# HelloChinese vs Recabulary

The clearest difference is ads: HelloChinese at none against Recabulary's shown. HelloChinese also leads on ratings volume (24K vs 6) and chart position (#107 vs unranked). Recabulary's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HelloChinese sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month and Recabulary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for HelloChinese against 5.0 for Recabulary. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HelloChinese has 24K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.

HelloChinese ships an update weekly, Recabulary every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HelloChinese | Recabulary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (24K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hellochinese-learn-chinese/id1001507516/reviews) | **[5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recabulary-learn-languages/id6774016865/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **24K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 94.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#107** | — |
| Size | 98 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [HelloChinese Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1001507515) | [Spaceive](https://appshunter.io/developer/6774016867) |

## What reviewers say

### HelloChinese

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

**Currently charting:** #107 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


### Recabulary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recabulary-learn-languages/id6774016865)

Master new languages with smart flashcards and authentic native speaker audio. This app uses spaced repetition to help you retain vocabulary efficiently, with word lists based on real-world frequency and exam frameworks. Learn Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, German, Turkish, and English with customizable learning algorithms.

**Highlights:** Native speaker audio recordings, Spaced repetition algorithm, Frequency-based word lists, Adjustable learning algorithm, Progress tracking statistics, Multiple language support

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium | $84.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HelloChinese free?

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

### Is Recabulary free?

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

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

Recabulary is rated higher. HelloChinese averages 4.9 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while Recabulary averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.

### Do HelloChinese or Recabulary have ads?

Recabulary shows ads; HelloChinese does not.

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

HelloChinese ships an update weekly, and Recabulary every 5 days. Most recently, HelloChinese was updated on October 19, 2026 and Recabulary on October 13, 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.*