# trainchinese vs MandarinUp

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MandarinUp at none against trainchinese's 10. MandarinUp also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). trainchinese's advantage is ratings volume (2.4K vs 1). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. trainchinese sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. MandarinUp asks for nothing beyond the download.

MandarinUp holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: trainchinese has 2.4K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

trainchinese ships an update fortnightly, MandarinUp every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | trainchinese | MandarinUp |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trainchinese/id333830076/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mandarinup/id6450726094/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.4K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 76.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 328 MB | 0 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [trainchinese B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1443075140) | [Mykhailo Osekretov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1601035195) |

## 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


### MandarinUp

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mandarinup/id6450726094)

Learn Chinese through daily typing practice, leveraging modern technology to avoid memorizing complex characters. This app offers a flexible way to study anytime, anywhere, even offline, fitting into a busy schedule.

**Highlights:** Learn Chinese by typing, Avoid character memorization, Practice anytime, anywhere, Fully functional offline, Modern technology approach

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is trainchinese free?

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

### Is MandarinUp free?

MandarinUp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, trainchinese or MandarinUp?

MandarinUp is rated higher. trainchinese averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while MandarinUp averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do trainchinese or MandarinUp have ads?

trainchinese shows ads; MandarinUp does not.

### Which is updated more often, trainchinese or MandarinUp?

trainchinese ships an update fortnightly, and MandarinUp every 4 weeks. Most recently, trainchinese was updated on November 10, 2026 and MandarinUp on November 3, 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.*