eBid vs Sotheby's
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
eBid
This app allows users to buy and sell a wide variety of items through online auctions and fixed-price listings. It offers a low-cost marketplace with minimal selling fees and zero listing fees for most items, making it easy to reach a global audience.
- Buy and sell items
- Online auctions
- Fixed price marketplace
- Low selling fees
- Zero listing fees
- Global reach
- Easy selling system
Read full descriptionHide full description
Buy or sell just about anything with eBid. Browse auctions and fixed-price listings from sellers around the world. Search for collectibles, vintage finds and everyday essentials, view item photos and seller feedback, and keep track of favourites with your watchlist. Create listings with photos, manage your purchases and sales, and follow each transaction through the After Sales Log. Place bids, make offers where available, and buy fixed-price items from your iPhone or iPad. The updated app includes light and dark themes, improved navigation, and accessible reporting and blocking controls.
Sotheby's
Access extraordinary art, precious objects, wine, and jewelry from auctions worldwide. Track bids, register for auctions, and explore past and upcoming sales with expert insights.
- Bid in live and online auctions
- Track bids and registrations
- Browse open, upcoming, and past auctions
- Search past and present lots
- Manage profile and view purchases
- Access favorite auctions and lots
Read full descriptionHide full description
Extraordinary auctions. Exceptional finds. Anytime, anywhere. The Sotheby’s iOS app provides collectors with exceptional access to the world’s most extraordinary art, precious objects, wine and jewellery, together with the unparalleled expertise of our world-class specialists. Track your bids and registrations effortlessly. Bid in live and online auctions. Browse open, upcoming, and past auctions. Browse fixed price retail items in search results. Quickly access your favorite auctions and lots. Search past and present lots. Manage profile, view purchases, and customize your settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sotheby's at 3.4 against eBid's 2.1. Sotheby's also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (24% vs 15%). eBid's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sotheby's holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 46 and 96 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 15% of eBid's written reviews are positive against 24% of Sotheby's's.
eBid ships an update every 2 months, Sotheby's every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | eBid | Sotheby's |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.1 (46 ratings) | 3.4 (96 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 15.3% of reviews | 24.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 46 | 96 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 54 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | eBid Ltd | Sotheby's |
Customer experience
eBid
Sotheby's
User reviews
eBid
From 46 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Works as intended
- 💰 Affordable selling fees
- 💡 Potential to rival eBay
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent errors and crashes
- 🐛 Search function is a joke
- 🐛 Difficult navigation
- 🐛 App not updated
- 🐛 Incompatible with newer iPhones
Sotheby's
From 96 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Beautiful photography and content
- 👍 Easy to navigate (for some)
- ✅ Great for browsing and viewing auctions
- 🤩 Interactive and engaging
- 🖼️ Elegant design
Room to improve
- ❌ Core functionality missing
- 📉 Poor user experience
- 🚫 App is useless for many
- 😵 Confusing new format
- 📱 Not compatible with older phones
Bugs and requests
eBid
Reported bugs
29 issues- Download doesn't work
- Cannot set shipping method
- Runtime errors
- Errors upon launch
- Cannot upload photos from iPhone
Show 24 moreShow fewer
- Error connecting to internet
- App doesn't start up
- Contact Us page error
- App doesn't work on iPhone
- Frozen screen
- Error messages on logon
- Cannot register
- App crashes
- Search feature error
- Variations not shown properly
- Cannot read text/pinch zoom
- 400 clicks from search to item
- Cannot filter listings
- PPPay credit card test issues
- Cannot log in
- Password reset issues
- Lags
- Errors that do not allow listing updates
- Prefixed shipping and payment option
- Stuck on shipping screen
- App won't open
- Error message regarding search feature
- App crashes after initial use
- Bad UI
Requested features
16 requests- Streamline listing process
- Improve search functionality
- Make app more user-friendly
- Update app regularly
- Improve photo tools (brighten, crop, rotate)
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Option to add listing to mystore
- Show number of views per listing
- Social share option
- Smoother touch and page switching
- Fix variations display
- Allow searching by UPC or model
- Advertise on TV
- Make app smoother
- Improve UI and responsiveness
- More testing and user groups
- More advertising for the platform
Sotheby's
Reported bugs
10 issues- Cannot sort auction lots
- Cannot follow, view, or bid
- App crashes on launch
- ID verification camera not focusing
- Photo upload issues
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Saved objects not displaying correctly
- App freezes or crashes during use
- Lot details never load
- AppleTV app fails to open
- App thinks it's on an iPhone on iPad
Requested features
8 requests- Allow sorting of auction lots
- Improve search functionality
- Enable calendar integration
- Make app landscape compatible
- Simplify personalization options
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Improve account integration
- Allow file uploads for ID verification
- Fix AppleTV app issues
In-app purchases
eBid
No in-app purchases
Sotheby's
No in-app purchases
