# Wikipedia vs Kiwix

The clearest difference is update cadence: Wikipedia at every 2 weeks against Kiwix's every 2 months. Wikipedia also leads on ratings volume (6.3K vs 427) and chart position (#44 vs #181). Kiwix's advantage is review sentiment (70% vs 55%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Wikipedia against 4.2 for Kiwix. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wikipedia has 6.3K ratings behind it against 427, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of Wikipedia's written reviews are positive against 70% of Kiwix's.

Wikipedia ships an update every 2 weeks, Kiwix every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Wikipedia | Kiwix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (6.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wikipedia/id324715238/reviews)** | [4.2 (427 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kiwix/id997079563/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.3K** | 427 |
| Positive reviews | 54.6% of reviews | **70.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#44** | #181 |
| Size | 251 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wikimedia Foundation](https://appshunter.io/developer/324715241) | [Wikimedia CH](https://appshunter.io/developer/997079562) |

## What reviewers say

### Wikipedia

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wikipedia/id324715238)

**Currently charting:** #44 Top Free · Reference (US App Store)

Access the world's largest free knowledge base with over 60 million articles in nearly 300 languages. Explore trending topics, save articles for offline reading, and customize your reading experience with various themes and text sizes. Contribute to the community by editing articles and participating in discussions.

**Highlights:** Ad-free and free knowledge access, 60+ million articles in 300+ languages, Personalized trending news feed, Offline article saving, Customizable reading themes and text size, Map-based location discovery, Article discussion and contribution tools

**Features:** iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Vast information repository
- 👍 Customizable reading experience
- 🚀 Convenient offline access
- 👍 Reliable and trustworthy content
- 👍 Excellent app design and UI

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
- 🔋 High data usage and battery drain
- 🔒 Concerns about political bias and censorship
- 🔒 Unreliable editing process and information accuracy

**Reported bugs**

- Unresponsive save button
- Duplicate saved articles issue
- Broken search functionality
- Landscape mode rendering problems
- Syncing issues with offline content

**Requested features**

- Add tabs for multi-article browsing
- Implement a forward navigation button
- Improve saved articles management
- Integrate text-to-speech functionality
- Provide more granular content filtering options


### Kiwix

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kiwix/id997079563)

**Currently charting:** #181 Top Free · Reference (US App Store)

Access a vast library of educational content offline. Download encyclopedias, wikis, and more to browse anytime, anywhere without an internet connection. Save data and access reliable information even in remote areas.

**Highlights:** Offline content access, Advanced compression technology, Vast educational content library, Data saving, No internet required, Non-profit and ad-free

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Offline access to vast knowledge
- 👍 Comprehensive content coverage
- 🎉 Excellent resource for travelers
- 💡 Innovative concept

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Subpar search functionality
- 🌃 Lack of dark mode
- 🎥 Video playback problems

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when searching
- Downloads getting stuck or disappearing
- Formatting issues with some content

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to update/refresh downloaded content
- Improved video support
- Better search and navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Wikipedia free?

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

### Is Kiwix free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Wikipedia or Kiwix?

Wikipedia is rated higher. Wikipedia averages 4.3 out of 5 from 6.3K ratings, while Kiwix averages 4.2 from 427 ratings.

### Do Wikipedia or Kiwix have ads?

Neither Wikipedia nor Kiwix shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Wikipedia or Kiwix?

Wikipedia ships an update every 2 weeks, and Kiwix every 2 months. Most recently, Wikipedia was updated on September 24, 2026 and Kiwix on September 23, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Wikipedia or Kiwix?

Wikipedia currently peaks at #44 in the App Store charts, and Kiwix at #181. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

---

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