Comparison

trainchinese vs Skritter

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

Head to head
About

trainchinese

Learn Chinese with a comprehensive dictionary, flashcards, and OCR. Access example sentences, audio, and character animations. Supports both Simplified and Traditional Chinese, with customizable phonetic input.

Highlights
  • Comprehensive Chinese dictionary
  • Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
  • Spaced Repetition flashcard system
  • Character animations and handwriting training
  • Support for Simplified and Traditional Chinese
  • Multiple phonetic input options (Pinyin, Zhuyin)
Features
Read full description

Learn Chinese with an amazing dictionary (plus OCR) and flash card system. trainchinese will teach you Chinese, with a free and complete dictionary, thousands of vocab lists, example sentences, audio recordings, measure words, character animations and Optical Character Recognition — not to mention a powerful flash card training system that even includes handwriting training! • Our dictionary prioritises commonly-used words and phrases above the obscure and obsolete, while example sentences and measure words (classifiers) provide crucial context to help you decide which Chinese word is the most appropriate translation. Other dictionaries just leave you guessing! • We've got Optical Character Recognition (OCR) too. Spotted some Chinese you can't read? Capture a photo of some Chinese text from a menu, book or sign, and the app identifies and translates the characters for you. • Search for words by part of speech • Mistyped a word? Helpful spelling suggestions get you to the right results fast. • Words feature both example sentences and measure words for nouns. It's time to move beyond "个"! And best of all it's all connected: tap examples and measure words to open them as full dictionary entries. • trainchinese is great for students: it includes more than a thousand vocabulary lists covering topics from International Relations to American Football Teams and more. Feel like something's missing? Users often get in touch to ask for lists on the topics they're studying, and we're happy to oblige! You'll also find lists containing HSK-level words (both old and new standards), plus TOCFL lists for students in Taiwan! • Highlight words with your finger for super-fast access to character animations, related searches and more! • Whether you're studying the Simplified (mainland China and Singapore) or Traditional (Hong Kong and Taiwan) variants, we've got you covered! Easily switch between them or choose to display both in dictionary results and on flash cards. Even better, you can use the phonetics you're comfortable with - choose from Pinyin with tone marks, Pinyin with tone numbers or even Zhuyin characters (from the BoPoMoFo system used in Taiwan). • Create flash cards with audio and animation from dictionary entries. Organise them into lists, and share them with friends (or students). • Our Spaced Repetition system ensures you'll memorize words for good. • Train your way: each card is available in four different modes to test different aspects of Chinese study. See Chinese, Pinyin or English and get tested on translation, and even compare your handwriting to a stroke-order animation side-by-side, synchronized! Or if you prefer, there's multiple choice training too (for a real challenge, try it in "Dictation" mode!). • Flash cards are saved on your device and synchronized with trainchinese.com, where you can also train with them and find more great content. • Add study notes to your flash cards - they're saved and backed up at trainchinese.com. Don't forget to check out our other apps (tap our company name in the App Store for more info): - Chinese Writer - Chinese Audio Trainer - Pinyin Trainer - Number Trainer - Chinese Challenges

About

Skritter

Master Mandarin characters through interactive writing practice. Learn meanings, readings, and tones with curated decks for all levels, from beginner to advanced.

Highlights
  • Interactive character writing practice
  • Learn character meaning, reading, and tone
  • Topic-based and difficulty-level decks
  • HSK 1-9 study decks
  • Stroke order guidance
  • Review mode
Features
Read full description

Remember every Chinese character you learn. Most apps ask you to recognize characters. Skritter asks you to write them, because writing is one of the fastest ways to make a character stick. When you write a character, you recall every part of it, so the next time you see it, you really know it. Self-studying or taking classes? Learn Mandarin with HSK, TOCFL and textbook vocab, in simplified or traditional characters. WRITE TO REMEMBER Recall each character stroke by stroke, with instant feedback on your handwriting and stroke order. Prefer to focus on readings and meanings? You can turn writing off any time. SPACED REPETITION THAT FITS YOUR DAY Our spaced repetition system (SRS) brings each word back just before you forget it, so you practice what is slipping and skip what you know. Daily reminders keep the habit going, and a few minutes a day adds up to thousands of characters over time. HSK, TOCFL AND YOUR TEXTBOOK - HSK 3.0 levels 1 to 3, with more levels added as they are released - Every HSK 2.0 level - TOCFL decks - Most popular Chinese textbook series, chapter by chapter, so you can study this week's words tonight 700+ DECKS AND GUIDED COURSES - The Skritter Character Course: learn how characters work and master 150 high-use characters - 100 Common Radicals: see how characters are built - Chinese Stroke Order: eight simple rules for balanced, readable handwriting - Hundreds more topics, with new video lessons added regularly - Or build your own word list in seconds. YOUR SCRIPT, YOUR WAY Study traditional or simplified characters, or both, with pinyin or zhuyin (bopomofo). THREE WRITING MODES Start with guided strokes and hints, move to freehand, then write whole characters from memory and grade yourself. SKRITTER PREMIUM - Personalized SRS reviews - Instant handwriting and stroke order feedback - HSK, TOCFL, textbook lists and 700+ official decks - Example sentences, tone practice and tips from expert teachers - Web, mobile and offline support - One subscription covers both Skritter Chinese and Skritter Japanese Privacy Policy: https://skritter.com/legal Terms of Use: https://docs.skritter.com/article/133-terms-of-use

Screenshots

trainchinese4 screens
Skritter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Skritter at none against trainchinese's shown. trainchinese's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. trainchinese sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Skritter sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for trainchinese against 4.7 for Skritter. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.4K and 825 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of trainchinese's written reviews are positive against 83% of Skritter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

trainchinese ships an update fortnightly, Skritter every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
trainchinese versus Skritter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametertrainchineseSkritter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.4K ratings) — better4.7 (825 ratings)
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews82.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.4K — better825
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size328 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developertrainchinese B.V.Inkren, Inc.

Customer experience

trainchinese

All ratings2,367 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral3.6%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews223 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral7.6%
Negative16.1%

Skritter

All ratings825 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral1.9%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews381 reviews
Positive82.9%
Neutral5.5%
Negative11.5%

User reviews

trainchinese

From 2.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app for learning Chinese
  • 👍 Helpful for improving vocabulary, pronunciation, and writing
  • 🚀 Comprehensive dictionary and flashcard features
  • 👍 Customizable word lists and training modes
  • 🚀 Detailed stroke order animations for characters

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs after updates
  • 💰 Subscription model is expensive for long-term use
  • 🔍 Confusing and unintuitive user interface
  • 🔍 Limited functionality in free version
  • 🐛 Syncing and login issues

Skritter

From 825 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent for learning and retaining characters
  • 👍 Great interface and user experience
  • 💡 Helpful videos and content
  • 👍 Effective for writing practice and stroke order
  • 👍 Customizable decks and learning options

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync and loading issues
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔒 Requires payment info upfront
  • 🐛 Inconsistent character recognition
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes reported

Bugs and requests

trainchinese

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when trying to move or add words to lists
  • Audio playback not working for some words
  • Writing recognition feature is unreliable
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between app and website

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add option to learn on multiple languages (e.g. English and Russian)
  • Improve organization and navigation of word lists
  • Implement more engaging learning games and activities
  • Allow users to easily add their own custom words and phrases

Skritter

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Subscription issues and unauthorized charges
  • App freezing and crashing
  • Syncing problems across devices
  • Inconsistent character recognition

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow creating custom decks and word lists
  • Add Cantonese support
  • Improve landscape mode on iPad
  • Provide more detailed performance tracking
  • Add ability to focus on specific problem characters

In-app purchases

10 purchases

trainchinese

One-time10
  • OCR Feature$4.99
  • 3 months$11.99
  • 3 months + 10 lists$15.99
Show 7 more
  • 6 months$19.99
  • 6 months + 10 lists$23.99
  • 3 months + 30 lists$25.99
  • 12 months$34.99
  • 6 months + 30 lists$34.99
  • 12 months + 10 lists$37.99
  • 12 months + 60 lists$54.99
8 purchases

Skritter

Subscriptions8
  • Skritter Premium (1 month)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Skritter Premium (1 month)7 Days trial2 variants$14.991 Month
  • Skritter Premium (1 month)14 Days trial$14.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Skritter Premium (6 month)7 Days trial$59.996 Months
  • Skritter Premium (6 month)7 Days trial$69.996 Months
  • Skritter Premium (1 year)7 Days trial2 variants$99.991 Year
  • Skritter Premium (1 year)14 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Skritter Premium (1 year)7 Days trial$119.991 Year

Questions

Is trainchinese free?
trainchinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Skritter free?
Skritter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, trainchinese or Skritter?
trainchinese is rated higher. trainchinese averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Skritter averages 4.7 from 825 ratings.
Do trainchinese or Skritter have ads?
trainchinese shows ads; Skritter does not.
Which is updated more often, trainchinese or Skritter?
trainchinese ships an update fortnightly, and Skritter every 5 weeks. Most recently, trainchinese was updated on November 6, 2026 and Skritter on November 6, 2026.

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