# Readibu vs Hanly

The clearest difference is monetization model: Hanly at free against Readibu's freemium. Readibu's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Readibu sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Hanly sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Readibu against 4.9 for Hanly. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 159 and 415 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Readibu's written reviews are positive against 99% of Hanly's.

Readibu ships an update every 8 days, Hanly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Readibu | Hanly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (159 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readibu-chinese-novel-reader/id1474518982/reviews) | **[4.9 (415 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanly/id6741442324/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 159 | **415** |
| Positive reviews | 91.9% of reviews | **99.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 88 MB | 241 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Lingyi Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1443252218) | [Artur Gorokh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1794204266) |

## 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 |


### Hanly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanly/id6741442324)

Learn thousands of Chinese characters efficiently by understanding their structure and origin. This app uses visual breakdowns, engaging stories, and interactive elements to build an intuitive grasp of characters and aid memorization. It focuses on frequently used vocabulary and offers a structured learning progression.

**Highlights:** Character etymology and mnemonics, Interactive component exploration, Structured learning progression, Spaced repetition system, Extensive character dictionary, Stroke order animations

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hanly Premium | $5.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and efficient way to learn characters
- 🚀 Effective learning method that builds on prior knowledge
- 💡 Helpful mnemonics and stories to aid memorization
- 👍 Customizable learning pace and progress tracking
- 🚀 Comprehensive coverage of characters and components

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Some AI-generated illustrations could be improved
- 💡 Addition of writing practice and example sentences would be helpful

**Reported bugs**

- No known major bugs reported

**Requested features**

- Addition of writing practice for characters
- Inclusion of example sentences for each character
- Expansion of content to cover more advanced vocabulary


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Readibu free?

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

### Is Hanly free?

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

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

Hanly is rated higher. Readibu averages 4.8 out of 5 from 159 ratings, while Hanly averages 4.9 from 415 ratings.

### Do Readibu or Hanly have ads?

Neither Readibu nor Hanly shows ads.

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

Readibu ships an update every 8 days, and Hanly every 2 weeks. Most recently, Readibu was updated on November 3, 2026 and Hanly on November 8, 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.*