# HelloChinese vs ChinesePod

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HelloChinese at 95% against ChinesePod's 16%. HelloChinese also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.3) and monetization model (freemium vs subscription). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HelloChinese sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month and ChinesePod sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

HelloChinese holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HelloChinese has 24K ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of HelloChinese's written reviews are positive against 16% of ChinesePod's.

HelloChinese ships an update weekly, ChinesePod every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HelloChinese | ChinesePod |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (24K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hellochinese-learn-chinese/id1001507516/reviews)** | [2.3 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinesepod/id1185380819/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **24K** | 27 |
| Positive reviews | **94.8% of reviews** | 15.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#76** | — |
| Size | 98 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.2 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [HelloChinese Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1001507515) | [Chinesepod Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/820791896) |

## What reviewers say

### HelloChinese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hellochinese-learn-chinese/id1001507516)

**Currently charting:** #76 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

This app offers a fun and effective way to learn Mandarin Chinese from beginner to conversational levels. It combines game-based lessons, stories, videos, and speech recognition to help you master pronunciation, characters, and practical conversations while exploring Chinese culture.

**Highlights:** Game-based learning, Graded stories, Immersive lessons, Video lessons, Speech recognition, Character handwriting, HSK level courses

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HelloChinese Premium | $11.99 | per month |
| HelloChinese Premium+ | $16.99 | per month |
| HelloChinese Premium+ | $19.99 | per month |
| HelloChinese Premium | $25.99 | per 3 months |
| HelloChinese Premium | $48.99 | per year |
| HelloChinese Premium+ | $62.99 | per 6 months |
| HelloChinese Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| HelloChinese Premium+ | $89.99 | per 6 months |
| HelloChinese Premium+ | $104.99 | per year |
| HelloChinese Premium+ | $149.99 | per year |
| 300 coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| 750 coins | $9.99 | one-time |
| 1650 coins | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to learn
- 👍 Engaging and fun
- 👍 Helpful for beginners
- 👍 Good for pronunciation practice
- 👍 Useful for learning Chinese characters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent speech recognition
- 🐛 Audio quality issues in some videos
- 💰 Paywall limits access to full content
- 💰 Premium subscription is expensive

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional login issues
- Inconsistent performance on older devices

**Requested features**

- More advanced lessons beyond HSK3
- Option to toggle pinyin on a per-word basis
- Improved review system with more customization
- Addition of traditional Chinese characters
- More real-life conversation practice


### ChinesePod

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinesepod/id1185380819)

Access over 4,000 Mandarin Chinese lessons on your mobile device. Study offline, filter by skill level, and utilize multiple audio tracks for comprehensive learning. Features native speaker audio, word-by-word translations, and integrated dictionary lookup.

**Highlights:** Over 4,000 Mandarin lessons, 200+ video lessons, Five skill levels, Offline lesson downloads, Filter by bookmark, level, or download, Three audio tracks per lesson, Grammar notes and vocabulary review

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly plan | $29.99 | per month |
| Quarterly plan | $78.99 | per 3 months |
| Annual plan | $249.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HelloChinese free?

HelloChinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ChinesePod free?

ChinesePod is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, HelloChinese or ChinesePod?

HelloChinese is rated higher. HelloChinese averages 4.9 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while ChinesePod averages 2.3 from 27 ratings.

### Do HelloChinese or ChinesePod have ads?

Neither HelloChinese nor ChinesePod shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HelloChinese or ChinesePod?

HelloChinese ships an update weekly, and ChinesePod every 2 months. Most recently, HelloChinese was updated on October 31, 2026 and ChinesePod on October 29, 2026.

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