# Wen vs Etch

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Etch at none against Wen's 3. Etch also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 27.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Wen sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Etch asks for nothing beyond the download.

Wen ships an update every 4 weeks, Etch weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Wen | Etch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wen-chinese-character-origin/id1542508056/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **8** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 111 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 27.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pascal Weber](https://appshunter.io/developer/1542508058) | [宏 周](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779031562) |

## What reviewers say

### Wen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wen-chinese-character-origin/id1542508056)

Explore Mandarin vocabulary from HSK and textbooks, understanding individual characters and their component meanings. Discover word relations and use flashcards to test your knowledge. A reader feature allows in-line definition lookup for pasted Chinese text.

**Highlights:** HSK and textbook vocabulary lists, Character and component meaning exploration, Word relation discovery (synonyms, antonyms), Flashcard testing, In-line text reader for definitions, Component sound and meaning analysis

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $24.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Purchase | $99.99 | one-time |


### Etch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/etch-write-to-remember/id6779050358)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Wen free?

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

### Is Etch free?

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

### Do Wen or Etch have ads?

Neither Wen nor Etch shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Wen or Etch?

Wen ships an update every 4 weeks, and Etch weekly. Most recently, Wen was updated on October 27, 2026 and Etch on October 6, 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.*