# trainchinese vs Skritter

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | trainchinese | Skritter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trainchinese/id333830076/reviews)** | [4.7 (825 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/skritter-write-chinese/id1370892114/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.4K** | 825 |
| Positive reviews | 76.2% of reviews | **82.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 328 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [trainchinese B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1443075140) | [Inkren, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/402280587) |

## What reviewers say

### trainchinese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trainchinese/id333830076)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OCR Feature | $4.99 | one-time |
| 3 months | $11.99 | one-time |
| 3 months + 10 lists | $15.99 | one-time |
| 6 months | $19.99 | one-time |
| 6 months + 10 lists | $23.99 | one-time |
| 3 months + 30 lists | $25.99 | one-time |
| 12 months | $34.99 | one-time |
| 6 months + 30 lists | $34.99 | one-time |
| 12 months + 10 lists | $37.99 | one-time |
| 12 months + 60 lists | $54.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/skritter-write-chinese/id1370892114)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Skritter Premium (1 month) | $9.99 | per month |
| Skritter Premium (1 month) | $14.99 | per month |
| Skritter Premium (1 month) | $14.99 | per month |
| Skritter Premium (6 month) | $59.99 | per 6 months |
| Skritter Premium (6 month) | $69.99 | per 6 months |
| Skritter Premium (1 year) | $99.99 | per year |
| Skritter Premium (1 year) | $99.99 | per year |
| Skritter Premium (1 year) | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*