# Ginkgo vs Traverse

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ginkgo at 93% against Traverse's 32%. Ginkgo also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.7) and ratings volume (155 vs 24). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ginkgo sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Traverse sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $15.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ginkgo holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ginkgo has 155 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of Ginkgo's written reviews are positive against 32% of Traverse's.

Ginkgo ships an update every 6 weeks, Traverse every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ginkgo | Traverse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (155 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ginkgo-learn-chinese-mandarin/id1506925763/reviews)** | [2.7 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/traverse-learn-effectively/id6446630278/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **155** | 24 |
| Positive reviews | **93.1% of reviews** | 31.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 26 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Ginkgo Academy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1455760860) | [OpenInternet](https://appshunter.io/developer/1473782714) |

## What reviewers say

### Ginkgo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ginkgo-learn-chinese-mandarin/id1506925763)

Master Chinese characters and accelerate Mandarin learning with immersive video lessons and interactive flashcards. Explore etymology, history, and cultural significance for enhanced memorization and retention. Personalized learning adapts to your pace and style, featuring native pronunciation for accurate speaking.

**Highlights:** Immersive video classes explaining character stories, Interactive flashcards with visual cues and color-coded tones, HSK vocabulary memorization (HSK 1-4), Personalized learning algorithm adapting to pace, Native speaker audio for pronunciation, Focus on etymology, history, and cultural significance

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited swipes - 1 month | $6.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Swipes | $8.29 | per month |
| Unlimited swipes - 1 month | $8.29 | per month |
| Unlimited swipes - 1year | $59.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Swipes (1 year) | $69.99 | per year |
| Unlimited swipes - 1 year | $69.99 | per year |
| Lifetime - Unlimited swipes | $99.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime - Unlimited swipes | $119.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
- 🎓 Effective spaced repetition system (SRS)
- 🎥 High-quality explanatory videos
- 🧠 Etymology and character origin explanations
- 📚 Comprehensive HSK 1-4 vocabulary coverage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔐 Account login issues with lifetime purchases
- 📖 No option to disable pinyin display
- 🎥 Some videos fail to load
- 💳 Paywall limits free content access
- 📚 Limited explanations for traditional characters

**Reported bugs**

- Login fails for lifetime account holders on new devices
- Video loading failures
- Account access issues despite using same Apple ID

**Requested features**

- Toggle option to hide pinyin for advanced learners
- Video playback controls (pause, rewind, replay)
- Better support for traditional character learning
- Handwriting recognition and grading feature
- Improved account synchronization across devices


### Traverse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/traverse-learn-effectively/id6446630278)

This app combines note-taking, mind mapping, and spaced repetition flashcards to enhance learning and memory. It utilizes cognitive science principles to help users deeply understand and retain information, covering the entire learning cycle from initial ideas to long-term recall.

**Highlights:** Visual note-taking with mind mapping, Spaced repetition flashcards, Cognitive science-based learning, Multimedia content integration, Cloze deletion flashcard creation, Knowledge sharing and community, Inspiration from public learning materials

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Traverse Member | $15.00 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ginkgo free?

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

### Is Traverse free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Ginkgo or Traverse?

Ginkgo is rated higher. Ginkgo averages 4.8 out of 5 from 155 ratings, while Traverse averages 2.7 from 24 ratings.

### Do Ginkgo or Traverse have ads?

Neither Ginkgo nor Traverse shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ginkgo or Traverse?

Ginkgo ships an update every 6 weeks, and Traverse every 3 months. Most recently, Ginkgo was updated on November 3, 2026 and Traverse on November 7, 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.*