# 晋江小说阅读 vs 海棠书城

The clearest difference is ads: 海棠书城 at none against 晋江小说阅读's shown. 晋江小说阅读's advantage is rating (3.6 vs 3.2) and ratings volume (1K vs 5). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 晋江小说阅读 sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and 海棠书城 sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

晋江小说阅读 holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 晋江小说阅读 has 1K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of 晋江小说阅读's written reviews are positive against 18% of 海棠书城's.

晋江小说阅读 ships an update every 10 days, 海棠书城 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 晋江小说阅读 | 海棠书城 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.6 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id966807283/reviews)** | [3.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id6449205378/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **27.9% of reviews** | 17.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#136** | — |
| Size | 277 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [北京晋江原创网络科技有限公司](https://appshunter.io/developer/966807282) | [贵州悦文科技有限公司](https://appshunter.io/developer/1688102812) |

## What reviewers say

### 晋江小说阅读

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id966807283)

**Currently charting:** #136 Top Grossing · Book (US App Store)

This app is a reader for a popular Chinese online literature platform, specializing in original female-authored fiction. It offers a wide range of genres including romance, fantasy, and mystery, with user-uploaded content.

**Highlights:** Vast library of original Chinese fiction, Diverse genres: romance, fantasy, sci-fi, etc., User-uploaded content, Dedicated reader interface, Female-authored literature focus

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 晋江6元套餐 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 晋江18元套餐 | $2.99 | one-time |
| 晋江30元套餐 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 晋江50元套餐 | $6.99 | one-time |
| 晋江108元套餐 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 晋江208元套餐 | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Convenient reading experience
- 💡 Customizable reading settings
- 🚀 Fast loading times
- 🎨 Variety of book genres

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 💤 Slow performance and loading issues
- 🔒 Concerns over privacy and censorship
- 💰 Expensive subscription model

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent behavior when purchasing chapters
- Inability to save reading progress
- Unreliable audio playback
- Glitches in the user interface

**Requested features**

- Horizontal reading mode
- Improved syncing between devices
- Better search and filtering options
- More control over notification settings


### 海棠书城

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id6449205378)

This platform offers a vast collection of Boys' Love, romance, and yuri novels, including classics and new releases. Enjoy free full-text novels, curated selections, and trending series. Engage with features like chapter comments and rankings to enhance your reading experience.

**Highlights:** Vast collection of BL, romance, and yuri novels, Free full-text novels, Trending and classic selections, Chapter comments and rankings, Curated novel collections, Audiobook features (快听fm)

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

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VIP会员包月1月套餐 | $2.99 | per month |
| VIP会员包月3月套餐 | $6.99 | per 3 months |
| 海棠1000书币充值套餐 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1050书币 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 海棠2000书币充值套餐 | $2.99 | one-time |
| 包月1个月 | $2.99 | one-time |
| 2100书币 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 海棠3000书币充值套餐 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 包月3个月 | $8.99 | one-time |
| 7000书币 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 包月半年 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 海棠10000书币充值套餐 | $17.99 | one-time |
| 包月一年 | $19.99 | one-time |
| 海棠15000书币充值套餐 | $24.99 | one-time |
| 海棠20000书币充值套餐 | $34.99 | one-time |
| 包月两年 | $39.99 | one-time |
| 包月三年 | $59.99 | one-time |
| 35000书币 | $69.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 晋江小说阅读 free?

晋江小说阅读 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is 海棠书城 free?

海棠书城 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 晋江小说阅读 or 海棠书城?

晋江小说阅读 is rated higher. 晋江小说阅读 averages 3.6 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while 海棠书城 averages 3.2 from 5 ratings.

### Do 晋江小说阅读 or 海棠书城 have ads?

晋江小说阅读 shows ads; 海棠书城 does not.

### Which is updated more often, 晋江小说阅读 or 海棠书城?

晋江小说阅读 ships an update every 10 days, and 海棠书城 every 2 months. Most recently, 晋江小说阅读 was updated on October 26, 2026 and 海棠书城 on October 27, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*