Comparison

Mandaboo 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

Mandaboo

A fun, improv-style game designed to improve Mandarin speaking and listening skills. Players guess Mandarin words by following clues, avoiding specific taboo words to enhance comprehension and vocabulary. Play solo or with friends for an engaging learning experience.

Highlights
  • Guess Mandarin words with clues
  • Avoid taboo words
  • Improve listening comprehension
  • Enhance speaking skills
  • Play solo or with friends
  • Create custom word lists
Features
Read full description

Start playing Mandaboo today—a game of unspeakable Mandarin fun. Follow clues to guess the Mandarin word in this Mandarin game of improv, learning and laughs. Some clues are taboo to challenge your Mandarin listening comprehension and get your mind’s gears turning in Mandarin to guess the word in question. WHAT’S A MANDABOO? It’s a guessing challenge where the speaker gives you clues but they are not allowed to say certain taboo words to keep you guessing longer. You’ll hang on every clue until you make a Mandarin breakthrough…or bust! Will you be stumped? Only one way to know! ARE YOU UP FOR THE GUESSING CHALLENGE? Play on your own with the built-in Mandaboos or play with friends by creating your own Mandaboos for friends to guess, or try your guessing prowess with your friends’ Mandaboos and keep the learning going. Terms Of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

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

Mandaboo3 screens
Hanyu Wave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Mandaboo at 5.0 against Hanyu Wave's 4.0. Mandaboo also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%). Hanyu Wave's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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. Mandaboo sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 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

Mandaboo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Mandaboo's written reviews are positive against 75% of Hanyu Wave's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Mandaboo versus Hanyu Wave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMandabooHanyu Wave
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings6 — better4
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB45 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperMandarin Monkey LtdKyungil Choi

Customer experience

Mandaboo

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Mandaboo

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Six Month Subscription3 Days trial$54.996 Months
  • Annual Subscription$99.991 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 Mandaboo free?
Mandaboo 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, Mandaboo or Hanyu Wave?
Mandaboo is rated higher. Mandaboo averages 5.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Hanyu Wave averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Mandaboo or Hanyu Wave have ads?
Mandaboo shows ads; Hanyu Wave does not.
Which is updated more often, Mandaboo or Hanyu Wave?
Mandaboo ships an update weekly, and Hanyu Wave weekly. Most recently, Mandaboo was updated on October 9, 2026 and Hanyu Wave on October 16, 2026.

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