# Sinogram Star vs HanRead

The clearest difference is price: HanRead at Free against Sinogram Star's $19.99. Sinogram Star's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 16.6). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

HanRead is free to download; Sinogram Star costs $19.99 up front. HanRead sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Sinogram Star asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sinogram Star | HanRead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanread-read-and-learn-chinese/id6758079377/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | — | Subscription |
| Size | 67 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.1** | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Clavis Sinica Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1635273455) | [Mianyang FastSequence Artificial Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1869645962) |

## What reviewers say

### Sinogram Star

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sinogram-star/id1635273453)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### HanRead

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanread-read-and-learn-chinese/id6758079377)

This app provides in-depth understanding of Chinese text, going beyond literal translation to explain context, cultural references, and implied meanings. It offers two reading modes: free text interpretation from any app and a curated book library with sentence-by-sentence guidance for deep reading.

**Highlights:** AI-powered text interpretation, Context and cultural reference explanations, Free text mode for any app, Curated book library with guidance, Sentence-level explanations, Summarize difficult passages

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HanRead Pro | $6.99 | per month |
| HanRead Pro | $59.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sinogram Star free?

Sinogram Star costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HanRead free?

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

### Do Sinogram Star or HanRead have ads?

Neither Sinogram Star nor HanRead shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sinogram Star or HanRead?

Sinogram Star ships an update every 3 weeks, and HanRead every 3 weeks. Most recently, Sinogram Star was updated on October 27, 2026 and HanRead on October 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.*