Head-to-head
WeChat vs YouTube
WeChat
60
Winner
YouTube
YouTube
80
YouTube is the better choice for general video consumption and entertainment, despite its ad frequency, while WeChat is essential for communication and payments, particularly for those with connections in Asia.
YouTube excels as a vast content platform, offering diverse entertainment, though users frequently complain about ads and app stability. WeChat is a critical communication and payment tool, especially for connecting with people in Asia, but it faces significant criticism regarding account security, privacy, and an increasingly cluttered interface.
Head to head
WeChat WeChat is praised for its comprehensive communication features, including messaging, voice and video calls, and photo sharing, as well as mobile payments and money transfers R5R17R14. Users appreciate its translation capabilities for cross-language communication R48. However, some users dislike new features like the 'mini-shop' module, which they find intrusive and ad-filled R4R16, and express a desire for more customization options like DIY ringtones or chat bubble colors R2. There are also requests for features like the ability to mute specific people in group chats and live photos .
YouTube YouTube is lauded for its extensive content library, offering entertainment from various cultures and people . Users enjoy its role as a platform for discovering and watching videos . However, users express frustration over the removal of the dislike button and the auto-dubbing feature . Some also desire better search filters and a more prominent subscriptions tab . There are also requests for a chat feature within the app to connect with friends .
WeChat WeChat is generally considered easy to use for messaging and calls R17. However, many users report significant difficulties with account creation and login, often requiring existing members to scan a QR code for verification, which is a major barrier for new users without connections R1R3R6R10. Some also find certain features or translations confusing .
YouTube YouTube is generally considered easy to use for watching videos . However, users report issues with the MiniPlayer acting up and difficulties with managing playlists after recent updates . Some also find the algorithm overly excitable, flooding their feed with unwanted content .
WeChat WeChat users report frequent issues with accounts being blocked or restricted without clear reasons, requiring friends to help unblock them, which is a significant problem, especially for users abroad R9R15R21. There are also reports of messages not syncing between devices R18, app crashes , and problems with opening pictures in Excel sheets after updates . Some users also complain about the app using too much memory and accumulating large amounts of undeletable trash data .
WeChat WeChat is free to download, but some users report being charged despite it being a free app . The value is high for users who need to communicate with relatives in Asia and utilize its payment features R5R17. However, the value is diminished for users who find the new 'mini-shop' features intrusive and unwanted R4R16.
YouTube YouTube is free to download and offers a vast amount of content . However, the free experience is heavily impacted by frequent and disruptive ads R61. Many users feel the number and length of ads significantly detract from the value R61R105R111R115. YouTube Premium is available to remove ads, but some users find the subscription price high .
WeChat WeChat users report a lack of clear communication regarding account blocks and restrictions, with no stated reasons for the actions R9R15R21. Users also express frustration with the difficulty of account creation and verification, indicating a need for better support or alternative methods R1R3R6R10. There are also complaints about the lack of detailed release notes for updates .
Pick WeChat if
you need a multi-functional communication app with integrated payment features, especially if you have family or friends in Asia R5R14R17.
Pick YouTube if
you primarily want to watch a wide variety of video content and are willing to tolerate frequent ads or pay for a premium subscription .
Evidence note: WeChat's user base is heavily skewed towards Chinese speakers, which is reflected in many reviews being in Chinese. YouTube has a much larger global user base, leading to a higher volume of reviews, particularly about app stability and ads.
Frequently asked
Is WeChat good for international communication?
Why do people complain about YouTube ads?
Are there issues with creating a WeChat account?
What reviewers actually said
Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.
- [R2] WeChat How to diy messages ringtone: iOS already open much of permissions to allow people import whatever ringtone in iPhone but I found WeChat can’t obey that rule that’s terrible. I hope could have that function to follow system messages ringtone or could diy in WeChat
- [R4] WeChat Why add a "mini-shop" module to the international version? Ever since the "mini-shop" feature was added to the "Cards & Offers" module, it frequently displays product ads, even using system notifications (badges/red dots) to entice clicks. The app's interface consistency is ruined, and the user experience is greatly diminished! I really don't understand why WeChat would add a mini-shop feature to the international version. Does anyone abroad actually use it? Does it allow foreign card payments? Can purchases be shipped to international addresses? If shipped, can it assist with customs clearance? After customs clearance, is there a local service provider to handle delivery? After delivery, is there international after-sales service? What's the point of rushing to push this feature without solving these issues step by step? Even if we take a step back, you can push the mini-shop feature, and you can show ads, but what's with the system notifications popping up on the bottom bar's "Me" tab? Is that fun, product manager, I ask you! If I win a bar of soap in a lottery, can I go to your house and bang a gong? · translated
- [R5] WeChat Super useful: It helped me communicate with my relatives in Asia since they didn’t have messages. Also, it is very useful for paying and transferring money to other people. You don’t need to use cash and credit card anymore.
- [R14] WeChat Love this app: This app is great! You can call friends and text them from all over the world. If your friend is using a different phone you can also text/call them! You can post what you did today and share it with your friends and they can comment/like it. In general this app is great not only you can talk to people all over the world but you can also talk to people that is using another phone!
- [R1] WeChat Tengo problema no me deja iniciar: Menos de una estrella le daría ni me deja iniciar y no hay otro modo de iniciar sección
- [R3] WeChat Why do you need to do so much to create an account for a child?: Listen I get it! They are trying to protect children! But do we really need child locks for a teenager?😒 I’m going to China soon and I need to be able to communicate with people without having to do all this unnecessary BS! Don’t they realize that people need to be able to communicate?
- [R6] WeChat acception: i want someone to help me to join app with scanning my QR cood
- [R10] WeChat Rubbish app: To create account dose not suppose to need membership help, is not making any sense 😂 What about those people that want to join and don’t have any member close to them?
- [R9] WeChat Account security issues: My account has been inexplicably blocked many times, and they never tell me why, just keep blocking it. Every time it's blocked, I need friends to help unblock it, but I'm currently abroad, and the only WeChat friends I can contact are my family. Everyone has a limited number of times they can help me unblock, and once those are used up, I'm out of options. I really want to know why my account is being blocked. I haven't done anything illegal. This constant blocking makes me very disappointed with this app. This is my only channel to contact my family and friends in China. If even this is blocked, I will really go crazy.. 😢 I hope this issue can be resolved for me. I'd be extremely grateful 🥹🥹🥹🥹 · translated
- [R15] WeChat quite good: I've been using WeChat to message my Chinese friends but for some reason I 'violated the rules' so now I can't message them because my account has been restricted, this isn't fair. I didn't even get told why it got restricted so I'm very disappointed in WeChat. Now I can't message them and they think I don't like them
- [R18] WeChat Messages not syncing between two phones: As the title says, it's very disgusting. · translated
- [R21] WeChat Great app but says my account is at risk of being blocked due to unauthorised software: I have never once used unauthorised software so I have no clue why it says that. Please explain developers!
- [R16] WeChat Updates are getting bigger and bigger with a bunch of useless features: Mini-shop and Cards & Offers. Many features cannot be turned off. Hope for a clean version of WeChat. · translated
- [R17] WeChat Best: My experience with WeChat has been quite good. It is a useful app for messaging, voice and video calls, and sharing photos with friends and family. I also like that it includes extra features such as mobile payments and social networking. The app is easy to use, and communication is usually fast and reliable.
- [R48] WeChat Must Have App!: This app is amazing it translates and helps me communicate with my friends that speak different languages other than English. Absolutely phenomenal and a must have to talk to your friends from all around the world. Love it
- [R61] YouTube Ads: The ads are out of control they’re so frequent and so disruptive it’s annoying and not only that I have never ever in 1 million years been motivated to buy a product that was shoved in my face like they are on YouTube or other websites with multiple pop-ups if anything it makes me not want to buy their product I don’t pay attention. It doesn’t work.
- [R105] YouTube Ads are too long: Every single time I have an ad is either at an important part of a video or directly at the start right after the ads before the video, they are also always well over a minute long and unskippable making me not want to use the app
- [R111] YouTube Too many ads now.: There’s an ad every 2-3 minutes
- [R115] YouTube Adtube: You want 2 ads every minute you have come to the right place
- [R13] WeChat Sucks literally trash: I can’t even sign up I don’t anybody that uses this app I just need it for my fardriver and it’s not letting me sign up cus I have to get it scanned by someone that has the app but literally nobody has it cus this app is straight ahh
- [R63] YouTube BUG: My app wont open it keep kicking me off the app
- [R69] YouTube The app crashes on start: I have iPhone 17 Pro Max on iOS 26.5.2. The app started crashing on launch a few days ago. I offloaded the app and installed it again. It helped for a day, but today it stopped working again.
- [R81] YouTube App keeps crashing: 07/11/2026 Please fix the bugs in the app. When i try to open the app it shows the logo then it goes back to my home screen. i tried restarting my phone, closing the app out, etc. The only think that works is deleting and reinstalling. but i keep having to do that, it’s been like this for almost 3 days. please fix this
- [R94] YouTube App constantly breaks, has the be reinstalled daily: For the past week or so the app has been breaking constantly. It won’t open and has to be reinstalled to fix daily if not more
Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store