Comparison

Chineasy vs Read Chinese

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

Head to head
About

Chineasy

Learn Chinese characters and vocabulary through visual aids and a unique building block method. This app breaks down the language into manageable lessons, making it easy to understand and remember, while also exploring Chinese culture. Suitable for all levels, it offers games and SRS reviews for efficient learning.

Highlights
  • Visual learning of Chinese characters
  • Building block vocabulary method
  • Bite-sized lessons
  • SRS review mechanism
  • Cultural insights
  • Interactive games
Features
Read full description

Finalist of Apple Design Awards 2022 Proudly featured on App of the Day, Apps We Love, and Editor’s Choice. SAY GOODBYE TO CHALLENGING CHINESE CHARACTERS Picture makes it Chineasy. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So we figured: “Why not let you see the beauty of the Chinese language for yourself? “Chineasy is Alphabet of the Chinese Language” - Journal du design “Have six minutes to spare? Plenty of time to learn 40 Chinese characters!” - TED “A Brilliant Way to Learn Chinese Through Pictures” - WIRED ANYONE CAN DO IT Our unique approach breaks down each character into simple illustrations and groups them by their frequency of usage, making it easy to learn and remember new characters. By learning with our "building block" method, you’ll be able to SEE the language and advance quickly from picking up simple characters to initiating engaging conversations, while exploring Chinese history, customs, and current trends. “A Fast Way to Start Reading Chinese” - The Wall Street Journal “How Clever Design Can Help You Learn Chinese” - Slate “Learn Mandarin the Chineasy Way” - Financial Times THE TOP CHOICE OF LEARNERS, EDUCATORS, AND MEDIA Don’t just take our word for it - see for yourself why thousands of learners are using and loving Chineasy. Join your fellow teammates, take your first step, embrace the journey and have fun with it! MODERNIZE YOUR LEARNING EXPERIENCE WITH OUR APP FEATURES ◉ Breaking down the language into manageable chunks. ◉ Easy understanding of Chinese characters through visual aids. ◉ Expanding your vocabulary quickly with the use of our building block method. ◉ Understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture through rich information. ◉ Making use of bits-and-pieces of time anywhere with a variety of games to remember. ◉ Accessible to Chinese language learners of all levels. ◉ Regularly updated to ensure up to date information. ◉ Hundreds of bite-sized lessons and efficient SRS review mechanism. ◉ It goes both ways. Switch between Simplified and Traditional Chinese as you wish. CHINEASY APP PREMIUM USD $12.99 per month USD $49.99 per year USD $149.99 lifetime The price varies by location. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. You will not be able to cancel the subscription once it has been renewed. You can manage your subscriptions in Account Settings after purchase. ———— If you enjoy the Chineasy app, please take a minute to rate it and let us know your experience. We’d love all of you to witness the appeal of Chineasy across each other’s reviews! Have questions? Shoot us an email at hello@chineasy.com and we’ll happily sort things out for you! Come play with us on social media! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShaoLanChineasy/ X: https://x.com/Chineasy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chineasy Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: https://www.chineasy.com/privacy/

About

Read Chinese

Master Mandarin Chinese through engaging stories and phrases. This app offers voiced pronunciations, pinyin support, and detailed translations to enhance your learning journey. It's designed for users of all levels to build vocabulary and comprehension.

Highlights
  • Read Mandarin stories
  • Learn Chinese phrases
  • Phrases sorted by HSK level
  • Voiced pronunciations
  • Pinyin representation
  • Sentence and word translation
  • Free to use
Features
Read full description

Learn Mandarin Chinese by reading and listening different phrases and stories. - Read stories in Mandarin. - Learn different Chinese phrases. - Phrases are sorted by HSK level. - All phrases are voiced and can be represented as pinyin. - Translation for each sentence is represented as a whole or each word individually. - Translate any word or phrase inside the app. - Completely free.

Screenshots

Chineasy4 screens
Read Chinese4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Read Chinese at every 2 days against Chineasy's fortnightly. Read Chinese also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). Chineasy's advantage is ratings volume (9.4K vs 7) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). On price, ads, 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. Chineasy sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and Read Chinese 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

Chineasy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chineasy has 9.4K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chineasy ships an update fortnightly, Read Chinese every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Chineasy versus Read Chinese: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChineasyRead Chinese
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (9.4K ratings) — better4.6 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews77.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings9.4K — better7
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.611.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size591 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChineasyVladislav Alikov

Customer experience

Chineasy

All ratings9,367 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral2.2%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews741 reviews
Positive77.2%
Neutral7.6%
Negative15.2%

Read Chinese

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Chineasy

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between traditional and simplified characters
  • Occasional app crashes and performance issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add writing practice and stroke order demonstrations
  • Implement spaced repetition and personalized review system
  • Provide option to focus on either traditional or simplified characters
  • Include more advanced grammar and sentence structure lessons

Read Chinese

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Chineasy

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Premium$12.991 Month
  • Premium plan for 1 month3 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Annual Premium$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium plan for 1 year7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$149.99
1 purchases

Read Chinese

One-time1
  • Remove ads$1.99

Questions

Is Chineasy free?
Chineasy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Read Chinese free?
Read Chinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chineasy or Read Chinese?
Chineasy is rated higher. Chineasy averages 4.8 out of 5 from 9.4K ratings, while Read Chinese averages 4.6 from 7 ratings.
Do Chineasy or Read Chinese have ads?
Neither Chineasy nor Read Chinese shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chineasy or Read Chinese?
Chineasy ships an update fortnightly, and Read Chinese every 2 days. Most recently, Chineasy was updated on November 5, 2026 and Read Chinese on November 3, 2026.

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