# 起点读书 vs 盐言故事

The clearest difference is rating: 起点读书 at 3.8 against 盐言故事's 2.3. 起点读书 also leads on ratings volume (2.1K vs 45) and chart position (#33 vs unranked). 盐言故事's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (63% vs 43%). On price, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 起点读书 sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and 盐言故事 sells 24 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

起点读书 holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 起点读书 has 2.1K ratings behind it against 45, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 43% of 起点读书's written reviews are positive against 63% of 盐言故事's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 起点读书 | 盐言故事 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.8 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id534174796/reviews)** | [2.3 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id6444362523/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.1K** | 45 |
| Positive reviews | 43.1% of reviews | **62.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#33** | — |
| Size | 241 MB | 313 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [起点中文网](https://appshunter.io/developer/514238850) | [Beijing Zhizhetianxia Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/432274383) |

## What reviewers say

### 起点读书

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id534174796)

**Currently charting:** #33 Top Grossing · Book, #137 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

Access a vast library of original Chinese web novels, audiobooks, and comics. Engage with authors, discover curated book lists, and enjoy a seamless reading experience with smart recommendations and cloud synchronization.

**Highlights:** Vast library of original web novels, Audiobook and comic collection, Author interaction and community, Curated book lists, Personalized recommendations, Cloud synchronization, Free new releases

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 起点会员卡 - 连续包月 | $1.49 | per month |
| 起点会员卡·连续包月 | $2.99 | per month |
| 100点 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 600点 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1200点 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 900点 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 2500点 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 3000点 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 5000点 | $6.99 | one-time |
| 176.4万字 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 9800点 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 29800点 | $44.99 | one-time |
| 64800点 | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Convenient reading experience
- 📚 Wide selection of books
- 🎧 Good audio narration
- 💰 Frequent free content and promotions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Expensive subscription and content
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find books
- 🔌 High battery consumption
- 🔒 Restrictive DRM and account management
- 🤖 Poor quality of machine-translated books

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Login and account issues
- Syncing and progress tracking problems
- Unreliable in-app purchases and billing

**Requested features**

- Add English translation option
- Improve search and discovery features
- Provide more transparency on content ownership
- Optimize app performance and battery life


### 盐言故事

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id6444362523)

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

**In-app purchases (24)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 盐选会员连续月卡（1 个月） | $2.99 | per month |
| 盐选会员连续月卡（1 个月） | $2.99 | per month |
| 盐选畅享会员连续月卡（1 个月） | $3.99 | per month |
| 盐选会员连续季卡（3 个月） | $6.99 | per 3 months |
| 盐选会员连续季卡（3 个月） | $7.99 | per 3 months |
| 盐选畅享会员连续季卡（3 个月） | $9.99 | per 3 months |
| 盐选会员连续年卡（12 个月） | $29.99 | per year |
| 4个知乎币 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 420盐钻 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 盐选会员月卡（1 个月） | $3.99 | one-time |
| 知乎盐言广播剧《洗铅华》 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 30个知乎币 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 2100盐钻 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 盐选畅享会员月卡（1 个月） | $4.99 | one-time |
| 盐选会员季卡（3 个月） | $9.99 | one-time |
| 68个知乎币 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 盐选畅享会员季卡（3 个月） | $12.99 | one-time |
| 盐选会员年卡 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 118个知乎币 | $17.99 | one-time |
| 盐选会员年卡 | $17.99 | one-time |
| 盐选会员年卡 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 盐选会员年卡（12 个月） | $34.99 | one-time |
| 盐选畅享年卡（12 个月） | $39.99 | one-time |
| 698个知乎币 | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 起点读书 free?

起点读书 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is 盐言故事 free?

盐言故事 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 起点读书 or 盐言故事?

起点读书 is rated higher. 起点读书 averages 3.8 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while 盐言故事 averages 2.3 from 45 ratings.

### Do 起点读书 or 盐言故事 have ads?

起点读书 shows ads; 盐言故事 does not.

### Which is updated more often, 起点读书 or 盐言故事?

起点读书 ships an update weekly, and 盐言故事 weekly. Most recently, 起点读书 was updated on October 24, 2026 and 盐言故事 on October 25, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*