CGTN vs AJ Forum
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CGTN
Access global news from a unique perspective with diverse, balanced, and objective content. Enjoy breaking news, in-depth stories, livestreams, and a rich archive of articles, audio, and video in five languages.
- Global news coverage
- Content in five languages
- Rich audiovisual content
- Breaking news notifications
- Search for related news
- Save and share stories
- AI and AR products
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CGTN is committed to providing worldwide audience with a wide range of global news from a different perspective. The app prioritizes user experience with intricate details. It brings diverse, balanced and objective content for global users, and presents a true image of China and world from multiple perspectives. The latest version of the CGTN app supports five languages: English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian. It features a wide array of original content, including breaking news, in-depth stories and livestreams. The app also hosts a comprehensive archive of original articles, audio, video, and TV shows covering topics across politics, business, technology, science, sports, nature, culture and others. It gives you access to all the trusted information you need on the go. Features: – Exclusive coverage of China and world news, original TV shows and feature stories, continuous updates about worldwide events – Content in five languages: English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian – Rich audiovisual content, including videos, podcasts, livestreams and TV shows – Enhanced reading experience – Notifications to ensure you never miss breaking news and exciting features – Search for related and hot news to deepen understanding – Like, save and share your favorite stories on social media – AI and AR products – No ads. No in-app purchases. Download the CGTN app to join millions of our subscribers and enjoy personalized, hassle-free news and audiovisual content.
AJ Forum
Follow the 17th Al Jazeera Forum, an annual conference discussing global affairs. This year's event focuses on the Palestinian Cause and regional power dynamics in a multipolar world. Get updates from decision makers, thought leaders, and journalists.
- Follow global affairs discussions
- Access thought leader insights
- Stay updated on the Al Jazeera Forum
- Focus on Palestinian Cause
- Regional balance of power analysis
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The 17th Al Jazeera Forum brings together decision makers, thought leaders and journalists to discuss global affairs. Everything you need to follow this year’s Al Jazeera Forum, the annual conference that brings decision makers, thought leaders and journalists together to discuss global affairs. This year’s Forum will focus on The Palestinian Cause and the Regional Balance of Power in the Context of an Emerging Multipolar World and will be held in Doha on 7-9 February 2026.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CGTN at 4.4 against AJ Forum's 3.0. CGTN also leads on ratings volume (394 vs 2) and device support (5 vs 1). AJ Forum's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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.
CGTN holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CGTN has 394 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of CGTN's written reviews are positive against 50% of AJ Forum's.
CGTN ships an update every 5 weeks, AJ Forum every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CGTN | AJ Forum |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (394 ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 53.9% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 394 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 208 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | China Global Television Network Corp. | Al Jazeera Network |
Customer experience
CGTN
AJ Forum
Bugs and requests
CGTN
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes when opening certain articles
- Live TV channel playback not working
- Russian text not displaying correctly
- Landscape mode not supported on iPad
- Notifications not working as expected
Requested features
5 requests- Add dark mode option
- Improve search and filtering capabilities
- Optimize app for tablet devices
- Implement offline content download feature
- Allow customization of notification settings
AJ Forum
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
CGTN
No in-app purchases
AJ Forum
No in-app purchases
