Comparison

Bonhams vs Kew Auctions

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

Head to head
About

Bonhams

Explore and bid on fine art, antiques, collectables, and motor cars from a global auction house. Discover valuations and sales advice across 60 specialist areas worldwide.

Highlights
  • Fine art auctions
  • Antique auctions
  • Collectables auctions
  • Motor car auctions
  • Valuation services
  • Global sales network
Features
Read full description

Bonhams Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers: auctioneers of art, pictures, collectables and motor cars. Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas.

About

Kew Auctions

Read full description

With this app, you can pre-bid on a art forms, including Islamic Art, European Art, Contemporary Art, Ancient Art and Antiquities, African Art, Rugs and Carpets, and Asian Art. items in our monthly auctions. You can mark favorite lots and receive notifications about their bidding status, and be notified about upcoming auctions. You can also contact the auction house representatives for advice. Situated in the heart of London, we pride ourselves on being a cornerstone of the art community. With a commitment to excellence, our seasoned team curates a diverse range of artworks to cater to every collector’s taste. Experience the thrill of our live auctions, seamlessly broadcasted worldwide from London. At Kew Auctions, we leverage our extensive network and knowledge to ensure that your prized possessions achieve the highest possible price. Trust in our legacy, expertise, and global reach as we continue to connect art enthusiasts with remarkable pieces from around the world.

Screenshots

Bonhams4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Bonhams at 3 against Kew Auctions's —. Kew Auctions's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Bonhams versus Kew Auctions: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBonhamsKew Auctions
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (150 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews18.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings150 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNo—
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — better—
Requires iOS15.113.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB50 MB
Age rating9+17+
DeveloperBonhams 1793 LimitedUCO software development LTD

Bugs and requests

Bonhams

Reported bugs

72 issues
  • App fails constantly
  • Does not connect with website
  • Requires constant re-login
  • Does not work with facial recognition
  • Lost connection frequently
Show 67 more
  • Missed lots due to poor UX
  • Hard to follow items
  • Logged out everyday
  • Not showing historical bids
  • Constantly 'unable to connect'
  • Photos not loading
  • App keeps trying to load after update
  • Error loading more auctions
  • Spinning progress arrows annoying
  • Laggy and unstable
  • Impossible to follow lots
  • Every lot shown from beginning of time
  • Forces email account for condition report
  • App doesn't update with upcoming auctions
  • No customer service responses
  • No invoice available on app
  • Tedious scrolling for auctions
  • No way to search auction location
  • No filter for item category
  • App is unusable
  • Many functions unusable
  • Get stuck in search screen
  • Login difficult
  • Requires re-creating account
  • Cannot enter app with iOS 17.4.1
  • Rubbish app
  • Never get reply
  • No longer select sales by location
  • No Italian language option
  • Bad customer support replies
  • High user charge (28%)
  • Telephone support on hold/hangs up
  • No digital payment interface
  • Icons too small
  • Bidding not fit for purpose
  • Fails to send bids
  • Cannot save favorite artists
  • No notification for favorite artists
  • Malfunctioning watch sold
  • App does not show current bid
  • Not notified when outbid
  • No filter to exclude US auctions
  • Insensitive customer service for pickup
  • No obvious way to sort auctions by location
  • Location not shown upfront
  • Cannot create account on iPhone (button hidden)
  • App initializing for over a month
  • Constantly crashing and unreliable
  • Can't find specific auctions (NY, type)
  • Outrageous buyer's premium (30%)
  • Difficulty changing password/account issues
  • Wrong descriptions and bottles shown
  • Slide bar wouldn't work for bidding
  • Always lag, lose for the lot
  • Misrepresented lot with wrong registration mark
  • Difficult to navigate
  • Impossible to sign off
  • Keeps asking to sign up for newsletter
  • No one responds to email
  • Password doesn't work / account doesn't exist
  • Unorganized and poorly run business
  • Terrible, temperamental, unreliable, confusing
  • Not user friendly
  • Browsing auctions almost impossible
  • No search function
  • Cannot access today's sale results
  • Cannot get auction details

Requested features

17 requests
  • Most recent followed lots on top
  • Embed condition report in app
  • Search for auction location
  • Filter by item category
  • Sort auctions by location
Show 12 more
  • Save favorite artists and get notifications
  • Filter available auctions to exclude specific regions
  • Italian language option
  • Ability to sort auctions by location
  • Display auction location upfront
  • Functionality to register for auction via app
  • Functionality to bid through the app
  • Load online auctions onto the app
  • Search function for artists
  • Improved UI for viewing artworks (like Christie's)
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard

Kew Auctions

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Bonhams

No in-app purchases

None

Kew Auctions

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bonhams free?
Bonhams is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Kew Auctions free?
Kew Auctions is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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