Comparison

Read Chinese vs Bootstrap Chinese Grammar

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

Head to head
About

Read Chinese

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
Read full description

Learn Mandarin Chinese by reading and listening different phrases and stories. - Read stories in Mandarin. - Learn different Chinese phrases. - Phrases are sorted by HSK level. - All phrases are voiced and can be represented as pinyin. - Translation for each sentence is represented as a whole or each word individually. - Translate any word or phrase inside the app. - Completely free.

About

Bootstrap Chinese Grammar

This app offers a structured, grammar-based approach to learning Chinese. It features clear explanations, numerous audio examples, and interactive exercises to build speaking and comprehension skills. A personal study list helps streamline the learning process.

Highlights
  • 200 grammar topics
  • 2800+ audio examples
  • Step-by-step learning
  • Interactive exercises
  • Personal study list
  • Companion book integration
Features
Read full description

LEARN CHINESE GRAMMAR – STEP BY STEP, BEGINNER TO ADVANCED Bootstrap Chinese Grammar takes you through Mandarin grammar in 204 short, clear topics, with over 2,800 example phrases recorded by a native speaker. Understand how Chinese sentences work, then practise until it sticks – so you can speak and understand Chinese precisely and with confidence. STEP-BY-STEP TOPICS Start at the very beginning with 是 (shì) and 不 (bù) and build up one small, self-contained step at a time: questions with 吗 and 呢, measure words, 了 and 过, comparisons with 比, resultative and directional complements, 虽然…但是, 越来越, 连…都 and much more – right through to everyday idioms. Each topic explains one grammar point in plain English, then adds new patterns and new words on top of what you already know. EXAMPLES YOU CAN HEAR AND READ Every topic has plenty of examples, and each one comes with: • Simplified characters and pinyin, written with the tone changes you actually hear • An English translation • Notes showing how the example uses the grammar, with the meanings of new words • Native-speaker audio, at normal or slow speed Tap any word to hear it on its own and see its pinyin and meaning. Pinyin is coloured by tone, and you can hide it to test your reading. EXERCISES FOR DEEP LEARNING Once you understand a topic, practise it: • Phrase builder – put the words of each phrase in the right order • Multiple choice – pick the missing word • "Why?" – make a mistake and see exactly what went wrong NEW: LISTENING & TONES A second set of exercises in every topic trains your ear: • Build each phrase from its audio alone • Hear a word and pick its tones NEW: SPACED REPETITION Every phrase you practise comes back for review just before you're likely to forget it – the next day, then after a few days, a week, and longer. A few minutes a day keeps everything you've learnt fresh. AUDIO REVIEW Play through a topic's phrases hands-free with voice commands ("play", "slow", "next", "meaning"). Record yourself and compare with the native speaker, or set it on auto-play, lock the screen and listen with your phone in your pocket. THE COMPANION BOOK Prefer to study from a book? "Bootstrap Chinese Grammar" is also available on Amazon. Scan the QR code at the start of any chapter with the app and it opens that topic, with all of its examples and their audio. ALSO • Search every phrase and word in the app • Build your own Study List of phrases to focus on • Track your progress in every topic • Share a phrase as a video or image TRY IT FREE The first 10 topics are completely free. One lifetime in-app purchase unlocks all 204 topics with their audio and exercises – no subscription, and all future updates free.

Screenshots

Read Chinese4 screens
Bootstrap Chinese Grammar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Read Chinese at 4.6 against Bootstrap Chinese Grammar's 4.0. Read Chinese also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (7 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Read Chinese sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Bootstrap Chinese Grammar sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Read Chinese holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Read Chinese has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Read Chinese ships an update every 2 days, Bootstrap Chinese Grammar every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Read Chinese versus Bootstrap Chinese Grammar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRead ChineseBootstrap Chinese Grammar
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings7 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVladislav AlikovDeclan Software

Customer experience

Read Chinese

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative0.0%

Bootstrap Chinese Grammar

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

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Read Chinese

One-time1
  • Remove ads$1.99
1 purchases

Bootstrap Chinese Grammar

One-time1
  • Unlock All Chinese$34.99

Questions

Is Read Chinese free?
Read Chinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bootstrap Chinese Grammar free?
Bootstrap Chinese Grammar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Read Chinese or Bootstrap Chinese Grammar?
Read Chinese is rated higher. Read Chinese averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Bootstrap Chinese Grammar averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Read Chinese or Bootstrap Chinese Grammar have ads?
Neither Read Chinese nor Bootstrap Chinese Grammar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Read Chinese or Bootstrap Chinese Grammar?
Read Chinese ships an update every 2 days, and Bootstrap Chinese Grammar every 11 months. Most recently, Read Chinese was updated on November 3, 2026 and Bootstrap Chinese Grammar on October 30, 2026.

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