Comparison

Bopomofo Studio vs MonChinese

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Bopomofo Studio

Master Chinese pronunciation and characters with this interactive learning tool. It uses English sound comparisons for Bopomofo and allows you to track your progress against other learners. Practice typing and listening to improve your fluency.

Highlights
  • BPMF sound learning with English comparisons
  • Typing and listening practice
  • Score comparison with other users
  • Zhuyin learning with Pinyin background
  • Chinese character practice
Features
Read full description

Learn and practice BPMF (Bopomofo, Zhuyin) and Chinese characters through typing and listening. - Use similar sounds in English to describe BPMF sounds. - Compare your score with other users! - Learn Zhuyin (BPMF) through a Pinyin background.

About

MonChinese

Master Mandarin spoken in Taiwan with this comprehensive learning tool. It covers characters, tones, everyday language, and exam preparation, offering features like camera translation, pronunciation practice, and offline study.

Highlights
  • Camera-based translation
  • Voice search dictionary
  • Taiwanese Mandarin pronunciation training
  • TOCFL vocabulary with example sentences
  • Grammar explanations and stroke-order writing
  • Interactive mini-games and role-play conversations
  • Offline learning capabilities
Features
Read full description

MonChinese is a Traditional Chinese learning app built around Taiwan's TOCFL framework. Learn the words and grammar for each level, read and listen to stories written for your level, practise writing characters, and check where you stand with adaptive mock exams. VOCABULARY BY TOCFL LEVEL • Around 8,000 learning words across Foundation, Beginner (A1–A2), Intermediate (B1–B2) and Advanced (C1), plus a "Working in Taiwan" survival set • Pinyin and Zhuyin (Bopomofo) for every word, audio, example sentences and related words • Flashcards with five ways to practise: flip, learn, match, spelling and test • Decks for the textbooks 當代中文課程 and 時代華語, lesson by lesson SMART REVIEW • Spaced repetition schedules each word for the right day, so you review before you forget • Flip-and-swipe review cards, with honest progress that doesn't jump just because you practised early READING AND LISTENING • 175 original graded passages (A1–C1) with natural voice audio and word-by-word highlighting • 50 two-person dialogues with role-play and shadowing • Tap any word for its meaning; build your own word list as you read TOCFL MOCK EXAMS • Adaptive test (CAT): listening or reading, the questions adjust to your level and the result shows the level you have reliably reached • Band A, B and C papers modelled on the official exam structure, with timed listening and reading sections • Not affiliated with or endorsed by the TOCFL testing organisation WRITING • Stroke-order practice in 8 stages, from the first strokes to complex characters • Recall Grid: type each word from memory in a spreadsheet-style grid; only answers you recall unaided count towards your review schedule GRAMMAR AND EXPLORE • 462 grammar points from A1 to C1 with explanations and examples • Easily confused word pairs, measure words, collocations, antonyms, word families built on a shared character, and 300 four-character idioms • Taiwan youth slang, kept up to date LOOK-UP TOOLS • Search by characters, pinyin or meaning, or by camera, voice or handwriting • A dictionary of over 60,000 entries based on the Ministry of Education dictionary, plus place names and slang • AI translation of sentences and short passages MADE FOR YOU • Interface and explanations in English, Vietnamese and Indonesian • Progress syncs across your iPhone and iPad • Designed for iPad with a sidebar and multi-column layouts • Daily goals, streaks, quests and achievements keep you going MonChinese is free to use with ads. MonChinese Premium removes ads and unlocks all reading levels, dialogues, Explore collections and more. Premium is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel them in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://monchinese.me/privacy Terms of Use: https://monchinese.me/terms

Screenshots

Bopomofo Studio4 screens
MonChinese4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bopomofo Studio at none against MonChinese's 3. Bopomofo Studio also leads on ratings volume (29 vs 3). MonChinese's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MonChinese holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bopomofo Studio has 29 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bopomofo Studio ships an update every 3 weeks, MonChinese fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Bopomofo Studio versus MonChinese: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBopomofo StudioMonChinese
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (29 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings29 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB228 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperNelson AquinoHung Vi Van

Customer experience

Bopomofo Studio

All ratings27 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral7.4%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

MonChinese

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Bopomofo Studio

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

MonChinese

Subscriptions2
  • MonChinese Premium$2.991 Month
  • MonChinese Premium$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$14.99

Questions

Is Bopomofo Studio free?
Bopomofo Studio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MonChinese free?
MonChinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bopomofo Studio or MonChinese?
MonChinese is rated higher. Bopomofo Studio averages 4.6 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while MonChinese averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Bopomofo Studio or MonChinese have ads?
Neither Bopomofo Studio nor MonChinese shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bopomofo Studio or MonChinese?
Bopomofo Studio ships an update every 3 weeks, and MonChinese fortnightly. Most recently, Bopomofo Studio was updated on November 3, 2026 and MonChinese on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons