Viki vs iQIYI for Chinese Dramas: Price, Free Episodes and Catalog

Short answer: if you want to watch Chinese dramas free, start with Viki. If you want to keep up with iQIYI's own new dramas, you need iQIYI, and you will probably end up paying for VIP. When we checked from the US on October 25, 2026, Viki carried 24 of the 41 Chinese dramas we track, and 17 of those were free with ads from the first episode to the last. iQIYI carried 19, and only one of them was fully free. The rest gave away the first one to five episodes and kept the remainder for VIP members.

The two services don't really compete for the same viewer. Viki is a licensed library with a strong free tier, built around older hits and community subtitles. iQIYI is the international arm of a Chinese studio and streamer, so its strength is its own productions, often while they are still airing in China. Many fans use both.

Viki vs iQIYI at a glance

Prices and plan details come from each service's own plan page, checked from the US on October 25, 2026. Catalog counts come from our own checks of each drama's episode list on the same day. Both change often, and neither applies outside the US: licenses differ by country, so a drama can be free on Viki in one country and paid or missing in another.

Free viewing: Viki wins clearly

The biggest practical difference is how much you can watch without paying.

On Viki, a free account watched with ads gets whole dramas. Of the 24 dramas we track on Viki in the US, these 17 were free in full: A Love So Beautiful, Ashes of Love, Derailment, Eternal Love, Glory, Go Go Squid!, Joy of Life, Love Between Fairy and Devil, Love Like the Galaxy, Mobius, Mystic Nine, Nirvana in Fire, Rebirth, Story of Yanxi Palace, The Longest Day in Chang'an, The Story of Ming Lan and Till the End of the Moon. The other seven needed Viki Pass after a number of free episodes, from three on Tigers Sniff the Rose to ten on Affinity and The Lament of Autumn. The pattern is simple: older and mid-budget dramas tend to be free, and recent 2025 and 2026 releases tend to need Pass.

• A Love So Beautiful2017 · 23 eps
• Ashes of Love2018 · 63 eps
• Derailment2023 · 30 eps
• Eternal Love2017 · 58 eps
• Glory2025 · 36 eps
• Go Go Squid!2019 · 41 eps
• Joy of Life2019 · 46 eps
• Love Between Fairy and Devil2022 · 36 eps
• Love Like the Galaxy2022 · 56 eps
• Mobius2025 · 16 eps
• Mystic Nine2026 · 30 eps
• Nirvana in Fire2015 · 54 eps
• Rebirth2026 · 40 eps
• Story of Yanxi Palace2018 · 70 eps
• The Longest Day in Chang'an2019 · 48 eps
• The Story of Ming Lan2018 · 73 eps
• Till the End of the Moon2023 · 40 eps

On iQIYI, free viewing is a sampler. Of the 19 dramas we track there, 18 had between one and five free episodes and the rest marked VIP. That held for finished dramas too, so waiting doesn't make a whole series free. The one exception in our catalog was Love Between Fairy and Devil, which was free with ads in full, as it was on Viki.

If your goal is to spend nothing, Viki is the place to start, and our happy endings list and beginner's guide to watching legally both point to the free titles.

Catalog: older classics vs iQIYI originals

The two catalogs overlap less than you might expect. Ten of the dramas we track were on both services in the US. Nine were on iQIYI and not Viki, and fourteen were on Viki and not iQIYI.

Only on iQIYI, of the dramas we track: Destined, Go Ahead, Homesick, Never-Ending Summer, Pursuit of Jade, Shadow Punisher, Small Town Remedy, Spring of the Blade and Story of Kunning Palace. Several, including Destined, Spring of the Blade and Story of Kunning Palace, are iQIYI's own dramas. Never-Ending Summer has a Viki page, but Viki blocks it in the US, and Go Ahead also streams on Prime Video in the US.

• Destined2023 · 40 eps
• Go Ahead2020 · 46 eps
• Homesick2022 · 12 eps
• Never-Ending Summer2026 · 29 eps
• Pursuit of Jade2026 · 40 eps
• Shadow Punisher2026 · 30 eps
• Small Town Remedy2026 · 29 eps
• Spring of the Blade2026 · 30 eps
• Story of Kunning Palace2023 · 38 eps

Only on Viki, of the dramas we track: older hits such as Nirvana in Fire, Joy of Life, The Story of Ming Lan, Eternal Love and Love Like the Galaxy, plus newer titles such as Dazzling, Blossoms of Power and The Lament of Autumn.

On both: A Love So Beautiful, Ashes of Love, Feud, Glory, Go Go Squid!, Love Between Fairy and Devil, Mobius, Overdo, Rebirth and Story of Yanxi Palace. For seven of these ten, Viki was free in full while iQIYI kept most episodes for VIP: A Love So Beautiful, Ashes of Love, Glory, Go Go Squid!, Mobius, Rebirth and Story of Yanxi Palace. Feud needed a paid plan on both, with eight free episodes on Viki against five on iQIYI. Overdo had five free episodes on both. If a drama you want is on both, check Viki first.

• A Love So Beautiful2017 · 23 epsFree on Viki
• Ashes of Love2018 · 63 epsFree on Viki
• Glory2025 · 36 epsFree on Viki
• Go Go Squid!2019 · 41 epsFree on Viki
• Mobius2025 · 16 epsFree on Viki
• Rebirth2026 · 40 epsFree on Viki
• Story of Yanxi Palace2018 · 70 epsFree on Viki
• Love Between Fairy and Devil2022 · 36 epsFree on both
• Feud2025 · 32 epsPaid on both
• Overdo2026 · 33 epsPaid on both

Our catalog is 41 dramas, chosen because people search for them, not a full census of either service. iQIYI's own library is much larger than the 19 we track, and so is Viki's. Treat these numbers as a guide to how each service treats popular titles, not as a count of everything on it.

What you get for paying

Viki Pass comes in two levels. Both remove ads and unlock the titles marked for Pass. Standard costs US $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year and streams in 720p on one device. Plus costs US $11.99 a month or $119.99 a year and adds 1080p, four devices and offline viewing. If you watch on a large TV, the jump to Plus matters more than it sounds, because 720p can look soft on a big screen.

iQIYI VIP also comes in two levels, Standard and Premium. iQIYI shows the prices only after you sign in, so we haven't listed them here; check the app in your country. According to iQIYI's own VIP page, VIP unlocks the VIP episodes and gives early access to the latest episodes of airing dramas. It skips some ads before a video but not ads inside the video. Standard allows two screens at up to 1080p. Premium allows four screens and 4K on selected titles and devices.

The early-access point is iQIYI's real selling point. For a drama that is still airing, VIP members get the newest episodes before free viewers do. If you follow iQIYI dramas week to week, that is what you are paying for.

Subtitles and the viewing experience

Viki's subtitles are made by a volunteer community of translators and editors. In our US checks, almost every drama we track on Viki listed English plus several other languages, typically between six and fourteen. The trade-off is timing. On a brand-new episode, subtitles can arrive after the video, and quality varies a little from show to show. Viki also has timed comments, fan notes that scroll across the screen, which you can switch off.

iQIYI's subtitles are official, made or commissioned by the platform. English was listed on every iQIYI drama we checked, and some titles list many more languages.

Which one should you pick?

• You want to watch free: Viki. Most of its older catalog is free in full with ads.
• You want a classic like Nirvana in Fire or The Story of Ming Lan: Viki, where both were free in the US when we checked.
• You want to follow a new iQIYI drama as it airs: iQIYI VIP. Viki often doesn't have it, and the free tier on iQIYI stops after a few episodes.
• You watch on a big TV: Viki Pass Plus or iQIYI VIP Standard, both 1080p. Viki Pass Standard is 720p.
• You want subtitles in a language other than English: Viki usually offers more.
• You're new to Chinese dramas: Viki first. Start with something free, see if you like the genre, then decide whether either subscription is worth it.

Many viewers end up with a free Viki account for the back catalog and an iQIYI VIP month when a drama they care about is airing. That can be cheaper than keeping both subscriptions all year.

FAQ

Is Viki or iQIYI better for Chinese dramas?

It depends on what you watch. Viki is better for free viewing and older classics: in the US it had 17 of our 41 tracked dramas free in full. iQIYI is better for its own new dramas, which often aren't on Viki, but most of its episodes need VIP. Many fans use Viki free and pay for iQIYI only while a drama they want is airing.

Is iQIYI free?

Partly. iQIYI has a free tier with ads, but for most dramas it covers only the first one to five episodes. When we checked from the US in October 2026, only one of the 19 iQIYI dramas we track, Love Between Fairy and Devil, was free in full. The rest needed VIP after the opening episodes.

Is Viki free?

Yes, for much of its catalog. A free account with ads can watch many dramas in full. Of the 24 Viki dramas we track in the US, 17 were free from start to finish. Newer titles usually need Viki Pass after a set number of free episodes.

How much does Viki Pass cost?

In the US, Viki Pass Standard is $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year, and Viki Pass Plus is $11.99 a month or $119.99 a year, according to Viki's plan page on October 25, 2026. Prices in other countries can differ, and we haven't checked them.

Does iQIYI have English subtitles?

Yes. Every iQIYI drama we checked listed English subtitles, and they are official rather than fan-made. Some titles also list ten or more other languages.

Can I watch the same drama on both?

Sometimes. Ten of the dramas we track were on both services in the US, and for seven of them Viki was free in full while iQIYI kept most episodes for VIP. Each drama page on this site shows where it streams in your country and whether it is free.