# Dragontone vs Read Chinese

The clearest difference is update cadence: Read Chinese at every 2 days against Dragontone's every 8 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Dragontone sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Read Chinese sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Dragontone ships an update every 8 months, Read Chinese every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on March 3, 2026 and August 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dragontone | Read Chinese |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.6 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-chinese-learn-mandarin/id1663165662/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **7** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 37 MB | 80 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [振业 卢](https://appshunter.io/developer/1523957833) | [Vladislav Alikov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1603123547) |

## What reviewers say

### Dragontone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dragontone/id1579516552)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| recharge 20 credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| recharge 300 credits | $11.99 | one-time |
| recharge 2100 credits | $79.99 | one-time |


### Read Chinese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-chinese-learn-mandarin/id1663165662)

Master Mandarin Chinese through engaging stories and phrases. This app offers voiced pronunciations, pinyin support, and detailed translations to enhance your learning journey. It's designed for users of all levels to build vocabulary and comprehension.

**Highlights:** Read Mandarin stories, Learn Chinese phrases, Phrases sorted by HSK level, Voiced pronunciations, Pinyin representation, Sentence and word translation, Free to use

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove ads | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dragontone free?

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

### Is Read Chinese free?

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

### Do Dragontone or Read Chinese have ads?

Neither Dragontone nor Read Chinese shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dragontone or Read Chinese?

Dragontone ships an update every 8 months, and Read Chinese every 2 days. Most recently, Dragontone was updated on March 3, 2026 and Read Chinese on August 25, 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.*