# Dianping vs INITIAL

The clearest difference is review sentiment: INITIAL at 79% against Dianping's 39%. INITIAL also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Dianping's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (7K vs 2). On price and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

INITIAL holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dianping has 7K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Dianping's written reviews are positive against 79% of INITIAL's.

Dianping ships an update every 6 days, INITIAL every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dianping | INITIAL |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dianping-discover-good-places/id351091731/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/initial/id440625509/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **7K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 38.7% of reviews | **79.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 242 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hanhai Information Technology (Shanghai) Co.Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/351091734) | [INITIAL FASHION CO., LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/440625512) |

## What reviewers say

### Dianping

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dianping-discover-good-places/id351091731)

Discover local businesses, attractions, and activities. Find user reviews and photos for restaurants, hotels, and entertainment. Plan your next outing with curated guides and book tickets or accommodations.

**Highlights:** Local business discovery, User reviews and photos, Restaurant recommendations, Travel guides and booking, Family entertainment options, Novel experience suggestions, Life service listings

**Features:** Siri integration, Apple Wallet, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Convenient and helpful
- 👍 Useful for finding good food and entertainment
- 💡 Provides discounts and coupons

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Privacy concerns and forced data collection
- 💩 Fake reviews and lack of integrity
- 🤖 Lack of support for non-Chinese users

**Reported bugs**

- Login and registration issues
- Incompatibility with newer devices and OS versions
- Content not loading properly
- Forced app updates with no clear improvements

**Requested features**

- Add English language support
- Improve translation quality
- Optimize app size and performance
- Provide better tools for international users


### INITIAL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/initial/id440625509)

Discover a unique shopping journey with this application. It offers an unusual and engaging way to explore products and find what you're looking for.

**Highlights:** Unique shopping experience, Product exploration, Engaging interface, Fashion discovery

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dianping free?

Dianping is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is INITIAL free?

INITIAL is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Dianping or INITIAL?

INITIAL is rated higher. Dianping averages 4.7 out of 5 from 7K ratings, while INITIAL averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Dianping or INITIAL have ads?

Dianping shows ads; INITIAL does not.

### Which is updated more often, Dianping or INITIAL?

Dianping ships an update every 6 days, and INITIAL every 2 months. Most recently, Dianping was updated on November 1, 2026 and INITIAL on October 24, 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.*