# 新华社 vs Sixth Tone

The clearest difference is rating: Sixth Tone at 4.9 against 新华社's 3.8. Sixth Tone also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 19) and review sentiment (82% vs 67%). 新华社's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 新华社 sells 19 one-off in-app purchases. Sixth Tone asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sixth Tone holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sixth Tone has 147 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of 新华社's written reviews are positive against 82% of Sixth Tone's.

新华社 ships an update every 5 weeks, Sixth Tone every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 新华社 | Sixth Tone |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id896074583/reviews) | **[4.9 (147 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sixth-tone/id1462612037/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 24 | **147** |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **81.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | — | Ad-supported |
| Size | 383 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Xinhua News Agency Technical Center](https://appshunter.io/developer/520036574) | [上海东方报业有限公司](https://appshunter.io/developer/878962721) |

## What reviewers say

### 新华社

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id896074583)

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

**In-app purchases (19)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 8元藏品 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 18元藏品 | $2.99 | one-time |
| 25元藏品 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 28元藏品 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 30元藏品 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 40元藏品 | $5.99 | one-time |
| 45元藏品 | $6.99 | one-time |
| 68元藏品 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 78元藏品 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 88元藏品 | $12.99 | one-time |
| 98元藏品 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 118元藏品 | $17.99 | one-time |
| 128元藏品 | $19.99 | one-time |
| 138元藏品 | $19.99 | one-time |
| 148元藏品 | $19.99 | one-time |
| 158元藏品 | $22.99 | one-time |
| 168元藏品 | $24.99 | one-time |
| 188元藏品 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 198元藏品 | $29.99 | one-time |


### Sixth Tone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sixth-tone/id1462612037)

Access in-depth news, features, and visual storytelling about contemporary China. Explore diverse perspectives, expert opinions, and multimedia content. Stay informed with daily highlights and special projects.

**Highlights:** Daily news highlights, In-depth features, Commentaries and opinions, Visual storytelling, Interviews with key figures, Collaborative projects

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 新华社 free?

新华社 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Sixth Tone free?

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

### Which has better reviews, 新华社 or Sixth Tone?

Sixth Tone is rated higher. 新华社 averages 3.8 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Sixth Tone averages 4.9 from 147 ratings.

### Do 新华社 or Sixth Tone have ads?

Sixth Tone shows ads; 新华社 does not.

### Which is updated more often, 新华社 or Sixth Tone?

新华社 ships an update every 5 weeks, and Sixth Tone every 2 months. Most recently, 新华社 was updated on October 26, 2026 and Sixth Tone on October 24, 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.*