# 财新 vs 澎湃新闻

The clearest difference is monetization model: 澎湃新闻 at free with in-app purchases against 财新's subscription. 澎湃新闻 also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 63%). 财新's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#90 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 财新 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $10.49 per month and 澎湃新闻 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 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 — 4.6 for 财新 against 4.7 for 澎湃新闻. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 2.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of 财新's written reviews are positive against 79% of 澎湃新闻's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | 财新 | 澎湃新闻 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/caixin/id356023612/reviews) | **[4.7 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id878962716/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K | **2.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 63.5% of reviews | **79.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#90** | — |
| Size | 83 MB | 193 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Caixin Media Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/356023615) | [上海东方报业有限公司](https://appshunter.io/developer/878962721) |

## What reviewers say

### 财新

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/caixin/id356023612)

**Currently charting:** #90 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #122 Top Grossing · News, #135 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Access in-depth financial and economic news, exclusive reports, and authoritative analyses from China. Stay informed with timely updates, investigative journalism, and expert interviews. Enjoy multimedia content including videos and audio programs.

**Highlights:** Caixin Weekly Digital Edition, Financial News updates, Caixin Time video interviews, Weekly audio news analysis, Visual news presentations, AI Voice Broadcasting

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Caixin Express Monthly | $10.49 | per month |
| 数据通Lite包月 | $19.99 | per month |
| 财新通季订阅 | $22.49 | per 3 months |
| 财新mini | $34.99 | per year |
| 财新通半年权限 | $41.99 | per 6 months |
| 周刊通 | $53.99 | per year |
| 数据通Pro包季 | $79.99 | per 3 months |
| Caixin Express Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Caixin Data Express Lite | $199.99 | per year |
| Caixin Data Express Pro | $289.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and efficient app
- 📰 High-quality news content
- 🧠 Insightful and professional reporting
- 🧭 Objective and unbiased coverage
- 👍 User-friendly interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 📢 Intrusive and unskippable ads
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content
- 🔒 Lack of security and privacy features

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes and crashes on launch
- Unable to log in or access paid content
- Inconsistent performance on different devices
- Syncing issues between app and website
- Incorrect or outdated news content

**Requested features**

- Customizable font and text size options
- Offline reading mode
- Improved search and filtering capabilities
- Night mode or dark theme
- Cross-device syncing and cloud backup


### 澎湃新闻

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id878962716)

This news platform focuses on political and ideological content, offering in-depth analysis and original reporting. It features a dedicated video section, a community for user discussions, and expert Q&A sessions. The app aims to provide a balanced perspective on current events.

**Highlights:** 时政要闻, 原创深度调查, 思想争鸣与新知普及, 视频专区, 澎湃号创作者平台, 澎友圈社区, 澎湃问吧专家问答

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 订阅澎湃城市报告连续包月 | $3.99 | per month |
| 赞赏支持6元 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 赞赏支持12元 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 赞赏支持18元 | $2.99 | one-time |
| 小澎友新闻订阅包月 | $2.99 | one-time |
| 30币 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 订阅澎湃城市报告一个月 | $5.99 | one-time |
| 小澎友新闻订阅包季 | $7.99 | one-time |
| 198币 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 小澎友新闻订阅包年 | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🗞️ High-quality, in-depth news content
- 📰 Focused on serious journalism, not clickbait
- 🧭 Objective, balanced reporting
- 🧠 Thought-provoking analysis and commentary
- 🚀 Fast and efficient app performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🗣️ Strict censorship and limited user comments
- 🤖 Allegations of being a government mouthpiece
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 📱 Layout and UI not fully optimized for larger screens

**Reported bugs**

- Connection timeouts and loading issues
- Compatibility problems on newer iOS devices

**Requested features**

- Allow users to share and discuss articles
- Implement a personalized news feed
- Add support for offline reading


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 财新 free?

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

### Is 澎湃新闻 free?

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

### Which has better reviews, 财新 or 澎湃新闻?

澎湃新闻 is rated higher. 财新 averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while 澎湃新闻 averages 4.7 from 2.6K ratings.

### Do 财新 or 澎湃新闻 have ads?

澎湃新闻 shows ads; 财新 does not.

### Which is updated more often, 财新 or 澎湃新闻?

财新 ships an update monthly, and 澎湃新闻 monthly. Most recently, 财新 was updated on November 6, 2026 and 澎湃新闻 on November 6, 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.*