10 Best iQIYI Alternatives (2027): Free and Paid Apps for Chinese Dramas

Key takeaways

• Rakuten Viki is the best all-round iQIYI alternative: free with ads, Chinese and Korean dramas side by side, and Viki Pass from $7.99 a month.
• Tencent's international app is called Tencent Video on the US App Store and WeTV in the UAE, so US viewers should download Tencent Video.
• YOUKU ($5.99 a month) and MangoTV (from $1.99) cost less than iQIYI's $6.99 entry plan, but their apps rate 2.33 and 2.00 in the US.
• iQIYI's own app is the best rated of the lot, 4.81 from 60,040 US ratings, so most people switch for a show or a price, not the app.
• Viki, iQIYI and AsianCrush have free tiers with ads; Netflix, KOCOWA+ and Crunchyroll do not.
• In the UAE, iQIYI, Viki, WeTV, Netflix, Viu, YOUKU, MangoTV and Crunchyroll are on the App Store; KOCOWA+ and AsianCrush are not.

What is iQIYI, and why look for an alternative?

iQIYI is one of China's biggest streaming platforms, listed on Nasdaq. In the second quarter of 2026 it made RMB6.29 billion (US$926.6 million) in revenue, 5% less than a year earlier, and RMB4.01 billion (US$591.6 million) of that came from memberships, according to its results filed on 18 August 2026. Its next results are due on 16 November 2026.

Outside China, the iQIYI app is run by iQIYI International Singapore. It streams Chinese, Korean and Thai dramas, anime, variety shows, movies, short dramas and a large BL and romance section, with subtitles and menus in English, Spanish, Thai, Malay and more. It is free with ads, and VIP skips the ads, unlocks Early Access to new episodes and adds member-only titles.

So why switch? The reasons are usually practical. The show you want streams on a rival, because Chinese platforms keep their own originals. Catalogs change by country. iQIYI's VIP tiers (Gold, Standard, Diamond and Premium, from $6.99 to $11.99 a month in the US) are confusing. And some viewers really want Korean dramas, anime or a free tier with fewer ads.

The best iQIYI alternatives at a glance

How we chose these iQIYI alternatives

We started from what iQIYI viewers actually watch: Chinese dramas first, then Korean and Thai dramas, anime, variety shows and BL. We kept only legal, licensed services, then ranked them on catalog overlap with iQIYI, price, free options, app quality and whether they work in the US and the UAE. Every price comes from the US or UAE App Store, or from the company's own published plans for Netflix, and every rating from Apple's store data, all checked on 15 November 2026. Catalogs rotate by country, so treat any single title as a reason to check, not a promise.

The 10 best iQIYI alternatives

1. Rakuten Viki

Rakuten Viki is where most iQIYI users should look first. It streams Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Taiwanese dramas and movies, plus K-pop performances, with subtitles in more than 150 languages. You can watch free with ads or upgrade to Viki Pass for ad-free HD.

Strengths

• A real free tier, which iQIYI's rivals mostly lack.
• Chinese and Korean dramas in one app, so one subscription covers both.
• Top-tier app quality: 4.77 from 499,038 US ratings, and 4.64 from 13,063 in the UAE.

Limitations

• Catalogs differ by country, and Viki says a Pass does not unlock titles restricted in your region.
• Viki Pass Plus, the higher tier, is sold only in the Americas.

Pricing: free with ads. On the US App Store, Viki Pass Standard costs $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year ($6.67 a month), and Viki Pass Plus $11.99 a month or $119.99 a year. UAE Viki Pass items start at AED 14.99.

Best for: viewers who mix Chinese and Korean dramas and want a free option.

2. Tencent Video (WeTV)

Tencent's international app is iQIYI's closest like-for-like rival: another Chinese platform with its own dramas and variety shows. The naming trips people up. In the US, the app is Tencent Video, which its App Store page calls the WeTV official app in the U.S.; the WeTV listing itself is not sold in the US, and the "We TV" app that also shows up in a US search belongs to an unrelated American cable channel. In the UAE, the same service appears as WeTV.

Strengths

• The obvious choice when the drama you want is a Tencent production.
• Quarterly and yearly plans, plus single movies to rent from $0.49.

Limitations

• A weak US rating: 3.32 from 1,104.
• The two names make it easy to download the wrong app.

Pricing: on the US App Store, VIP costs $8.99 a month, $24.99 a quarter or $85.99 a year ($7.17 a month), with paid movies from $0.49 to $5.99. In the UAE, WeTV costs AED 22.99 a month, AED 67.99 a quarter or AED 219.99 a year, and SVIP AED 29.99 a month.

Best for: fans of Tencent's Chinese dramas.

3. Netflix

Netflix is the one-service answer. It licenses a rotating selection of Chinese and Korean dramas and funds its own Asian originals, with polished subtitles and dubbing. It will not replace iQIYI for a C-drama fan who wants everything, but it covers the big titles and everything else you watch.

Strengths

• The most polished apps here, with 4.75 from 7,616,188 US ratings.
• Available almost everywhere, including the UAE (4.47 from 117,245).

Limitations

• No free tier, and prices rose again in 2026.
• A curated slice of Chinese dramas, not a full catalog.

Pricing: since 26 March 2026, new US members pay $8.99 a month for Standard with ads, $19.99 for Standard and $26.99 for Premium, as iClarified reported.

Best for: households that want one subscription for Asian dramas and everything else.

4. YOUKU

Alibaba's Youku runs an international YOUKU app, provided under Youku's terms by Jet Brilliant Limited of Hong Kong. It streams Chinese dramas, short dramas, anime and variety shows with English subtitles or dubbing, and lets you download episodes for offline viewing.

Strengths

• The cheapest Chinese VIP on this list at $5.99 a month.
• Offline downloads and short dramas included.

Limitations

• A poor US rating: 2.33 from 436.
• The free version shows ads, and extra "special packages" from $0.99 to $48.99 sit beside the plans.

Pricing: $5.99 a month, $17.49 a quarter or $56.99 a year ($4.75 a month) on the US App Store.

Best for: Youku originals on a budget.

5. MangoTV

MangoTV is the international app of Mango TV, the platform behind Hunan TV's shows. It leans on exclusive dramas and big Chinese variety and reality formats, such as Singer 2026. If iQIYI's variety section is what you watch most, this is the specialist.

Strengths

• The cheapest paid items here, with monthly subscriptions from $1.99.
• A deep bench of Chinese variety and reality shows.

Limitations

• The lowest US rating on this list: 2.00 from 733.
• Plans are listed with vague names, so it is hard to tell which tier you are buying.

Pricing: on the US App Store, monthly subscriptions cost $1.99 to $4.99, SVIP $5.49 a month and a quarterly plan $8.49; an annual item is listed at $11.99.

Best for: Chinese variety show fans.

6. Viu

Viu, from PCCW in Hong Kong, is the strongest pick for the Middle East. It mixes Korean dramas with Chinese, Thai, Turkish and Arabic series, Gulf and Egyptian shows, Viu Originals, anime, variety and short dramas, with subtitles in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin and Arabic.

Strengths

• Arabic, Turkish and Gulf series alongside Asian dramas, with Arabic subtitles.
• Small Viu Premium passes, from AED 3.69 on the UAE App Store.

Limitations

• Not available in the US.
• A middling UAE rating: 3.54 from 503, and the store does not label which item buys which period.

Pricing: Viu Premium items on the UAE App Store run from AED 3.69 to AED 239.99.

Best for: viewers in the UAE and the wider Gulf.

7. KOCOWA+

Many iQIYI users watch Korean dramas as much as Chinese ones. For them, KOCOWA+, from wavve Americas with Korea's KBS, MBC and SBS, is the fastest legal option in the Americas: programming arrives on demand a few hours after it airs in Korea. Our guide to the best Korean drama apps compares it with Viki, OnDemandKorea and others.

Strengths

• New broadcast episodes within hours of Korea.
• Korean variety and reality shows alongside the dramas.

Limitations

• Korean content only, so no Chinese dramas at all.
• Sold in North, Central and South America only, and rated 3.80 from 3,701 in the US.

Pricing: on the US App Store, Basic costs $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year, and Premium $8.99 a month or $89.99 a year.

Best for: K-drama fans who want episodes while they air.

8. AsianCrush

AsianCrush, from Cinedigm, is a free pan-Asian streaming app in the US with films, blockbusters, TV dramas and anime. It is the place to start if you want to stop paying altogether.

Strengths

• Free with ads, and well rated: 4.63 from 23,422 US ratings.
• A cheap Premium upgrade if you stay.

Limitations

• Its listing says little about which countries the titles come from, so browse before relying on it for Chinese dramas.
• Not on the UAE App Store.

Pricing: free with ads. AsianCrush Premium costs $4.99 for 30 days, and the yearly AsianCrush+ plan $49.99 on the US App Store.

Best for: free Asian movies and dramas in the US.

9. Crunchyroll

If you came to iQIYI for anime, Crunchyroll is the specialist. It calls itself the world's largest anime library and posts new episodes shortly after they air in Japan.

Strengths

• Simulcasts of current anime seasons.
• Very well rated: 4.76 from 1,532,727 US ratings, and on the UAE store too.

Limitations

• Anime only, so it replaces iQIYI's anime shelf, not its dramas.
• No free plan among its US App Store options.

Pricing: Fan costs $9.99 a month, Mega Fan $13.99 a month or $139.99 a year ($11.67 a month), and Ultimate Fan $17.99 a month or $179.99 a year on the US App Store.

Best for: anime viewers.

10. GagaOOLala

iQIYI markets a large BL and romance library, and GagaOOLala is the dedicated alternative. Run by Portico Media, it carries more than 1,600 LGBTQ+, BL and GL titles, from films and series to shorts, micro dramas, documentaries, animation, variety shows and its own originals.

Strengths

• A focused BL and GL catalog that general services only dip into.
• One simple plan, and a solid 4.36 from 1,978 US ratings.

Limitations

• A niche service, not a general drama app.
• No free tier.

Pricing: $7.99 a month on the US App Store.

Best for: BL and GL fans.

iQIYI vs WeTV vs YOUKU vs MangoTV: which Chinese platform wins?

If you only watch Chinese dramas, your real choice is between the big Chinese platforms, because each keeps its own originals. Here is how the four compare outside China.

Our read: keep iQIYI if its originals are what you watch, since its app is clearly the best of the four. Add Tencent Video or YOUKU for a specific show, then cancel when it ends. Monthly plans make that easy, and YOUKU's yearly plan works out to $4.75 a month if you stay.

How much do iQIYI alternatives cost?

Every paid option on this list starts under $10 a month. MangoTV and YOUKU undercut iQIYI's $6.99 Gold VIP; Viki, KOCOWA+ and GagaOOLala sit at $7.99; Tencent Video and Netflix with ads cost $8.99; Crunchyroll's Fan plan is $9.99. Yearly plans cut the bill: Viki Pass works out to $6.67 a month and Tencent Video to $7.17.

Which iQIYI alternatives have the best apps?

App ratings measure the app, not the catalog, but they tell you how much friction to expect. iQIYI's own app leads with 4.81, ahead of Viki, Crunchyroll and Netflix. The international apps of iQIYI's Chinese rivals rate lowest: Tencent Video 3.32, YOUKU 2.33 and MangoTV 2.00. That gap is the strongest argument for keeping iQIYI and adding a rival only for specific shows.

Which iQIYI alternatives are free?

Three picks advertise a genuine free tier with ads: Rakuten Viki, AsianCrush and iQIYI itself. Tencent Video, YOUKU and MangoTV are free to download and carry ads, with VIP plans on top. Netflix, KOCOWA+, Crunchyroll and GagaOOLala are paid only. A cheap way to cover most dramas is one paid service for the shows you care about most, plus Viki's free tier for breadth.

iQIYI alternatives in the UAE and Dubai

The UAE gets most, but not all, of these apps. WeTV appears there under its own name, Viu adds Arabic subtitles and Gulf content, and iQIYI sells VIP from AED 17.99 to AED 36.99 a month, or AED 229.99 a year for Standard.

For most UAE viewers, Viki plus either Viu or WeTV covers Chinese and Korean dramas well. Streaming rights are sold country by country, so a title you saw on a US list may simply not exist in your UAE catalog.

Are free C-drama sites safe and legal?

Sites that host full Chinese dramas without a license are piracy. The studios and platforms that paid for the shows earn nothing, the pages are usually stuffed with aggressive pop-ups, and links can lead to malware or fake "player" downloads. If you want free, use the legal free tiers above. If you are curious about the other side, here is how streaming apps protect content from piracy.

Short dramas are a different format

If you found iQIYI through TikTok clips, you may be after short dramas: vertical series with one- or two-minute episodes, unlocked with coins or a pass. iQIYI and YOUKU carry some, but dedicated apps such as ReelShort and DramaBox are built around them. See our ranking of the top vertical drama apps for that format.

Which iQIYI alternative should you choose?

Thinking of building a streaming app like iQIYI?

At Make An App Like, we build streaming apps, and the lesson from every service on this list is that the catalog matters more than the code. The video player, subscriptions, multi-language subtitles and DRM are well-understood engineering. The expensive, slow part is OTT content licensing: securing rights country by country, which is exactly why each of these apps has a different catalog in the US and the UAE.

The smart way to start is narrow: one genre, one audience and the territories you can license. By our estimate, a custom OTT platform takes 12 to 18 months and $200,000 to $500,000. To price your own feature list, use our app cost calculator.

Make An App Like also sells white label apps, including a Netflix-style OTT app for iOS, Android, web and smart TV at $14,999 one-time, live in 7 to 30 days, so weigh this section with that in mind.

Sources

• Apple App Store listings, in-app purchase prices and ratings for every app, US and UAE storefronts, checked 15 November 2026.
• iQIYI second quarter 2026 results, Form 6-K filed 18 August 2026 (sec.gov).
• Netflix US prices: iClarified, 26 March 2026.
• YOUKU terms of service (Jet Brilliant Limited, Hong Kong).
• Make An App Like white label Netflix-style OTT app pricing, November 2026.