trainchinese vs Stringboard Chinese Keyboard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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)
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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
Stringboard Chinese Keyboard
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WORRIED YOUR CHILD'S CHINESE IS SLIPPING? Stringboard turns Chinese writing practice into something they actually want to do. Start with a free 7-day challenge. One short mission a day, no pinyin needed. A GAME, NOT ANOTHER WORKSHEET Each daily mission teaches 3-4 characters through a walkthrough, then a game where they shoot down falling characters by typing the correct stroke order. Just 10 minutes a day makes all the difference. NO PINYIN. NO MEMORIZATION. Stringboard's stroke-and-radical keyboard works the way kids already learn to write. If they can write it, they can type it. Even 4-year-olds pick it up in minutes. TYPING IS WRITING PRACTICE Every character is typed by selecting the right strokes and radicals in the right order, the same skill they need on paper. Real handwriting reinforcement is built into every tap. BUILT FOR BUSY FAMILIES No extra tutors, no printing worksheets, no scheduling around an already-packed week. Just open the app after dinner or on the MTR home. CANTONESE, MANDARIN, OR BOTH Toggle between Traditional, Simplified, and Cantonese characters with one tap. Whether your child speaks Cantonese at home, Mandarin at school, or both, we’re here to support you. REAL-TIME FEEDBACK = INDEPENDENT PRACTICE Live stroke and radical hints mean your child can practice on their own. You're not coaching homework at 10pm anymore. FREE TO START The 7-day challenge is free forever, no card required. When they're ready for more, one subscription unlocks every lesson pack: the full Hong Kong P1–P6 Chinese curriculum, with unlimited practice. The Stringboard keyboard works across every app on their phone, and stays free for life. Loving Stringboard? A quick review helps other families find us! Need help? hello@stringboard.tech Video tutorial: https://youtu.be/zTGRsduVyoM Threads: @stringboardhk Instagram: @stringboardhk Privacy: stringboard.tech/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Stringboard Chinese Keyboard at none against trainchinese's 13. On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. trainchinese sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Stringboard Chinese Keyboard asks for nothing beyond the download.
trainchinese ships an update fortnightly, Stringboard Chinese Keyboard every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | trainchinese | Stringboard Chinese Keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.4K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.4K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 328 MB | 238 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | trainchinese B.V. | Stringboard Technologies Ltd |
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
Stringboard Chinese Keyboard
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
trainchinese
- OCR Feature$4.99
- 10 lists$8.99
- 3 months$11.99
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- 3 months + 10 lists$15.99
- 6 months$19.99
- 30 lists$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 + 30 lists$45.99
- 12 months + 60 lists$54.99
Stringboard Chinese Keyboard
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is trainchinese free?
Is Stringboard Chinese Keyboard free?
Do trainchinese or Stringboard Chinese Keyboard have ads?
Which is updated more often, trainchinese or Stringboard Chinese Keyboard?
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