Comparison

Immersive Chinese vs RailTest Train Driver Prep

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

Head to head
About

Immersive Chinese

Learn practical spoken Mandarin Chinese with a structured course and high-quality audio. Features include extensive vocabulary, customizable revision tools, and offline access. Progress from beginner to intermediate levels with gradual introduction of new material.

Highlights
  • 12000+ high-quality audio recordings
  • Structured serial course for beginners
  • Customizable revision and repetition tools
  • Slow and normal speed audio options
  • Simplified or traditional characters
  • Offline use supported
  • Detailed notes and definitions
Features
Read full description

Immersive Chinese is a simple but effective method for learning practical spoken Mandarin Chinese. No gimmicks or time-wasting games, Immersive Chinese uses meticulous course design and high-quality audio to provide the best way to learn spoken Chinese from scratch. • More than 12000 high-quality audio recordings. • Perfect difficulty curve for beginners. • Carefully designed serial course that introduces new words in a controlled way. • Powerful revision tools that allow you to create highly-customised study sessions. • Includes separate slow and normal speed recordings. Hear every detail in the slow version. Now also includes a separate male voice. • Choice of simplified or traditional characters. • Currently includes 185 lessons and more than 4500 unique sentences • 36 lessons are available for free, and a full subscription is just a few dollars. • Save custom lists of vocabulary and sentences and generate study sessions from them. • Each line of text (translation, pinyin or Chinese characters) can be individually revealed and hidden. • Full offline use supported (all files can be downloaded and stored locally). • Detailed notes and definitions. • Repetition Training allows you to drill your listening and hear a huge volume of comprehensible input covering the exact material you want to practice. • Highly customisable audio playback (set the exact time delay between sentences). • Detailed pronunciation guide. • Mix of individual sentences and short stories. • Audio recorded by a professional broadcaster with perfectly standard Mandarin. • Integrates with the desktop web browser version (found at console.immersivechinese.com). Natural and Intuitive Way to Learn Spoken Chinese The Serial Course contains months worth of content and is designed to take you from absolute beginner all the way to intermediate level. It starts out with extremely simple sentences and gently builds on that, only introducing new material very gradually. The content is carefully designed so that you are never confronted with a word you don't know. The aim of the course is to give you the essential building blocks for forming practical sentences of your own. It naturally integrates spaced repetition so that as you move forward you are continually revising previous content. Powerful Revision Features Research into language acquisition has shown that repetition of comprehensible content is one of the most effective ways of learning a language. Repetition Training is a core feature of Immersive Chinese that allows you to play a specific selection of content on a continuous loop according to a number of different settings. You can set the specific time delay before and after each sentence, use normal speed or slow recordings, repeat each sentence a certain number of times, and use a random or sequential order. You can also add custom filters, so you only study the exact material you want to. Give it a try and start making progress today.

About

RailTest Train Driver Prep

Features
Read full description

RailTest® Preparation App for Train Driver Aptitude Tests – Comprises all features of RailTest® desktop suite – – Multilingual: English and German – Content RailTest® Preparation Software for Train Driver Aptitude Tests includes the following training modules: Attention • Audiovisual Reaction Test • Dots Concentration Test (Group Bourdon Test) • Dots Constellation Test • Memorize Products Test • Number Transmitter Test • Square Figure Test • Symbol Cognition Test • Test of Everyday Attention • Traffic Attention Test • Vigilance Test 1 • Vigilance Test 2 Orientation • Cube Comparison Test • Cube Folding Test • Locations on Map • Station Order Test Psycho-motorics and Multitasking • Jumbled Pipes • Stress Tolerance Test • Winding Track Test Reasoning • Dials and Rules Test • Matrices Test • Shapes Puzzle Maths • Math Word Problems • Mental Arithmetic • Number Series • Numerical Estimation Physics • Electricity • Magnetism • Mechanics • Optics • Thermodynamics • Waves Technical Comprehension • Electricity • General knowledge • Mechanics • Optics • Reasoning • Thermodynamics Scope of Software RailTest® Preparation Software for Train Driver Aptitude Tests accommodates several features to support training experience and outcome. The software is bilingual (English and German) – you may switch between the languages any time. Training Modules • Comprehensive test explanations and interactive First Steps demos to get a quick feeling for the test • Several default difficulty levels for each training module • Randomly generated tasks to avert recurring tasks • Extensive custom settings options for each training module Performance Statement • Comprehensive performance analysis after each training session • Feedback on individual aspects of tests • Performance graphs to illustrate performance developments in tasks Stat • Stat tool with graphs to illustrate long-term performance development • Avg. performance graphs to benchmark your performance against • Save test results, settings and performance graphs for each test sessions to compare them later RailTest® Training Assistant • Guides you through the training modules to support an efficient time resourcing and maximize training outcome • Takes your current performance level into consideration when suggesting the next training step for a sustained advancement of your performance • Applies difficulty settings that reflect upon your current performance and outlines the next steps • Puts emphasize on tests that returned a below-average performance • Recognizes task aspects that caused you problems and puts more focus on these RailTest® Cloud (participation optional) • Save your performance data on a RailTest® server to restore your last training level in case of a re-installation of the software or exchange of the training computer • Auto-sync your training levels if you use the software on several devices (like a notebook and a desktop PC) • Benchmark your performance against anonymized pool performance stats from the RailTest® user community • Embedded boards to exchange information and messages with other software users • Embedded support messaging client to approach the RailTest® support staff Note Training modules of RailTest® software products are similar to the original tasks but not meant to simulate or reproduce actual tests. As this is a preparation product all modules were designed under the premises to deliver gradual performance enhancements in those ability domains identified crucial for a successful railway company screening participation. Language English German

Screenshots

Immersive Chinese4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Immersive Chinese at Free against RailTest Train Driver Prep's $59.99. Immersive Chinese also leads on device support (3 vs 1). RailTest Train Driver Prep's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On update cadence and 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

Immersive Chinese is free to download; RailTest Train Driver Prep costs $59.99 up front. Immersive Chinese sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. RailTest Train Driver Prep asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Immersive Chinese ships an update every 5 weeks, RailTest Train Driver Prep every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Immersive Chinese versus RailTest Train Driver Prep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterImmersive ChineseRailTest Train Driver Prep
PriceFree — better$59.99
Rating4.8 (58 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings58 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB456 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIain ChalmersAviation Media & IT GmbH

Bugs and requests

Immersive Chinese

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Forward/back arrows not working in autoplay
  • Autoplay sync off
  • Stuttering audio
  • Delay settings not working
  • Lock screen audio controls missing
Show 6 more
  • Purchase not recognized on other devices
  • Slow speed not changing speed
  • Pronunciation unclear on Android
  • Tones sound off on a couple words
  • Sync glitch returns after manual flip
  • Support link goes to YouTube

Requested features

10 requests
  • Randomly alternate male/female voices
  • Upload new lessons for advanced learners
  • Save and retrieve repetition training criteria
  • Bookmarks for easy navigation
  • English audio translations
Show 5 more
  • Immersive Japanese version
  • Immersive Russian version
  • Marker for completed lessons
  • Review games
  • One-time payment option

RailTest Train Driver Prep

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Immersive Chinese

Subscriptions3
  • Immersive Chinese$3.991 Month
  • Immersive Chinese$5.993 Months
  • Immersive Chinese$8.996 Months
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$24.99
None

RailTest Train Driver Prep

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Immersive Chinese free?
Immersive Chinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RailTest Train Driver Prep free?
RailTest Train Driver Prep costs $59.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Immersive Chinese or RailTest Train Driver Prep have ads?
Neither Immersive Chinese nor RailTest Train Driver Prep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Immersive Chinese or RailTest Train Driver Prep?
Immersive Chinese ships an update every 5 weeks, and RailTest Train Driver Prep every 6 weeks. Most recently, Immersive Chinese was updated on November 11, 2026 and RailTest Train Driver Prep on October 17, 2026.

Other comparisons