# 澎湃新闻 vs 端傳媒 Initium Media

澎湃新闻 and 端傳媒 Initium Media both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 79% of 澎湃新闻's written reviews are positive against 69% of 端傳媒 Initium Media's. 澎湃新闻 also leads on ratings volume (2.6K vs 563) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 澎湃新闻 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and 端傳媒 Initium Media sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for 澎湃新闻 against 4.6 for 端傳媒 Initium Media. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.6K and 563 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of 澎湃新闻's written reviews are positive against 69% of 端傳媒 Initium Media's.

澎湃新闻 ships an update monthly, 端傳媒 Initium Media every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | 澎湃新闻 | 端傳媒 Initium Media |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id878962716/reviews)** | [4.6 (563 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/initium-media/id1020176943/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.6K** | 563 |
| Positive reviews | **79.3% of reviews** | 68.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 200 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [上海东方报业有限公司](https://appshunter.io/developer/878962721) | [Initium Media Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1020176942) |

## What reviewers say

### 澎湃新闻

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id878962716)

This app offers in-depth news coverage focused on politics and thought leadership. It provides original investigative journalism, diverse perspectives, and expert discussions. Users can engage with content through Q&A sessions and community forums.

**Highlights:** 时政要闻, 原创深度调查, 思想观点交流, 视频新闻报道, 专家问答互动, 质量报告与权益保障

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 订阅澎湃城市报告连续包月 | $3.99 | per month |
| 赞赏支持6元 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 赞赏支持12元 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 赞赏支持18元 | $2.99 | one-time |
| 30币 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 订阅澎湃城市报告一个月 | $5.99 | one-time |
| 88币 | $12.99 | one-time |
| 198币 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 388币 | $59.99 | one-time |
| 648币 | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🗞️ High-quality, in-depth news content
- 📰 Focused on serious journalism, not clickbait
- 🧭 Objective, balanced reporting
- 🧠 Thought-provoking analysis and commentary
- 🚀 Fast and efficient app performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🗣️ Strict censorship and limited user comments
- 🤖 Allegations of being a government mouthpiece
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 📱 Layout and UI not fully optimized for larger screens

**Reported bugs**

- Connection timeouts and loading issues
- Compatibility problems on newer iOS devices

**Requested features**

- Allow users to share and discuss articles
- Implement a personalized news feed
- Add support for offline reading


### 端傳媒 Initium Media

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/initium-media/id1020176943)

Access real-time news and in-depth multimedia reports in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese. This independent news outlet offers diverse perspectives and analysis, with a free tier for timely updates and a premium membership for exclusive content and benefits.

**Highlights:** Real-time news updates, Multimedia original reports, Diverse perspectives and analysis, Podcast listening, Personalized collection, Exclusive member benefits

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 端傳媒暢讀會員（月付方案） | $5.99 | per month |
| 端傳媒暢讀會員（年付方案） | $63.99 | per year |
| 端傳媒尊享會員（年付方案） | $124.99 | per year |
| 端Plus會員（年付方案） | $214.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth and fast app experience
- 👍 Excellent news content and reporting
- 🔒 Reliable and secure platform
- 💡 Innovative and independent journalism

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Stability issues and crashes
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 📱 Suboptimal user interface and layout
- 💸 Paywall and subscription model concerns

**Reported bugs**

- Login and account issues
- Rendering problems and display glitches
- Incompatibility with newer OS versions

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Larger font size choices
- Improved search and content discovery
- Better syncing across devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 澎湃新闻 free?

澎湃新闻 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is 端傳媒 Initium Media free?

端傳媒 Initium Media is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 澎湃新闻 or 端傳媒 Initium Media?

澎湃新闻 is rated higher. 澎湃新闻 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while 端傳媒 Initium Media averages 4.6 from 563 ratings.

### Do 澎湃新闻 or 端傳媒 Initium Media have ads?

Both 澎湃新闻 and 端傳媒 Initium Media show ads.

### Which is updated more often, 澎湃新闻 or 端傳媒 Initium Media?

澎湃新闻 ships an update monthly, and 端傳媒 Initium Media every 6 weeks. Most recently, 澎湃新闻 was updated on November 1, 2026 and 端傳媒 Initium Media on November 1, 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.*