Comparison

微博 vs rednote

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

微博

Discover the world with our app, where you can stay updated on news, trends, and share your thoughts through text, photos, and videos. Join now to connect with people, explore various channels, and enjoy exclusive privileges!

Features
Read full description

Weibo will guide you through every splendid moment all over the world, and show you every story behind the screen. Share anything you want, let the whole world hear your voice. - Find the latest and the most comprehensive information here, whether it is from official news or grassroots’ gossips. - Learn about the up-to-date trend you’re following, in sports, movies, finance, food, amusement and all the areas that attract you. - Want to say something? Just post texts, photos, videos or anything you want, express yourself freely and lightheartedly. Feed: View photos, GIF pictures, videos, audios and texts posted from all the people you follow or from a certain group managed by you. Message: Receive @, comments, private messages in no time, and send voice messages, emoticons, pictures or location info to others. Discover: Check the hottest weibo and the most splendid content in the channels of Shopping, Movie, Music, Sports, Voyage, etc. You’ll find a whole new world here. Weibo VIP: Exclusive 30-plus privileges and federation privileges, custom sources, star avatar stalks, dynamic expressions, make your micro-blogging life more exciting! In-app you can buy Weibo members, and you can buy Weibo members in four ways: The first: 12 yuan / month to buy Weibo members, and automatically renew on a monthly basis. The second: 30 yuan / 3 months to buy Weibo members, and automatically renew every 3 months. Third: 60 yuan / half a year to buy Micro-blogging members, and automatically renew edgy by half year. The fourth: 118 yuan / year to buy Weibo members, and automatically renew edgy by year. What to know about buying: 1. The account will be automatically renewed and charged 1 day before expiration. 2. To cancel automatic renewals, please cancel in your personal account settings at least 1 day in advance. 3. No refund is available after the purchase takes effect. 4. After purchase, users can manage or turn off auto-renewal in their personal account settings. 5. If you are already a member of Weibo, you will extend the service time on the basis of the existing member service period after ordering 6. Weibo Membership Agreement http://new.vip.weibo.cn/newpay/protocol 7. Continuous subscription service agreement http://new.vip.weibo.cn/newpay/baoyueprotocol 8. Privacy Policy and Terms of Use https://m.weibo.cn/c/privacy Weibo Live provides 5 kind of gift bag. 6RMB 420 Gold 30RMB 2100 Gold 98RMB 6860 Gold 298RMB 20860 Gold 588RMB 41160 Gold After top-up, you can check your gold on the Live screen. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

rednote

Connect with a global community to share your daily life, from hobbies and interests to personal experiences. Discover inspiration and build connections through authentic and helpful interactions.

Highlights
  • Share daily life moments
  • Connect with global users
  • Discover diverse content
  • Authentic self-expression
  • Helpful life tips
  • Inclusive community
Features
Read full description

Dear rednote villagers, Welcome to the community. this is a place where people share their life and connect with each other. Millions of users share their daily life here, from favorite music to fashion looks, from cooking recipe to home decor, from travel tips to their beloved cats and dogs. We welcome you to share everything about your life and connect with the villiagers around the global. To better navigate here, we’d like to share some CORE VALUES of rednote with you: Authenticity: Everyone is unique and has their own life story, so just be yourself here. You can think of us as friends and feel free to share your daily life or special moments. We believe authenticity builds trust, what you share may also help or inspire others, so we encourage you to be genuine and friendly in your posts. Helpfulness:For years, rednote villagers have been sharing billions of life experience and tips and helped countless people they’ve never met. The world is big, but we believe people share more similarities in their life than they thought. We encourage you to share your unique experiences here and inspire another "you" somewhere on this planet. Inclusivity: We believe the world is a "global village", where people from different regions and cultures can connect and communicate. In this welcoming community. We hope everyone respects each other and embraces differences in values, cultures, and perspectives. We encourage you to show your likes and appreciation for other villagers. We believe that kindness will always be returned, and you’ll feel the warmth and love from others. Have fun and happy sharing! Lots of love from the rednote team

Screenshots

微博4 screens
rednote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: rednote at 4.9 against 微博's 2.3. rednote also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (269K vs 7.7K). 微博's advantage is device support (5 vs 3). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. 微博 sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and rednote sells 20 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

rednote holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: rednote has 269K ratings behind it against 7.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of 微博's written reviews are positive against 38% of rednote's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

微博 ships an update weekly, rednote every 4 days. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
微博 versus rednote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter微博rednote
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (7.7K ratings)4.9 (269K ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.0% of reviews37.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.7K269K — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#163#13 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size407 MB445 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperSINA CorporationXingin

Customer experience

微博

All ratings7,654 ratings
Positive30.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative65.1%
Written reviews1,666 reviews
Positive27.0%
Neutral7.3%
Negative65.8%

rednote

All ratings268,854 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral0.6%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews4,398 reviews
Positive37.6%
Neutral4.8%
Negative57.6%

User reviews

微博

From 7.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Entertaining and educational content
  • 👍 User-friendly interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and inconsistent
  • 💩 Excessive ads and monetization
  • 🤫 Censorship and lack of transparency
  • 🤬 Poor customer service and account management

rednote

From 269K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Amazing app with great features
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 💕 Welcoming and supportive community
  • 🌍 Opportunity to connect with diverse cultures
  • 🎨 Excellent platform for creative expression

Room to improve

  • 🔇 Lack of translation options for non-Chinese users
  • 🚫 Strict content moderation and censorship
  • 🤖 Aggressive recommendation algorithm
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns and data collection
  • 🔥 High data and storage consumption

Bugs and requests

微博

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Unreliable login and verification process
  • Inconsistent behavior across devices and platforms

Requested features

3 requests
  • Improved translation and language support
  • Better content moderation and user control
  • Enhanced privacy and data protection

rednote

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Inability to load images and videos consistently
  • Unexpected account bans or restrictions
  • Inconsistent behavior across different devices
  • Sync issues between mobile and desktop versions
Show 1 more
  • Unreliable notification and comment systems

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add comprehensive translation capabilities
  • Improve transparency around content moderation
  • Provide more control over recommendation settings
  • Enhance privacy protections for user data
  • Optimize app performance and reduce resource usage
Show 1 more
  • Clarify community guidelines and appeal process

In-app purchases

13 purchases

微博

Subscriptions6
  • 连续包月会员$1.991 Month
  • 按月订阅微博高级会员2 variants$3.991 Month
  • 按月订阅微博高级会员1 Month trial$3.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • 连续季度会员$4.993 Months
  • 半年微博会员$8.996 Months
  • 连续包年会员$17.991 Year
One-time7
  • 微博问答一元围观$0.99
  • 1个月微博会员$1.99
  • 升级1个月微博会员$1.99
Show 4 more
  • 稀缺装扮1个$1.99
  • 3个月微博会员$3.99
  • 高级会员1个月$3.99
  • 1年微博会员$17.99
20 purchases

rednote

One-time20
  • 42 薯币$0.99
  • 70薯币$0.99
  • 105薯币$1.99
Show 17 more
  • 210薯币$3.99
  • 350薯币2 variants$6.99
  • 476 薯币$9.99
  • 476薯币$9.99
  • 672薯币$12.99
  • 679薯币$12.99
  • 693薯币$14.99
  • 686薯币$14.99
  • 700薯币$14.99
  • 686 薯币$14.99
  • 756薯币$14.99
  • 1386 薯币$29.99
  • 3626 薯币$74.90
  • 10486 薯币$219.00
  • 13986 薯币$299.99
  • 18193薯币$399.99
  • 52493薯币$1000.00

Questions

Is 微博 free?
微博 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is rednote free?
rednote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 微博 or rednote?
rednote is rated higher. 微博 averages 2.3 out of 5 from 7.7K ratings, while rednote averages 4.9 from 269K ratings.
Do 微博 or rednote have ads?
微博 shows ads; rednote does not.
Which is updated more often, 微博 or rednote?
微博 ships an update weekly, and rednote every 4 days. Most recently, 微博 was updated on September 25, 2026 and rednote on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, 微博 or rednote?
微博 currently peaks at #163 in the App Store charts, and rednote at #13. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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