Two products, one name
The single most common confusion, stated bluntly by community members: the mainland app and the international app are two completely different products.
- The pink app / bilibili.com — the full Chinese community platform. Everything this site recommends (all 118 creator profiles) lives here. Get it from Bilibili's official download center (app.bilibili.com); on Chinese Android app stores it's ubiquitous.
- The blue app / bilibili.tv — a separate licensed streaming service (package com.bstar.intl) with English support, strongest in Southeast Asian markets, with its own apps at bilibili.tv/en/download. Great for licensed anime; not where the creator ecosystem lives.
If a video you want is on the pink app but not bilibili.tv (or the reverse), that's licensing — not a bug. Our bilibili.com vs bilibili.tv comparison goes deeper.
PC, TV, iPad and the rest
The mainland service ships more builds than most people expect: a Windows PC client, a TV version for Android TV boxes, a separate iPad HD build, and even a car version — all listed on the official download center. Community reports note the TV app's catalog differs from mobile. The website itself (bilibili.com) works fully in a desktop browser, which is what we recommend for first sessions — see how to start watching.
Paying from abroad: the honest picture
The mainland service's payment panel is built on Alipay, WeChat Pay and B-coins, and foreign cards are commonly reported not to work directly for 大会员 (Premium) purchases. That leaves overseas viewers three realistic paths:
- Alipay / WeChat Pay international versions. Both support foreign card linkage to a degree that varies by country and changes often — check current support before assuming.
- B-coins charged through official channels you can already pay — the in-app currency, which can then buy memberships and coins for creators.
- Third-party top-up services (a real, large market serving overseas fans) — which we deliberately do not recommend individually. Handing your account UID to an unknown reseller carries trust, pricing and account risks. If you use one, that risk decision is yours; nothing on BiliGuide depends on it.
And the fourth path is the one with no friction at all: bilibili.tv, whose premium tiers accept regional payment methods — with the catalog difference noted above.
For supporting individual creators, see our Bilibili Charging (充电) guide — creator support has its own rules and limits.
What we did not verify
We did not test payment flows with specific foreign cards, did not verify current Alipay/WeChat international-card support per country, and do not audit third-party top-up services. Payment panels are account-specific — the panel shown to your account is the source of truth.
Frequently asked questions
Which Bilibili app should I download?
It depends what you want to watch. The pink bilibili app (the mainland community, bilibili.com's app) has the full creator ecosystem — everything this site recommends. The blue international app (bilibili.tv, package com.bstar.intl) is a separate licensed-catalog service with English support, aimed mainly at Southeast Asia. Community consensus is blunt: they are 'two completely different products'. If you came here for the creators in our directory, you want the pink app or the bilibili.com website.
Is there a PC or TV version?
Yes. Bilibili's official download center (app.bilibili.com) lists a Windows PC client, a TV version for Android TV boxes, an iPad HD build and even a car version — all for the mainland service. Community reports note the TV app's library differs from the mobile app. The international bilibili.tv offers its own apps via bilibili.tv/en/download.
Can I pay for 大会员 (Premium) with a foreign card?
Generally no. The official payment panel for the mainland service is built around Alipay, WeChat Pay and B-coins, and overseas cards are commonly reported not to work directly. Overseas users often resort to third-party top-up services, which carry real trust and account risks — BiliGuide does not recommend specific ones. If your goal is licensed anime with local payments, the international bilibili.tv service supports regional payment methods instead.
Why is some content missing on the international app?
Licensing. bilibili.tv carries a licensed catalog (strong in anime, aimed at Southeast Asian markets) that is different from — not smaller than, just different from — the main site's creator ecosystem. The creator videos this site recommends generally live on the main platform, not on bilibili.tv.
Next: accounts and verification from abroad · how Charging works · the international-expansion changelog.