Comparison

Chinese Annotator vs ChineseVlog

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

Head to head
About

Chinese Annotator

This app helps you learn Chinese by reading ePub books. It allows you to add Pinyin and English definitions directly to the text, and track your vocabulary knowledge. You can also export your learned words for flashcard review.

Highlights
  • Import ePub files
  • Add Pinyin and English definitions
  • Track known words and characters
  • Hide known Pinyin/definitions
  • Export word lists for flashcards
  • Print pages to PDF
Features
Read full description

A Chinese ePub reader to assist you in reading Chinese characters. After importing an ePub, you can add Pinyin and English on to the text in a 3-line format. After annotating the text in this way, you can then mark on a word by word basis which definitions you already know and which characters you know. There is a setting that hides the pinyin or definitions of words that you know. In this way, you are forced to look at the character and recall it instead of relying on pinyin. A word list is also available to allow you to see all words, words with unknown definitions, or words with unknown pinyin. This list of words can be exported to a file to be imported in to a flash card system, like Pleco. This allows you to easily pick out all the words you don't know in a publication and review them. You can also print the page of the book currently being displayed. In iOS 10 and greater, you can print to PDF.

About

ChineseVlog

Learn authentic Chinese through real-life video content like vlogs and TV clips. Features interactive subtitles, pinyin, translations, grammar analysis, and vocabulary tools for effective study.

Highlights
  • Real Chinese vlogs and clips
  • Interactive subtitles with instant translation
  • Toggleable pinyin display
  • Russian & English line translations
  • Grammar analysis
  • Flashcards, dictation, and shadowing exercises
  • Personal vocabulary notebook with spaced repetition
Features
Read full description

ChineseVlog is an immersive Chinese learning platform built around real, authentic video content — not textbook dialogues. What you get: - Hundreds of real Chinese vlogs, TV drama clips and stand-up comedy - Interactive subtitles: click any word for instant translation - Pinyin above every character — toggle on/off anytime - Russian & English translations for every line - Grammar analysis for key sentences - Flashcards, dictation and shadowing exercises - Personal vocabulary notebook with spaced repetition - Study progress sync across all devices Perfect for: For anyone who wants to go beyond textbooks and truly understand — and speak — natural, authentic Chinese. Free trial: Several videos available for free. Full access requires a one-time course package purchase. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Chinese Annotator4 screens
ChineseVlog4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ChineseVlog at Free against Chinese Annotator's $0.99. ChineseVlog also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.1) and review sentiment (100% vs 72%). Chinese Annotator's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (30 vs 1). On 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

ChineseVlog is free to download; Chinese Annotator costs $0.99 up front. ChineseVlog sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Chinese Annotator asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ChineseVlog holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chinese Annotator has 30 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Chinese Annotator's written reviews are positive against 100% of ChineseVlog's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chinese Annotator ships an update every 2 weeks, ChineseVlog weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Chinese Annotator versus ChineseVlog: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChinese AnnotatorChineseVlog
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (30 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings30 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB53 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperJon Hargett雨荷 周

Customer experience

Chinese Annotator

All ratings30 ratings
Positive76.7%
Neutral13.3%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive72.0%
Neutral12.0%
Negative16.0%

ChineseVlog

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Chinese Annotator

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ChineseVlog

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Chinese Annotator free?
Chinese Annotator costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ChineseVlog free?
ChineseVlog is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chinese Annotator or ChineseVlog?
ChineseVlog is rated higher. Chinese Annotator averages 4.1 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while ChineseVlog averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Chinese Annotator or ChineseVlog have ads?
Neither Chinese Annotator nor ChineseVlog shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chinese Annotator or ChineseVlog?
Chinese Annotator ships an update every 2 weeks, and ChineseVlog weekly. Most recently, Chinese Annotator was updated on October 9, 2026 and ChineseVlog on September 30, 2026.

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