one-time |
| 68元储值币 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 100元储值币 | $14.99 | one-time |
| CSDN VIP 月卡 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 128元储值币 | $19.99 | one-time |
| C知道360天权益卡 | $22.99 | one-time |
| 200元储值币 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 268元储值币 | $39.99 | one-time |
| CSDN VIP 年卡 | $39.99 | one-time |
| 328元储值币 | $49.99 | one-time |
| CSDN 超级VIP年卡 | $59.99 | one-time |
| CSDN VIP两年卡 | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Suggested feature: Auto-reading mode
- 💡 Suggested feature: Double-tap to like articles
- 🚀 Resource-rich platform for programmers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🚫 Excessive ads and paywalls
- 🚫 Difficult to use without downloading the app
- 🚫 Lack of international phone number support for registration

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to load full articles on mobile web
- App not working on older iOS versions
- Frequent network connection issues

**Requested features**

- Add English version
- Implement iPad landscape mode with multi-window support
- Introduce more international phone number verification options
- Improve search functionality and article discovery
- Implement automatic night mode


### GitHub

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/github/id1477376905)

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Free · Developer Tools, #3 Top Grossing · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Manage your code projects, review changes, and collaborate with your team on the go. This app allows you to stay updated with notifications, respond to issues, and browse files and code from anywhere.

**Highlights:** Browse notifications, Read, react, and reply to Issues and Pull Requests, Review and merge Pull Requests, Organize Issues with labels and assignees, Browse files and code, Discover trending repositories

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GitHub Pro | $3.99 | per month |
| Copilot Pro | $10.00 | per month |
| Copilot Pro+ | $39.99 | per month |
| Copilot Max | $99.00 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app design
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Helpful for on-the-go tasks
- 🚀 Efficient for reviewing PRs and issues

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Limited functionality compared to website
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find features
- 🔍 Lacks key features like code editing and wiki support
- 🔍 Intercepts GitHub links, forcing use of app

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and inability to switch accounts
- Inconsistent behavior when navigating between app and website
- Notifications not always loading correctly
- Inability to view all files in large pull requests
- Crashes when trying to perform certain actions

**Requested features**

- Add support for multiple accounts
- Improve search and filtering capabilities
- Implement code editing and file management
- Integrate GitHub Actions and Insights
- Allow viewing and managing GitHub projects


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CSDN free?

CSDN is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is GitHub free?

GitHub is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, CSDN or GitHub?

GitHub is rated higher. CSDN averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while GitHub averages 4.8 from 37K ratings.

### Do CSDN or GitHub have ads?

CSDN shows ads; GitHub does not.

### Which is updated more often, CSDN or GitHub?

CSDN ships an update weekly, and GitHub weekly. Most recently, CSDN was updated on September 28, 2026 and GitHub on September 29, 2026.

### Which is more popular, CSDN or GitHub?

CSDN currently peaks at #131 in the App Store charts, and GitHub at #2. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*