Comparison

Pre vs Chinese 101

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

Head to head
About

Pre

This app helps children develop fine motor skills and foundational pre-writing patterns essential for letter formation. It features interactive tracing activities with visual patterns and offers customizable settings for a focused learning experience.

Highlights
  • Interactive pattern tracing
  • Develops fine motor skills
  • Consolidates letter formation basis
  • Customizable pattern selection
  • Free-play mode option
  • Guidance on pre-writing development
Features
Read full description

As a precursor and support to developing good letter formation, pre-writing activities help children to build fine motor skills and the language to talk about shape and pattern. This app employs the foundational pre-writing patterns to develop and consolidate such skills. Select a pebble from the array and watch its pattern created by a fish in the rockpool. Trace the track of the bubbles, watching the pattern appear. Choose the same or a different pebble from the array to continue exploring. FEATURES - Select a pre-writing pattern to see it drawn on the rockpool’s surface - Trace over the bubble pattern to develop fine motor skills - Learn and consolidate the patterns that form the basis of clear letter formation - Use settings to disable stones to limit those on offer - Use settings to disable all patterns to provide a free-play space - A Read Me file with guidance on other ways to support the development of pre-writing patterns - No third-party advertising - No in-app purchases. WHO IS YELLOW DOOR? We are a publisher offering a range of inspiring and innovative literacy and maths resources. From multisensory games to interactive software, we combine hands-on learning with open-ended technology to promote communication and language, collaborative play and creativity across the curriculum. Our aim is to produce resources that are appealing to small hands and curious minds, and that will help build an engaging, playful learning environment for all young children. OTHER APPS FROM YELLOW DOOR Letter Formation App Letter Recognition App Come Alive Traditional Tales (6 individual apps) Come Alive Nursery Rhymes Come Alive Sound and Letters Come Alive Listening. REVIEW THE APP We would love to know what you think of our new app, so please leave a review!

About

Chinese 101

Master Chinese characters through interactive tracing and pronunciation exercises. Features multiple learning modes, quizzes, and a memory game to reinforce knowledge. Share your progress and learn in an ad-free environment.

Highlights
  • Interactive character tracing
  • Pronunciation guidance
  • Multiple learning modes (Easy, Normal, Freestyle)
  • Character quizzes
  • Memory Flip Game
  • Progress sharing
Features
Read full description

Learn to write and pronounce Chinese characters with our fun and interactive app. • EASY mode provides a guiding hand to help you trace the characters. • NORMAL mode allows you to enhance your writing precision. • FREESTYLE mode encourages you to write in your unique style and check your understanding from the other modes. Reinforce what you've learned with our interactive QUIZ feature, letting you put your knowledge to the test. With illustrations, see the Chinese characters come to life through their meanings. Challenge yourself with the Memory Flip Game, a fun way to learn. As you learn and master new characters, you can share your scores directly from the app with your friends. Celebrate your progress and inspire others! Our app is completely ad-free, ensuring a seamless and uninterrupted learning experience from the start. After trying a selection of characters for free, you can access the full content with a simple in-app purchase. We welcome your feedback! Visit the support link to suggest new features for future updates. If you find our app beneficial, share it with your friends and family. Thank you.

Screenshots

Chinese 1014 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chinese 101 at 100% against Pre's 0%. Chinese 101 also leads on price (Free vs $19.99) and update cadence (monthly vs every 39 months). Pre's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 14.0). On ads 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

Chinese 101 is free to download; Pre costs $19.99 up front. Chinese 101 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pre asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pre ships an update every 39 months, Chinese 101 monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Pre versus Chinese 101: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPreChinese 101
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating—4.4 (16 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—16 — better
Update frequencyEvery 39 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYellow Door LtdAspul Studios LLC

Customer experience

Pre

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Chinese 101

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Pre

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chinese 101

One-time1
  • Characters Pack$3.99

Questions

Is Pre free?
Pre costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chinese 101 free?
Chinese 101 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pre or Chinese 101 have ads?
Neither Pre nor Chinese 101 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pre or Chinese 101?
Pre ships an update every 39 months, and Chinese 101 monthly. Most recently, Pre was updated on October 21, 2026 and Chinese 101 on October 27, 2026.

Other comparisons