# pixiv vs 知乎

pixiv and 知乎 both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 43% of pixiv's written reviews are positive against 16% of 知乎's. 知乎's advantage is ratings volume (26K vs 6.7K) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. pixiv sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and 知乎 sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 — 4.5 for pixiv against 4.5 for 知乎. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.7K and 26K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 43% of pixiv's written reviews are positive against 16% of 知乎's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | pixiv | 知乎 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (6.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixiv/id337248563/reviews) | **[4.5 (26K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id432274380/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6.7K | **26K** |
| Positive reviews | **43.2% of reviews** | 16.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Best chart rank | #195 | **#134** |
| Size | 96 MB | 458 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [pixiv Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/337248566) | [Beijing Zhizhetianxia Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/432274383) |

## What reviewers say

### pixiv

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixiv/id337248563)

**Currently charting:** #195 Top Grossing · Social Networking (US App Store)

Explore a vast collection of over 160 million illustrations, manga, and novels from Japan's largest creative community. Discover new artists, browse trending content, and share your own creations. Personalize your feed with recommendations based on your preferences.

**Highlights:** Browse illustrations, manga, and novels, Post and share your artwork, Discover recommended and trending works, Search by keywords, tags, and creators, Follow favorite artists, View browsing history (Premium)

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| pixiv Premium (no new users) | $4.99 | per month |
| pixiv Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| pixiv Premium | $13.49 | per 3 months |
| pixiv Premium | $24.99 | per 6 months |
| pixiv Premium | $45.99 | per year |
| 120 points | $0.99 | one-time |
| 160 points | $0.99 | one-time |
| 240 points | $1.99 | one-time |
| 320 points | $1.99 | one-time |
| 600 points | $4.99 | one-time |
| 800 points | $4.99 | one-time |
| 1,800 points | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to navigate
- 👍 Diverse content
- 💡 Allows for creative expression
- 👍 Friendly community

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔒 Concerning content moderation
- 💰 Excessive monetization
- 🚫 Restrictive features behind paywall

**Reported bugs**

- Blurry thumbnails on iPad
- Inability to copy text
- Pixiv links not opening in-app
- Inconsistent behavior when liking/following

**Requested features**

- Improved search and filtering options
- Ability to save animated images
- Sync bookmarks and settings across devices
- Better support for non-Japanese users


### 知乎

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id432274380)

**Currently charting:** #134 Top Grossing · Social Networking (US App Store)

Discover a high-quality question and answer community with original videos. Create, share, and explore content seamlessly with advanced AI search capabilities. Join now to engage in professional discussions and interactive exchanges.	Send feedback or inquiries to app@zhihu.com.

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 盐选会员月卡(1 个月) | $2.99 | per month |
| 盐选会员月卡(1 个月) | $2.99 | per month |
| 盐选会员连续月卡（1 个月） | $2.99 | per month |
| 超级盐选会员月卡（1 个月） | $3.99 | per month |
| 盐选会员季卡(3 个月) | $7.99 | per 3 months |
| 盐选会员连续季卡（3 个月） | $7.99 | per 3 months |
| 盐选会员年卡(1 年) | $29.99 | per year |
| 6 个知乎币 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 12 个知乎币 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 盐选会员月卡 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 68 个知乎币 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 盐选会员季卡 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 盐选会员年卡 | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Useful knowledge sharing platform
- 💡 Interesting content and ideas
- 📚 Ability to learn new things

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚫 Strict censorship and content control
- 🤖 Biased and misleading content
- 🤑 Excessive ads and monetization
- 🔒 Privacy concerns and data collection
- 🚧 Poor user experience and app performance

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Inability to unsubscribe from paid features

**Requested features**

- Improved content moderation and fairness
- Better user privacy controls
- Optimized app performance and stability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is pixiv free?

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

### Is 知乎 free?

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

### Which has better reviews, pixiv or 知乎?

知乎 is rated higher. pixiv averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6.7K ratings, while 知乎 averages 4.5 from 26K ratings.

### Do pixiv or 知乎 have ads?

Both pixiv and 知乎 show ads.

### Which is updated more often, pixiv or 知乎?

pixiv ships an update weekly, and 知乎 weekly. Most recently, pixiv was updated on October 26, 2026 and 知乎 on October 26, 2026.

### Which is more popular, pixiv or 知乎?

pixiv currently peaks at #195 in the App Store charts, and 知乎 at #134. 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.*