Comparison

CanTalk vs Canton Tree

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

Head to head
About

CanTalk

Learn practical Cantonese vocabulary and expressions for daily interactions. This app is designed for beginners to help them make friends, navigate Hong Kong, and enjoy local experiences like dining and shopping.

Highlights
  • Communicative and thematic approach
  • Need-to-Know basis for beginners
  • 4 Thematic Units
  • Sound System, Grammar Cards, Culture Cards
  • Real-life scenarios with videos and pictures
  • Interactive tasks
Features
Read full description

Unlock the mystery of Cantonese and speak it with flair! CanTalk is a Cantonese learning App produced by the Cantonese teachers of the Center for Language Education of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for the HKUST community. It helps users to acquire the practical vocabulary and expressions needed for daily interactions with Cantonese speakers on and off campus. It is for beginners who wish to use Cantonese to: • make friends • get around in Hong Kong • go yum-cha and pig out in food stalls • shop and practice the art of bargaining • live the full Hong Kong experience FEATURES • Adopts a communicative and thematic approach • Designed on a Need-to-Know basis for beginners • 4 Units: Making Friends, On the Move, Pigging Out, Partaking in the Fun • Extras: Sound System, Grammar Cards, Culture Cards, Glossary • Real-life characters in real-life scenarios • Engaging and interactive tasks with videos and pictures USER REGISTRATION FOR: (https://project.cle.ust.hk/cantalk) • HKUST students & staff • Family and friends of HKUST members (each HKUST member may register up to 10 accounts for their family and friends) • Invited guests FEEDBACK If you have anything to share with us, please send your feedback to lccantalk@ust.hk. Join CanTalk for the full Hong Kong experience!

About

Canton Tree

Learn Cantonese with 60 lessons, over 1,800 words, and 2,500 phrases voiced by native speakers. Explore a story mode simulating a trip to Hong Kong and utilize search and bookmarking features for efficient study. Customize your learning experience with six color themes.

Highlights
  • 60 Cantonese lessons
  • 1,800+ Cantonese words
  • 2,500+ Cantonese phrases
  • Native speaker audio
  • Story mode simulating Hong Kong trip
  • Search and bookmark functions
  • Customizable color themes
Features
Read full description

This is an app for learning Cantonese used in Hong Kong. It includes 60 lessons, a vocabulary section, a phrase section, and a story mode that simulates a trip to Hong Kong. With this app, you can learn more about Cantonese and Hong Kong in a variety of ways. The app includes more than 1,800 Cantonese words and 2,500 phrases. Search and bookmark functions are also available so you can search for words you want to know or bookmark words/phrases you want to remember. All Cantonese words and phrases are voiced by native speakers who live in Hong Kong, so you can learn pronunciation by listening to the audio. There are six different color options which can be changed at any time, so you can use the app with a color set that you prefer. We hope this app helps you learn Cantonese and the culture of Hong Kong! "If you find any bugs or issues, please let us know with the email address listed on the page or: X (Twitter): @HkjRyi"

Screenshots

CanTalk4 screens
Canton Tree4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Canton Tree at 100% against CanTalk's 50%. Canton Tree also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and update cadence (monthly vs every 19 months). CanTalk's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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. Canton Tree sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. CanTalk asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Canton Tree holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of CanTalk's written reviews are positive against 100% of Canton Tree's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CanTalk ships an update every 19 months, Canton Tree monthly. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
CanTalk versus Canton Tree: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCanTalkCanton Tree
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.4 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB183 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperThe Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyTetsuya Kobayashi

Customer experience

CanTalk

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Canton Tree

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

CanTalk

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Canton Tree

One-time1
  • Canton Tree - Full Version$4.99

Questions

Is CanTalk free?
CanTalk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Canton Tree free?
Canton Tree is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CanTalk or Canton Tree?
Canton Tree is rated higher. CanTalk averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Canton Tree averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do CanTalk or Canton Tree have ads?
Neither CanTalk nor Canton Tree shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CanTalk or Canton Tree?
CanTalk ships an update every 19 months, and Canton Tree monthly. Most recently, CanTalk was updated on June 1, 2026 and Canton Tree on September 9, 2026.

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