Comparison

HelloChinese vs CU NEX

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

HelloChinese

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
Read full description

HelloChinese is the best Mandarin Chinese learning app for beginners! Featured on the App Store in New Apps We Love and Notable Education Apps! Designed in a fun and highly effective manner, HelloChinese helps you rapidly learn Mandarin Chinese from scratch to a conversational level. With HelloChinese, learners can "learn the Chinese language, explore Chinese culture" – you will not only learn Mandarin Chinese but also enjoy the process of delving into the culture intertwined with the language. Features: ◉ Game-based Chinese learning: You will never get bored. ◉ 1000+ graded stories: read engaging stories at your level! ◉ Immersive lessons help you to have real-life, practical conversations quickly. ◉ Over 2,000 videos - all featuring authentic Chinese speakers! ◉ Innovative self-adaptive learning games that incorporate Chinese cultural education. ◉ Speech recognition corrects your pronunciation and makes speaking Chinese a breeze. ◉ Handwriting specially designed to learn Chinese characters at a faster rate. ◉ Systematic courses based on HSK levels. ◉ A well-designed Pinyin (pronunciation) course for newbies. ◉ Bite-sized curriculum to fortify your Chinese listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. ◉ Simplified and traditional Chinese(Mandarin) are both supported. ◉ Offline accessibility: Once a course is downloaded, no internet connection is required. ◉ Study progress tracking across multiple devices. With these tools at your disposal, nothing can stop you from mastering Chinese. Start on your path to fluency today! HelloChinese Premium offers: One-month subscription for $11.99 Three-month subscription for $25.99 Twelve-month subscription for $69.99 The above prices are for U.S. customers. Pricing in other countries may vary, and charges may be converted to your local currency depending on your country of residence. Once purchased, subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off in your iTunes Account settings at least 24 hours before the end of the payment period. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HelloChineseApp/ Privacy Policy: https://www.hellochinese.cc/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.hellochinese.cc/terms.html Premium users can always reach us at premium@hellochinese.cc if they need any help.

About

CU NEX

This official university app enhances the campus experience for students, staff, and visitors. It provides convenient access to virtual student IDs, campus news, and emergency contacts, streamlining daily life within the university.

Highlights
  • Virtual Student ID
  • Campus News & Notifications
  • Emergency Contact Information
  • University Information Access
  • Streamlined Campus Life
Features
Read full description

CU NEX เป็นแอปพลิเคชั่นบนมือถือของจุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย เพื่อเพิ่มประสบการณ์การรับรู้ข่าวสารใหม่ให้นิสิต บุคลากรและบุคคลทั่วไป CU NEX ประกอบไปด้วยฟังก์ชั่นที่ทำให้นิสิตสะดวกสบายในการใช้ชีวิตรอบรั้วจุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย เช่น บัตรนิสิตเสมือน, ข่าวสารรอบรั้วจุฬา, เบอร์โทรศัพท์ฉุกเฉิน และอื่นๆ CU NEX is an official mobile application of Chulalongkorn University. This application is designed for upgrade students, staff and visitors to have new experiences and easy to connect with Chulalongkorn University. This application have key features such as News & Notification, Virtual Student ID, Emergency Contact, etc...

Screenshots

HelloChinese4 screens
CU NEX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HelloChinese at 95% against CU NEX's 16%. HelloChinese also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.3) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months). CU NEX's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. HelloChinese sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. CU NEX asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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 3, 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 CU NEX's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HelloChinese ships an update every 8 days, CU NEX every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
HelloChinese versus CU NEX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHelloChineseCU NEX
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (24K ratings) — better2.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews94.8% of reviews — better15.7% of reviews
Number of ratings24K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank#95 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHelloChinese Technology Co., Ltd.Chulalongkorn University

Customer experience

HelloChinese

All ratings23,955 ratings
Positive97.8%
Neutral0.9%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews3,794 reviews
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.2%

CU NEX

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive15.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative84.3%

Bugs and requests

HelloChinese

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional login issues
  • Inconsistent performance on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

CU NEX

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

HelloChinese

Subscriptions9
  • HelloChinese Premium$11.991 Month
  • HelloChinese Premium+$19.991 Month
  • HelloChinese Premium$25.993 Months
Show 6 more
  • HelloChinese Premium$48.991 Year
  • HelloChinese Premium+$62.996 Months
  • HelloChinese Premium$69.991 Year
  • HelloChinese Premium+$89.996 Months
  • HelloChinese Premium+$104.991 Year
  • HelloChinese Premium+$149.991 Year
One-time1
  • 750 coins$9.99
None

CU NEX

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HelloChinese free?
HelloChinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CU NEX free?
CU NEX is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HelloChinese or CU NEX?
HelloChinese is rated higher. HelloChinese averages 4.9 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while CU NEX averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.
Do HelloChinese or CU NEX have ads?
Neither HelloChinese nor CU NEX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HelloChinese or CU NEX?
HelloChinese ships an update every 8 days, and CU NEX every 2 months. Most recently, HelloChinese was updated on November 13, 2026 and CU NEX on November 11, 2026.

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