# 南方周末 vs 澎湃新闻HD

The clearest difference is review sentiment: 南方周末 at 74% against 澎湃新闻HD's 29%. 南方周末 also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). 澎湃新闻HD's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 2.5) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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 and 澎湃新闻HD sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

澎湃新闻HD holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 32 and 74 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 74% of 南方周末's written reviews are positive against 29% of 澎湃新闻HD'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, 澎湃新闻HD every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and August 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 南方周末 | 澎湃新闻HD |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (32 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id333953812/reviews) | **[4.6 (74 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hd/id986646876/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 32 | **74** |
| Positive reviews | **74.4% of reviews** | 28.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 262 MB | 201 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **9.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Guangdong Southern Weekly New Media Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/333953815) | [上海东方报业有限公司](https://appshunter.io/developer/878962721) |

## 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


### 澎湃新闻HD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hd/id986646876)

This news platform focuses on current affairs and thought-provoking content, offering in-depth analysis and original reporting. It features a dedicated video section, professional creator contributions, and interactive community forums for discussions. Users can also engage with experts and access curated daily news digests.

**Highlights:** In-depth political and economic news, Original investigative journalism, Thought-provoking opinion pieces, First-person perspective video reports, Content from professional creators, Community discussion forums, Expert Q&A sessions, Daily curated news digests

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 6币 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 赞赏支持12元 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 赞赏支持18元 | $2.99 | one-time |
| 赞赏支持30元 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 30币 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 88币 | $12.99 | one-time |
| 198币 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 赞赏支持218元 | $31.99 | one-time |
| 388币 | $59.99 | one-time |
| 648币 | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 南方周末 free?

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

### Is 澎湃新闻HD free?

澎湃新闻HD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 南方周末 or 澎湃新闻HD?

澎湃新闻HD is rated higher. 南方周末 averages 2.5 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while 澎湃新闻HD averages 4.6 from 74 ratings.

### Do 南方周末 or 澎湃新闻HD have ads?

澎湃新闻HD shows ads; 南方周末 does not.

### Which is updated more often, 南方周末 or 澎湃新闻HD?

南方周末 ships an update every 3 weeks, and 澎湃新闻HD every 2 months. Most recently, 南方周末 was updated on September 26, 2026 and 澎湃新闻HD on August 12, 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.*