Comparison

Readibu vs Hanyu Wave

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

Head to head
About

Readibu

Access a vast library of Chinese web novels, short stories, and children's tales. Enhance your learning with integrated dictionary lookups, text-to-speech, and pinyin display. Premium features offer advanced tools like sentence translation and offline reading for an immersive language learning experience.

Highlights
  • Explore Chinese web novels
  • Tap for character definitions
  • Reader mode for web pages
  • Pinyin/zhuyin display
  • Text-to-speech
  • Offline reading (Premium)
  • Sentence translation (Premium)
Features
Read full description

Discover new stories and worlds in Chinese! Ready to move beyond flashcards and graded readers? Readibu is your portal to the world of popular Chinese web novels, short stories and children stories enjoyed by native readers — or bring your own books and read them the same way. From historical to sci-fi or romance to horror, there's always something good to read. Readibu is a Chinese reading app where you can: 1. Explore popular web novels, short stories, and children stories from native Chinese sites — browse by ranking, category, or search 2. Import your own EPUB, PDF, or TXT files and read them alongside your web library 3. Tap on characters for definitions 4. Open web pages in a reader for immersive reading 5. Absorb the language while you're immersed in gripping adventures Supported features: • Tap for dictionary • Text-to-speech • Simplified and traditional conversion • Pinyin/zhuyin display over words • Add custom url to display in reader • Import EPUB, PDF, and TXT files into your library • Organize your reading with collections, bookmarks, and history • Check the difficulty of any text with HSK-level breakdowns • Look up words in Pleco, MDBG, Yellow Bridge, Baidu Translate, and more • Export saved vocabularies • Auto-detect next chapter • Auto-save last page you were on • Back up and restore your library and vocabulary ================================ ENHANCE YOUR READING EXPERIENCE WITH READIBU PREMIUM • Cloud sync - Sync subscription, library, bookmarks, vocabs and reading progress between devices • Sentence Translation - Unlimited translation by Google Translate • Image Search - Display image search results for selected text • Offline Reading - Download pages for reading offline • Quiz Mode - Quiz your pinyin, tones, and definitions of words you looked up before • Smart Name Recognition - Detect names of people, orgs and places in content • Syntax Analysis - Analyze syntax of sentence Free trials included with all plans! 1-month subscription: $4.99 per month 3-month subscription: $9.99 per month 12-month subscription: $47.99 per year Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at the end of your free trial period. Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period or trial. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel subscriptions in your Itunes Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.readibu.com/privacy Terms & Conditions: https://www.readibu.com/terms Have questions? Feel free to contact us at support@readibu.com.

About

Hanyu Wave

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
Read full description

Anyone who studies Chinese has a hard time learning vocabulary. Hanyu Wave is the simplest way to learn and practice Chinese words and characters. Learn words and characters every day, and practice them with quizzes. You can learn all of the vocabulary for your target level. In 'Learn' tab, you can learn all the words and characters of the entire HSK course. Learn them and take Learn Quizzes to complete each part. Words/characters for all HSK levels are ready. -HSK1: 151 new words / 174 new characters -HSK2: 151 new words / 173 new characters -HSK3: 302 new words / 270 new characters -HSK4: 605 new words / 447 new characters -HSK5: 1,308 new words / 621 new characters -HSK6: 2,510 new words / 978 new characters In 'Practice' tab, you can practice all of the vocabulary you learned with shuffle quizzes. Based on the AI-based quiz generation and comprehension management, Hanyu Wave helps learners to clearly understand confusing words and characters. Practice at home, on the subway, anywhere. With Hanyu Wave, your Chinese vocabulary will be mastered. ––––––– If you subscribe to the Hanyu Wave Pass (Premium), you can access all features and courses. Once you subscribe, your subscription is automatically renewed. If you want to cancel your subscription, you can turn off auto-renew option in your 'Apple ID' in 'Settings' 24 hours before the end of the subscription period. Privacy https://hanyuwave.com/en/privacy Terms and Conditions https://hanyuwave.com/en/terms

Screenshots

Readibu4 screens
Hanyu Wave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Readibu at 4.8 against Hanyu Wave's 4.0. Readibu also leads on ratings volume (158 vs 4) and review sentiment (92% vs 75%). Hanyu Wave's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Readibu sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Readibu holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Readibu has 158 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Readibu's written reviews are positive against 75% of Hanyu Wave's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readibu ships an update every 8 days, Hanyu Wave weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Readibu versus Hanyu Wave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadibuHanyu Wave
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (158 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews91.9% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings158 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size88 MB45 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperLingyi ChenKyungil Choi

Customer experience

Readibu

All ratings157 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral0.6%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive91.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.1%

Hanyu Wave

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Readibu

Subscriptions3
  • Readibu Monthly Premium14 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Readibu 3-Month Premium14 Days trial$9.993 Months
  • Readibu Yearly Premium14 Days trial$47.991 Year
4 purchases

Hanyu Wave

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Pass$1.991 Month
  • Quarterly Pass$4.493 Months
  • Yearly Pass$14.491 Year
One-time1
  • HSK Vocabulary$16.99

Questions

Is Readibu free?
Readibu 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, Readibu or Hanyu Wave?
Readibu is rated higher. Readibu averages 4.8 out of 5 from 158 ratings, while Hanyu Wave averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Readibu or Hanyu Wave have ads?
Neither Readibu nor Hanyu Wave shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Readibu or Hanyu Wave?
Readibu ships an update every 8 days, and Hanyu Wave weekly. Most recently, Readibu was updated on October 23, 2026 and Hanyu Wave on October 16, 2026.

Other comparisons