# 南方周末 vs ZAKER专业版

The clearest difference is price: 南方周末 at Free against ZAKER专业版's $0.99. 南方周末 also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (74% vs 51%). ZAKER专业版's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 2.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). On ratings volume, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

南方周末 is free to download; ZAKER专业版 costs $0.99 up front. 南方周末 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. ZAKER专业版 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ZAKER专业版 holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 32 and 80 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 74% of 南方周末's written reviews are positive against 51% of ZAKER专业版's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

南方周末 ships an update every 3 weeks, ZAKER专业版 every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 南方周末 | ZAKER专业版 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | [2.5 (32 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id333953812/reviews) | **[4.0 (80 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zaker/id1015225810/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 32 | **80** |
| Positive reviews | **74.4% of reviews** | 51.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#28** |
| Size | 263 MB | 133 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Guangdong Southern Weekly New Media Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/333953815) | [Guangzhou Jianhe Network Technology Co.,Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1470340897) |

## What reviewers say

### 南方周末

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id333953812)

Access in-depth news, opinion pieces, and cultural content from a trusted Chinese media outlet. Enjoy enhanced reading and listening experiences with original reporting, historical archives, and curated humanistic courses.

**Highlights:** In-depth news reporting, Original articles and opinion pieces, Audio playback of content, Humanistic courses and lectures, Historical newspaper and magazine archives, Interactive voting and discussion features

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 南方周末会员月订阅 | $3.99 | per month |
| 南方周末会员季订阅 | $10.99 | per 3 months |
| 南方周末会员年订阅 | $25.99 | per year |
| 打赏文章6元 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币8元 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币28元 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币78元 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币68元 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币128元 | $19.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币188元 | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📰 High-quality, in-depth journalism content
- 🎨 Clean, elegant, and well-designed interface
- 📱 Smooth and fluid user experience (in earlier versions)
- 🔄 Responsive customer support and quick updates
- 📖 Magazine-style layout and presentation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and instability
- ⏳ Severe lag and stuttering performance
- 🌐 Network connectivity issues and error messages
- 📺 No landscape/horizontal screen support
- 💰 Excessive ads despite paid membership

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup (especially on older devices like iPhone 3G, iPad 4)
- Content fails to load or gets stuck in loading state
- Network error messages despite normal connectivity
- Image view mode has no exit button, requires app restart
- Swipe gesture for navigation fails frequently

**Requested features**

- Landscape/horizontal screen orientation support for iPad
- Improved article navigation and back button functionality
- Better optimization for iPhone XR, XS Max, and newer devices
- Content update indicators and new content highlighting
- Article collection/bookmark feature


### ZAKER专业版

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zaker/id1015225810)

**Currently charting:** #28 Top Paid · News (US App Store)

Access personalized news and local information from over 4000 sources. Enjoy a clean, magazine-style reading experience with discussions and live video content. This app offers a comprehensive way to stay informed.

**Highlights:** Personalized news aggregation, Local information access, Hot topic discussions, Live video streaming, Magazine-style layout, 4000+ information sources

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 南方周末 free?

南方周末 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ZAKER专业版 free?

ZAKER专业版 costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, 南方周末 or ZAKER专业版?

ZAKER专业版 is rated higher. 南方周末 averages 2.5 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while ZAKER专业版 averages 4.0 from 80 ratings.

### Do 南方周末 or ZAKER专业版 have ads?

ZAKER专业版 shows ads; 南方周末 does not.

### Which is updated more often, 南方周末 or ZAKER专业版?

南方周末 ships an update every 3 weeks, and ZAKER专业版 every 4 weeks. Most recently, 南方周末 was updated on October 31, 2026 and ZAKER专业版 on November 1, 2026.

---

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