# 南方周末 vs 看看新闻HD

南方周末 and 看看新闻HD both sit at 2.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 74% of 南方周末's written reviews are positive against 33% of 看看新闻HD's. 南方周末 also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and device support (3 vs 1). 看看新闻HD's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 17) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 南方周末 sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. 看看新闻HD asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 2.5 for 南方周末 against 2.6 for 看看新闻HD. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 32 and 9 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of 南方周末's written reviews are positive against 33% of 看看新闻HD's.

南方周末 ships an update every 3 weeks, 看看新闻HD every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 南方周末 | 看看新闻HD |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (32 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id333953812/reviews) | **[2.6 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hd/id528236483/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **32** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | **74.4% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Size | 263 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Guangdong Southern Weekly New Media Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/333953815) | [看东方(上海)传媒有限公司](https://appshunter.io/developer/633261728) |

## 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 (14)**

| 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6元 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币8元 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 打赏文章12元 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币28元 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 打赏文章50元 | $6.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币68元 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币98元 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币128元 | $19.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币188元 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 充值南周币288元 | $39.99 | 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


### 看看新闻HD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hd/id528236483)

This news app from Shanghai Media Group offers high-quality original reporting and in-depth coverage of current events. It features live broadcasts, a dedicated video section with personalized recommendations, and the ability to rewatch Shanghai TV programs.

**Highlights:** Original news reporting, Live event coverage, On-demand video content, Personalized recommendations, TV program replays

**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 看看新闻HD free?

看看新闻HD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, 南方周末 or 看看新闻HD?

看看新闻HD is rated higher. 南方周末 averages 2.5 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while 看看新闻HD averages 2.6 from 9 ratings.

### Do 南方周末 or 看看新闻HD have ads?

Neither 南方周末 nor 看看新闻HD shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, 南方周末 or 看看新闻HD?

南方周末 ships an update every 3 weeks, and 看看新闻HD every 3 months. Most recently, 南方周末 was updated on October 26, 2026 and 看看新闻HD on October 11, 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.*