# 文状元 vs Chatbox

The clearest difference is rating: Chatbox at 4.6 against 文状元's 4.0. Chatbox also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 9) and ratings volume (619 vs 4). 文状元's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 文状元 sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Chatbox asks for nothing beyond the download.

Chatbox holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chatbox has 619 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of 文状元's written reviews are positive against 78% of Chatbox's.

文状元 ships an update every 3 weeks, Chatbox weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 文状元 | Chatbox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id6449725106/reviews) | **[4.6 (619 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatbox-powerful-ai-client/id6471368056/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **619** |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | **77.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 45 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [MAKA (Guangzhou) Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1021136725) | [2.5 HK LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1772881024) |

## What reviewers say

### 文状元

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id6449725106)

This writing assistant helps users create various official documents and materials. It offers a vast library of templates, dynamic content updates, and advanced semantic understanding for polished writing.

**Highlights:** 20+ writing scenarios, 108+ writing types, 100,000+ shared sample texts, Semantic understanding and writing power, 17 personalized polishing functions, Weekly content updates

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 月包套餐 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 月卡 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 月卡 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 年包特惠版 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 季卡 | $39.99 | one-time |
| 年包畅享版 | $39.99 | one-time |
| 季卡 | $79.99 | one-time |
| 年卡 | $149.99 | one-time |
| 年卡 | $299.99 | one-time |


### Chatbox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatbox-powerful-ai-client/id6471368056)

This application acts as a universal client, connecting you to leading AI models across various devices. It offers features like code assistance, image generation, and smart file understanding, all while prioritizing local data storage for privacy.

**Highlights:** Connect to multiple AI models, Analyze documents, images, and code, AI-powered code generation and optimization, Text-to-image generation, Local data storage for privacy, Cross-device synchronization

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good customization options
- 🚀 Works well with local LLMs
- 💡 Supports multiple API formats
- 🔒 Privacy-focused (account-free)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Local network access issues on iOS
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with older iOS versions
- 🐛 Streaming response issues
- 🐛 UI/UX not optimized for mobile

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot select Ollama models
- Custom API URL connections failing
- Live scrolling issues during streaming
- Proxy settings not working on mobile

**Requested features**

- Add support for local Ollama models
- Improve organization features (folders, projects, etc.)
- Implement iCloud syncing
- Add Chinese language support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 文状元 free?

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

### Is Chatbox free?

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

### Which has better reviews, 文状元 or Chatbox?

Chatbox is rated higher. 文状元 averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Chatbox averages 4.6 from 619 ratings.

### Do 文状元 or Chatbox have ads?

Neither 文状元 nor Chatbox shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, 文状元 or Chatbox?

文状元 ships an update every 3 weeks, and Chatbox weekly. Most recently, 文状元 was updated on September 22, 2026 and Chatbox on September 23, 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.*