Comparison

HelloChinese vs Chá

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

Chá

Features
Read full description

Chá is an aesthetic flashcard app for learning Mandarin Chinese, one character at a time. Study the official HSK vocabulary (levels 1–6) with clean, distraction-free cards. Each card shows the character, pinyin with proper tone marks, the most common meaning, and a natural example sentence — with on-device audio pronunciation. FEATURES • Official HSK 3.0 word lists (HSK 1–6) • Standard, book-correct pinyin with tone marks • Clear, concise definitions — the meanings you actually need • Natural example sentences for every word • On-device pronunciation audio (no internet required) • Spaced-repetition review to remember what you learn • Favorites, streaks, and study history • A daily "Test your Chinese" reminder to keep your streak going • Share aesthetic flashcards as images or video • Home screen and Lock Screen widgets PRIVACY FIRST No accounts, no sign-in, no tracking. All your progress stays on your device. Whether you're starting from zero or pushing toward HSK 6, Chá makes daily Chinese practice calm, focused, and genuinely aesthetic.

Screenshots

HelloChinese4 screens
Chá3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chá at none against HelloChinese's 13. Chá also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). HelloChinese's advantage is chart position (#108 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support 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 13 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. Chá asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HelloChinese ships an update weekly, Chá every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
HelloChinese versus Chá: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHelloChineseChá
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (24K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews94.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings24K — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
Best chart rank#108 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHelloChinese Technology Co., Ltd.Wiktoria Wisniewska

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

Chá

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

13 purchases

HelloChinese

Subscriptions10
  • HelloChinese Premium$11.991 Month
  • HelloChinese Premium+$16.991 Month
  • HelloChinese Premium+$19.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • HelloChinese Premium$25.993 Months
  • 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-time3
  • 300 coins$4.99
  • 750 coins$9.99
  • 1650 coins$19.99
None

Chá

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HelloChinese free?
HelloChinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chá free?
Chá is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HelloChinese or Chá have ads?
Neither HelloChinese nor Chá shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HelloChinese or Chá?
HelloChinese ships an update weekly, and Chá every 3 days. Most recently, HelloChinese was updated on October 28, 2026 and Chá on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons