# Pandaist vs Hanyu Wave

The clearest difference is rating: Pandaist at 4.8 against Hanyu Wave's 4.0. Hanyu Wave's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 67%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pandaist sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Hanyu Wave sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pandaist holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Pandaist's written reviews are positive against 75% of Hanyu Wave's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pandaist | Hanyu Wave |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pandaist/id1438588391/reviews)** | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanyu-wave/id1556400151/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 86 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Andrew Alexander](https://appshunter.io/developer/1100987277) | [Kyungil Choi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1556400153) |

## What reviewers say

### Pandaist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pandaist/id1438588391)

This app offers a graded reading experience to help users learn Chinese characters. It includes a dictionary and quizzes, with progress tracking and regularly updated content. Subscription options are available for enhanced features.

**Highlights:** Graded Chinese readers, Integrated dictionary, Character quizzes, Progress tracking, Updated news and stories

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pandaist Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Pandaist Yearly | $99.99 | per year |


### Hanyu Wave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanyu-wave/id1556400151)

Learn and practice Chinese vocabulary and characters with daily lessons and AI-powered quizzes. Covers all HSK levels, from beginner to advanced. Master your Chinese word knowledge anywhere, anytime.

**Highlights:** Learn words and characters daily, Practice with shuffle quizzes, AI-based quiz generation, Comprehension management, Covers all HSK levels (1-6), Offline practice

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pass | $1.99 | per month |
| Quarterly Pass | $4.49 | per 3 months |
| Yearly Pass | $14.49 | per year |
| HSK Vocabulary | $16.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pandaist free?

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

### Is Hanyu Wave free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Pandaist or Hanyu Wave?

Pandaist is rated higher. Pandaist averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Hanyu Wave averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Pandaist or Hanyu Wave have ads?

Neither Pandaist nor Hanyu Wave shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pandaist or Hanyu Wave?

Pandaist ships an update weekly, and Hanyu Wave weekly. Most recently, Pandaist was updated on October 3, 2026 and Hanyu Wave on October 16, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*