# HKU Shuttle Bus vs Ling

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HKU Shuttle Bus at none against Ling's 22. HKU Shuttle Bus also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). Ling's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 88 months) and chart position (#54 vs unranked). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ling sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. HKU Shuttle Bus asks for nothing beyond the download.

HKU Shuttle Bus ships an update every 88 months, Ling weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HKU Shuttle Bus | Ling |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.6 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ling-learn-languages-easily/id1403783779/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **17K** |
| Positive reviews | — | 61.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 88 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#54** |
| Size | 5 MB | 193 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The University of Hong Kong](https://appshunter.io/developer/451384643) | [SIMYA LABS COMPANY LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1298485730) |

## What reviewers say

### HKU Shuttle Bus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hku-shuttle-bus/id1194841840)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Ling

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ling-learn-languages-easily/id1403783779)

**Currently charting:** #54 Top Grossing · Education, #112 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

Master over 70 languages with fun, bite-sized lessons. Develop speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills with native speaker audio and cultural insights. Science-backed methods ensure retention, making even difficult languages accessible.

**Highlights:** 70+ languages available, Bite-sized lessons, Native speaker audio, Cultural insights, Speaking, reading, listening, writing skills, Science-backed learning methodology

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

**In-app purchases (20)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ling Monthly Subscription | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Language Learning Plan | $10.99 | per month |
| Ling Monthly Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| Ling Pro 1 Month Subscription | $16.99 | per month |
| Ling Half Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per 6 months |
| Ling 3 Month Subscription | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| Learn Language Pro Yearly 7 | $48.99 | per year |
| Ling Pro Yearly Subscription | $54.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| Black Friday Offer | $59.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $69.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Ling Pro 12 Month Subscription | $89.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $119.99 | per year |
| Ling Pro Lifetime Plan | $199.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Bite-sized lessons
- 🎮 Gamified learning
- 📚 Offers rare languages
- 🗣️ Good pronunciation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy, glitchy
- 💰 Expensive, pay to learn
- 🤖 Robotic voices
- 🧠 Lessons not in logical order
- 🔍 Lack of basic vocabulary and grammar

**Reported bugs**

- Progress resets to zero
- Incorrect translations and pronunciations
- Lessons skipping ahead unexpectedly
- Microphone issues, can't record properly
- Sync issues across devices

**Requested features**

- Allow retry/go back in lessons
- Improve speech recognition
- Add grammar explanations
- Provide more review and practice options
- Introduce alphabet/writing system first


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HKU Shuttle Bus free?

HKU Shuttle Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Ling free?

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

### Do HKU Shuttle Bus or Ling have ads?

Ling shows ads; HKU Shuttle Bus does not.

### Which is updated more often, HKU Shuttle Bus or Ling?

HKU Shuttle Bus ships an update every 88 months, and Ling weekly. Most recently, HKU Shuttle Bus was updated on October 29, 2026 and Ling on October 30, 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.*