# HelloChinese vs Chengyu Calendar

The clearest difference is rating: HelloChinese at 4.9 against Chengyu Calendar's 3.8. HelloChinese also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and ratings volume (24K vs 9). Chengyu Calendar's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On price, review sentiment, ads 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 Chengyu Calendar sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

HelloChinese holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HelloChinese has 24K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 95% of HelloChinese's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chengyu Calendar's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

HelloChinese ships an update weekly, Chengyu Calendar every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HelloChinese | Chengyu Calendar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (24K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hellochinese-learn-chinese/id1001507516/reviews)** | [3.8 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chengyu-calendar/id6813331921/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **24K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 94.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#61** | — |
| Size | 98 MB | 119 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HelloChinese Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1001507515) | [Fiachra MacFadden](https://appshunter.io/developer/1831200997) |

## What reviewers say

### HelloChinese

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

**Currently charting:** #61 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


### Chengyu Calendar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chengyu-calendar/id6813331921)

Learn a new Chinese idiom daily with a widget that mimics a traditional tear-off calendar. Explore idiom history, meanings, and usage examples. Supports both Simplified and Traditional Chinese characters and works offline without ads.

**Highlights:** Daily idiom widget, Idiom breakdown (character, pinyin, meaning), Example sentences, Idiom history and origin, Simplified/Traditional character support, Offline functionality, Ad-free and private

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HelloChinese free?

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

### Is Chengyu Calendar free?

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

### Which has better reviews, HelloChinese or Chengyu Calendar?

HelloChinese is rated higher. HelloChinese averages 4.9 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while Chengyu Calendar averages 3.8 from 9 ratings.

### Do HelloChinese or Chengyu Calendar have ads?

Neither HelloChinese nor Chengyu Calendar shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HelloChinese or Chengyu Calendar?

HelloChinese ships an update weekly, and Chengyu Calendar every 2 days. Most recently, HelloChinese was updated on November 1, 2026 and Chengyu Calendar 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.*