Survival Mandarin vs Bootstrap Chinese Grammar
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Survival Mandarin
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Survival Mandarin is a localised handcrafted curated list of words and phrases that are very useful for your language travel needs. The best travelling experience is when you can speak the language. When you go to a restaurant, you will have the full menu in your hands. If you are vegetarian or can't eat pork, you'll know what to order. There is an amazing listing of categories and words to choose from and with native audio. All handcrafted with localised experience. Learn Chinese (Mandarin) words and phrases in simplified chinese & pinyin beautifully designed just for your travel! By SurvivalLanguage.com
Bootstrap Chinese Grammar
This app offers a structured, grammar-based approach to learning Chinese. It features clear explanations, numerous audio examples, and interactive exercises to build speaking and comprehension skills. A personal study list helps streamline the learning process.
- 200 grammar topics
- 2800+ audio examples
- Step-by-step learning
- Interactive exercises
- Personal study list
- Companion book integration
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LEARN CHINESE GRAMMAR – STEP BY STEP, BEGINNER TO ADVANCED Bootstrap Chinese Grammar takes you through Mandarin grammar in 204 short, clear topics, with over 2,800 example phrases recorded by a native speaker. Understand how Chinese sentences work, then practise until it sticks – so you can speak and understand Chinese precisely and with confidence. STEP-BY-STEP TOPICS Start at the very beginning with 是 (shì) and 不 (bù) and build up one small, self-contained step at a time: questions with 吗 and 呢, measure words, 了 and 过, comparisons with 比, resultative and directional complements, 虽然…但是, 越来越, 连…都 and much more – right through to everyday idioms. Each topic explains one grammar point in plain English, then adds new patterns and new words on top of what you already know. EXAMPLES YOU CAN HEAR AND READ Every topic has plenty of examples, and each one comes with: • Simplified characters and pinyin, written with the tone changes you actually hear • An English translation • Notes showing how the example uses the grammar, with the meanings of new words • Native-speaker audio, at normal or slow speed Tap any word to hear it on its own and see its pinyin and meaning. Pinyin is coloured by tone, and you can hide it to test your reading. EXERCISES FOR DEEP LEARNING Once you understand a topic, practise it: • Phrase builder – put the words of each phrase in the right order • Multiple choice – pick the missing word • "Why?" – make a mistake and see exactly what went wrong NEW: LISTENING & TONES A second set of exercises in every topic trains your ear: • Build each phrase from its audio alone • Hear a word and pick its tones NEW: SPACED REPETITION Every phrase you practise comes back for review just before you're likely to forget it – the next day, then after a few days, a week, and longer. A few minutes a day keeps everything you've learnt fresh. AUDIO REVIEW Play through a topic's phrases hands-free with voice commands ("play", "slow", "next", "meaning"). Record yourself and compare with the native speaker, or set it on auto-play, lock the screen and listen with your phone in your pocket. THE COMPANION BOOK Prefer to study from a book? "Bootstrap Chinese Grammar" is also available on Amazon. Scan the QR code at the start of any chapter with the app and it opens that topic, with all of its examples and their audio. ALSO • Search every phrase and word in the app • Build your own Study List of phrases to focus on • Track your progress in every topic • Share a phrase as a video or image TRY IT FREE The first 10 topics are completely free. One lifetime in-app purchase unlocks all 204 topics with their audio and exercises – no subscription, and all future updates free.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Survival Mandarin at daily against Bootstrap Chinese Grammar's every 11 months. Survival Mandarin also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Survival Mandarin sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Bootstrap Chinese Grammar sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Survival Mandarin ships an update daily, Bootstrap Chinese Grammar every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Survival Mandarin | Bootstrap Chinese Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 56 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MEGASAP | Declan Software |
In-app purchases
Survival Mandarin
- Pro Version$1.99
Bootstrap Chinese Grammar
- Unlock All Chinese$34.99
Questions
Is Survival Mandarin free?
Is Bootstrap Chinese Grammar free?
Do Survival Mandarin or Bootstrap Chinese Grammar have ads?
Which is updated more often, Survival Mandarin or Bootstrap Chinese Grammar?
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