Comparison

Speak Cantonese vs CantoCards

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

Head to head
About

Speak Cantonese

Learn Cantonese with a daily phrase, native pronunciation, and context. This app focuses on practical vocabulary and a gentle learning habit for heritage speakers. It offers a structured approach to reconnecting with the language.

Highlights
  • Daily phrase with context
  • Native Hong Kong pronunciation
  • Jyutping romanization
  • Top 100 useful phrases
  • Two-minute daily practice
  • Streak tracking and XP
  • Dark mode and themes
Features
Read full description

Reconnect with Cantonese — one phrase at a time. Speak Cantonese gives you one carefully chosen phrase each day: native Hong Kong pronunciation, Jyutping romanization, and the little bit of context that makes it stick. No firehose of vocabulary. No streaks you dread. Just a quiet daily habit that brings the language of home back to your tongue. Built for heritage learners — the children and grandchildren of Cantonese speakers who understand a little, or used to, and want to find their way back. What you get —A new phrase every morning, chosen to be genuinely useful —Tap any character to hear it on its own —Native Hong Kong pronunciation, with a slow-listen mode —Jyutping romanization on every phrase —The Top 100 phrases that really come up — greetings, family, yum cha, shopping, getting around —A two-minute daily practice: listen, match, and say it aloud —Track your streak, earn XP, and watch your level grow —Three calm themes and a full dark mode Whether you are getting ready to visit family, planning a trip to Hong Kong, or simply keeping a connection alive, Speak Cantonese meets you where you are — a few minutes a day, every day. 加油 — add oil. Let’s begin.

About

CantoCards

Master Cantonese characters with this app that teaches meanings and readings using spaced repetition for long-term memory. Explore Cantonese culture and unlock new opportunities with this comprehensive learning tool.

Highlights
  • Learn English meanings of Cantonese characters
  • Learn Cantonese readings (Jyutping/Yale)
  • Spaced repetition algorithm for memorization
  • Audio pronunciation of characters
  • 800 characters across 40 levels
  • Game Center achievements and leaderboards
Features
Read full description

CantoCards is a Cantonese learning app that teaches you Chinese character meanings with their Cantonese readings. CantoCards uses spaced repetition to help you solidify this new knowledge in your long term memory. Cantonese is the primary spoken language of the Pearl River Delta area of Southeastern China and is an official language in the Hong Kong & Macau SARs. It is also widely spoken in overseas Chinese communities throughout the world with large communities in Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Cantonese has a rich heritage and learning the language will unlock a trove of culture ranging from classic films from Hong Kong cinema to the musical world of Cantopop to the beauty of Cantonese opera. CantoCards can be your first step into this exciting world. Features - Learn the English meanings of Chinese characters used in Cantonese - Learn the Cantonese readings of Chinese characters using Jyutping or Yale romanization - Optimized studying using a spaced repetition algorithm to help you memorize characters for the long term - Hear the characters spoken as you learn them (requires Cantonese voices to be installed on your device) - 800 characters to study within 40 levels (with much more to come in the future!) - Use Game Center achievements & leaderboards to compete with the world - The first two levels are free to study, unlock the rest with a subscription to CantoCards Privacy Policy: https://www.elevenfiftyfour.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Speak Cantonese4 screens
CantoCards4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Speak Cantonese at none against CantoCards's 2. Speak Cantonese also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and device support (3 vs 1). CantoCards's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, ratings volume and iOS requirement 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. CantoCards sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Speak Cantonese asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Speak Cantonese against 5.0 for CantoCards. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Speak Cantonese ships an update weekly, CantoCards fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 1, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 4 level
Speak Cantonese versus CantoCards: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpeak CantoneseCantoCards
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNico LiuJason Thompson

Customer experience

Speak Cantonese

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

CantoCards

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Speak Cantonese

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

CantoCards

Subscriptions2
  • CantoCards (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • CantoCards (Annual)$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Speak Cantonese free?
Speak Cantonese is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CantoCards free?
CantoCards is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Speak Cantonese or CantoCards?
Speak Cantonese and CantoCards are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Speak Cantonese or CantoCards have ads?
Speak Cantonese shows ads; CantoCards does not.
Which is updated more often, Speak Cantonese or CantoCards?
Speak Cantonese ships an update weekly, and CantoCards fortnightly. Most recently, Speak Cantonese was updated on September 1, 2026 and CantoCards on June 1, 2026.

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