Comparison

LINE vs QQ

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

Head to head
About

LINE

Connect with friends and family through free voice and video calls, messages, and a wide array of stickers and themes. This communication platform offers a seamless experience across mobile, desktop, and smartwatches, with enhanced privacy features and content discovery options.

Highlights
  • Free voice and video calls
  • Messaging
  • Stickers and emojis
  • Customizable themes
  • Cross-platform compatibility
  • Encrypted messages
  • Keep Memo for storage
Features
Read full description

LINE is transforming the way people communicate, closing the distance between family, friends, and loved ones—for free. With voice and video calls, messages, and a limitless variety of exciting stickers, you’ll be able to express yourself in ways that you never thought possible. Available all around the world on mobile, desktop, and Apple Watch, the LINE platform continues to grow, always offering new services and features that make your life more fun and convenient. ◆ Messages, Voice calls, Video calls. Enjoy voice and video calls and exchanging messages with your LINE friends. ◆ LINE stickers, emojis, and themes Express yourself just the way you want with stickers and emojis. Also, find your favorite themes to customize your LINE app. ◆ Home Gives you easy access to your friends list, birthdays, the sticker shop and various services and contents offered by LINE. ◆ Seamless connection on mobile, Apple Watch, and desktop Chat anytime and anywhere. Whether you’re on the go or working at the office or remotely, use LINE via your iPhone, Apple Watch, or desktop. ◆ Store your personal information with Keep Memo My own chatroom to temporarily store messages, photos, and videos. ◆ Messages protected with Letter Sealing Letter Sealing encrypts your messages, call history and location information. Always be assured of your privacy when using LINE. *We recommend using a data plan or connecting to Wi-Fi as you may incur data usage fees otherwise. *Please check the recommended specifications from LINE settings > “Help center” > “LINE usage environment/Settings” > "System requirements for LINE” when installing/updating the LINE app. In addition, if you're using an old version of iOS, we recommend updating it to the latest version. ▼Click here to see how to update your iOS version. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204204 ********** If your network speed is too slow or you don't have enough device storage, LINE may not install properly. If this happens, please check your connection and try again. **********

About

QQ

Connect with friends and family through instant messaging, voice, and video calls. Share files, stay updated on social feeds, and manage payments. Enjoy games and customize your profile with various themes and decorations.

Highlights
  • Instant messaging
  • Voice and video calls
  • File transfer
  • Social feed updates
  • Mobile payments
  • Gaming center
  • Profile customization
Features
Read full description

在QQ,轻松社交 - [聊天消息]随时随地好友和群消息; - [语音通话]、[视频聊天]和亲友自在畅聊; - [文件传输]手机电脑多端互传,轻松便捷。 在QQ,轻松生活 - [空间动态]快速获知好友动态,随时分享生活; - [移动支付]话费充值、转账收款、网购一应俱全; - [关怀模式]大字体、大图标,操作更简单,长辈使用更方便。 在QQ,轻松娱乐 - [游戏中心]体验热门手游乐趣,还有更多大神攻略分享; - [个性装扮]各种主题、名片、彩铃、气泡、挂件自由选。 QQ将功能赋能,打造轻松欢乐的社交、娱乐与生活体验。 -----联系我们----- 如在使用过程中遇到任何问题,请联系我们: - 在线帮助:进入QQ设置 -> 关于QQ -> 帮助与反馈 - 客服热线:4006 700 700(服务时间:8:00 - 23:00) -----QQ会员/超级会员/黄钻/超级会员+全民K歌会员/绿钻豪华版/腾讯视频会员VIP连续包月服务说明----- 1、QQ会员连续包月服务有以下四种订购类型: 12元/1个月; 30元/3个月; 60元/6个月; 118元/12个月。 超级会员连续包月服务有以下四种订购类型: 19元/1个月; 60元/3个月; 118元/6个月; 238元/12个月。 黄钻连续包月服务有以下一种订购类型: 10元/1个月。 超级会员+全民K歌会员有以下一种订购类型: 45元/1个月。 绿钻豪华版连续包月服务有以下一种订购类型: 12元/1个月。 腾讯视频VIP会员连续包月服务有以下三种订购类型: 25元/1个月; 68元/3个月; 238元/12个月。 腾讯动漫V会员连续包月服务有以下三种订购类型: 15元/1个月; 43元/3个月; 163元/12个月。 腾讯体育VIP会员连续包月服务有以下两种订阅类型: 25元/月; 68元/3个月。 腾讯体育超级VIP会员连续包月服务有以下两种订阅类型: 60元/月; 128元/3个月。 QQAI好友心动卡连续包月服务(黎小姐/代柯/古禹/藤非/小麦/席恩/裴旖/李宥恩/游迦/尔尔)有以下一种订购类型: 25元/1个月。 2、订购QQ会员/超级会员/黄钻/超级会员+全民K歌会员/绿钻豪华版/腾讯视频VIP会员/腾讯动漫V会员服务会通过iTunes账户直接支付。 3、在订购服务到期前24小时,系统将按订购类型进行自动续订和扣除相应费用。 4、如需关闭连续包月服务,请至少提前24小时在“账户设置”中进行操作。 5、隐私政策及使用条款: QQ会员/超级会员: https://m.vip.qq.com/clubact/2017/iap/privacy-policy.html 黄钻: https://qzs.qzone.qq.com/qzone/qzact/act/2017/iap-autorenew-rule/index.html 超级会员+全民K歌会员: https://mc.vip.qq.com/iospay/IapAuthRule?id=svipkg_policy 绿钻豪华版: https://y.qq.com/m/client/private.html https://y.qq.com/i/serv_terms_new.html 腾讯视频VIP会员: 隐私协议:https://privacy.qq.com/document/priview/3fab9c7fc1424ebda42c3ce488322c8a 服务协议: https://film.qq.com/weixin/term.html 腾讯动漫V会员: 隐私协议:https://m.ac.qq.com/event/appHtmlPage/privacy.html 服务协议:https://m.ac.qq.com/event/vCardRules/index.html?ac_hideShare=2 腾讯体育VIP会员+腾讯体育超级VIP会员: 服务协议:https://film.video.qq.com/weixin/term.html?bizId=sport&type=common 隐私协议: https://privacy.qq.com/document/preview/3fab9c7fc1424ebda42c3ce488322c8a QQAI好友心动卡: 服务协议:https://rule.tencent.com/rule/202512170002 隐私政策:https://rule.tencent.com/rule/202511180001 *加入寻找丢失儿童公益项目,GPS在后台运行可能会影响电池续航时间。

Screenshots

LINE4 screens
QQ4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: LINE at 3.2 against QQ's 2.7. QQ's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. LINE sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and QQ sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LINE holds the better App Store score, 3.2 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18K and 9K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 14% of LINE's written reviews are positive against 18% of QQ's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LINE ships an update every 9 days, QQ every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
LINE versus QQ: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLINEQQ
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (18K ratings) — better2.7 (9K ratings)
Positive reviews14.2% of reviews18.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18K — better9K
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#36 — better#85
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size401 MB834 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperLINE CorporationTencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited

Customer experience

LINE

All ratings18,449 ratings
Positive51.0%
Neutral9.5%
Negative39.5%
Written reviews1,651 reviews
Positive14.2%
Neutral6.3%
Negative79.5%

QQ

All ratings9,025 ratings
Positive39.8%
Neutral4.2%
Negative56.0%
Written reviews726 reviews
Positive18.2%
Neutral5.4%
Negative76.4%

User reviews

LINE

From 18K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💬 Great messaging app
  • 🎨 Customizable with cute stickers
  • 🌐 Useful for international communication
  • 🔒 Secure and private

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
  • 🔑 Difficult account recovery and transfer
  • 🚫 Accounts suspended without explanation
  • 🤖 Poor customer support
  • 🔍 Difficulty adding and searching for contacts

QQ

From 9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💬 Good for communicating with friends in China
  • 🤝 Useful for business connections
  • 🔒 Robust privacy features

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Difficult to register with non-Chinese phone numbers
  • 🤖 Excessive AI-driven features and notifications
  • 💸 Intrusive advertising
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs

Bugs and requests

LINE

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Unable to log in or sign up
  • Messages not sending or receiving
  • Notifications not working properly
  • App crashing after updates
  • Incompatibility with new devices and OS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • See who is online and typing
  • Ability to translate messages
  • Automatic chat history backup and sync
  • Easier sticker management and organization
  • More ways to earn free stickers and points

QQ

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unable to send/receive images and files
  • Inconsistent UI and UX across platforms
  • Connectivity issues for overseas users

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add English language support
  • Improve account recovery process
  • Provide more customization options

In-app purchases

13 purchases

LINE

Subscriptions2
  • スタンダード1 Month trial$3.991 Month
  • Monthly Plan1 Month trial2 variants$4.991 Month
One-time11
  • 50 LINE Coin$0.99
  • 70 LINE Coin$1.39
  • LINE Characters: All the Love$1.99
Show 8 more
  • Brown & Cony's Secret Date!$1.99
  • Brown & Cony's Lovey Dovey Date$1.99
  • 100 LINE Coin$1.99
  • 150 LINE Coin$2.99
  • 200 LINE Coin$3.99
  • 500 LINE Coin$7.99
  • 800 LINE Coin$11.99
  • 1600 LINE Coin$22.99
12 purchases

QQ

Subscriptions2
  • 1个月黄钻(自动续费)1 Month trial$1.491 Month
  • 超级会员$2.991 Month
One-time10
  • 6元金豆套餐$0.99
  • 1个月黄钻$1.99
  • 1个月超级会员$3.99
Show 7 more
  • 3个月超级会员$8.99
  • 6个月超级会员$17.99
  • 12个月QQ会员$17.99
  • 会员158元宝石$22.99
  • 1980秀币$29.99
  • 12个月超级会员$34.99
  • 会员288元宝石$39.99

Questions

Is LINE free?
LINE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is QQ free?
QQ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, LINE or QQ?
LINE is rated higher. LINE averages 3.2 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while QQ averages 2.7 from 9K ratings.
Do LINE or QQ have ads?
Both LINE and QQ show ads.
Which is updated more often, LINE or QQ?
LINE ships an update every 9 days, and QQ every 2 weeks. Most recently, LINE was updated on October 16, 2026 and QQ on October 15, 2026.
Which is more popular, LINE or QQ?
LINE currently peaks at #36 in the App Store charts, and QQ at #85. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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