Comparison

ELCC vs Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine

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

Head to head
About

ELCC

Learn Chinese characters through a fun and intuitive method. This app breaks down complex characters into basic components, allowing you to recall them instead of memorizing. It includes quizzes, tests, and pronunciation guides to aid your learning journey.

Highlights
  • 250 root characters
  • 1162 HSK 1-3 characters
  • Stroke order animation
  • Native pronunciation
  • Quizzes and tests
  • Character review and search
  • Daily character notifications
Features
Read full description

Fun and easy way to learn Chinese! Having a hard time studying Chinese? [Enjoy Learning Chinese Characters] is now right here for you! Do not memorize each complex character. Now you can recall them instead of memorizing. “A great way to expand your character knowledge by building on previously learned characters.” “It's simple to read. You don't have to follow the chapters. Highly recommended for those learning Chinese characters.” - Reviews for the original book. If you speak an alphabetic language, learning Chinese characters would be more challenging for you. But don't worry. This app will help you to make sense of the structures of Chinese characters. With 250 basic and radical characters, you can combine or break them apart too easily read, write and understand Chinese characters. It also offers many other services for more effective learning. Please see details below. [What's inside?] - 250 well-known root characters - 1162 most frequently-encountered characters in Chinese (HSK level 1-3) - Character stroke order - Native Pronunciation - Quiz: Simple quizzes that help you remember what you learned. - Test: Enjoy the tests after you master some characters. - Review: Keep some characters on your note and check them later. - Search: Search if you know the pinyin and how to write. - Push Notification: Push notification lets you know today's character. - 3D Touch: Quick access from home screen. [We offer In-App Purchases] - Get the full version with 26 additional subjects for just $4.99 and keep it forever! Free version offers only 1 subject containing 50 characters. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT Y FACTORY “Sparkling ideas sprouting Fresh discoveries peeking, Where learning happens natural, Y Factory” At Y Factory, we try our best to bring out content’s true meaning and value through quality applications for children. With optimized content experience, we provide children pleasure of new discoveries and learning on their own. With this approach, Y Factory connects children and parents, culture and technology, and digital and hearts. ABOUT KONG & PARK Established in 2000, KONG & PARK Inc. is a publishing company that has specialized in researching and publishing books for studying Chinese characters. The KONG & PARK research team has organized more than 3,500 Chinese characters, and based on their research, they introduced fun and faster way to learn Chinese characters by focusing on 250 root characters.

About

Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine

Master Chinese Pinyin with this educational tool. It focuses on standard pronunciation, combining initials, finals, and tones. Practice individual pinyin sounds and their application in combinations.

Highlights
  • Standard Pinyin pronunciation
  • Initial, final, and tone combinations
  • Individual pinyin mastery tests
  • Pinyin combination application practice
Features
Read full description

A learning machine designed specifically for Chinese Pinyin learners: 1. Standard Pinyin pronunciation 2. Combination of initial consonants, finals, and tones for pronunciation 3. Test mastery of individual pinyin 4. Test the combination and application of Pinyin

Screenshots

ELCC4 screens
Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: ELCC at none against Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine's shown. ELCC also leads on ratings volume (60 vs 15) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.0). Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 56%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. ELCC sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for ELCC against 4.7 for Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 60 and 15 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 56% of ELCC's written reviews are positive against 86% of Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ELCC ships an update every 3 months, Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ELCC versus Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterELCCChinese Pinyin LearningMachine
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (60 ratings) — better4.7 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews55.6% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings60 — better15
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size297 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperY factory薛峰 郑

Customer experience

ELCC

All ratings60 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral5.0%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative33.3%

Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine

All ratings13 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ELCC

One-time1
  • Full Version$4.99
1 purchases

Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine

One-time1
  • Premium Version$4.99

Questions

Is ELCC free?
ELCC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine free?
Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ELCC or Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine?
ELCC is rated higher. ELCC averages 4.7 out of 5 from 60 ratings, while Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine averages 4.7 from 15 ratings.
Do ELCC or Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine have ads?
Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine shows ads; ELCC does not.
Which is updated more often, ELCC or Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine?
ELCC ships an update every 3 months, and Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine fortnightly. Most recently, ELCC was updated on November 11, 2026 and Chinese Pinyin LearningMachine on November 4, 2026.

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