# Readibu vs Pinyinize

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pinyinize at none against Readibu's 3. Pinyinize also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 92%). Readibu's advantage is ratings volume (159 vs 1) and update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly). On price, rating and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Readibu sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Pinyinize asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pinyinize holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Readibu has 159 ratings behind it against 1, 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 100% of Pinyinize's.

Readibu ships an update every 8 days, Pinyinize monthly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Readibu | Pinyinize |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (159 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readibu-chinese-novel-reader/id1474518982/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinyinize/id6462730849/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **159** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 91.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 88 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lingyi Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1443252218) | [Kyle Watson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1703304413) |

## What reviewers say

### Readibu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readibu-chinese-novel-reader/id1474518982)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Readibu Monthly Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Readibu 3-Month Premium | $9.99 | per 3 months |
| Readibu Yearly Premium | $47.99 | per year |


### Pinyinize

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinyinize/id6462730849)

This app uses your phone's camera to instantly convert Chinese characters into phonetic Pinyin. It helps you understand menus, addresses, and other Chinese text by displaying the Pinyin with contextual grouping for accurate pronunciation.

**Highlights:** Camera-based character to Pinyin conversion, Contextual grouping for accurate pronunciation, Instant translation of Chinese text, Useful for menus and addresses, Supports iPhone devices

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Readibu free?

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

### Is Pinyinize free?

Pinyinize is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Readibu or Pinyinize?

Pinyinize is rated higher. Readibu averages 4.8 out of 5 from 159 ratings, while Pinyinize averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Readibu or Pinyinize have ads?

Neither Readibu nor Pinyinize shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Readibu or Pinyinize?

Readibu ships an update every 8 days, and Pinyinize monthly. Most recently, Readibu was updated on November 3, 2026 and Pinyinize on November 3, 2026.

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