Comparison

trainchinese vs Chivoc

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

Chivoc

Learn Chinese with comprehensive HSK vocabulary, Pinyin, character structure, and handwriting practice. Features interactive tools for pronunciation, listening, and engaging games to reinforce learning.

Highlights
  • HSK vocabulary study (11,000+ words)
  • Pinyin and pronunciation practice
  • Interactive character structure exploration
  • Handwriting practice with stroke order
  • Listening comprehension exercises
  • Vocabulary reinforcement games
  • Grammar lessons with practice modes
Features
Read full description

Chivoc brings HSK vocabulary, Pinyin, Chinese character structure, handwriting, listening practice, and learning games into one focused multilingual app. Study more than 11,000 words across HSK 1–9, practise pronunciation and writing, and explore how Chinese sounds and characters are built through interactive learning tools. EXPLORE PINYIN AND PRONUNCIATION • Build complete syllables with the Pinyin Spelling Keyboard by combining initials, finals, and tones • Tap Pinyin keys to hear clear pronunciation • Rotate the Pinyin Wheel to align sounds and explore valid Pinyin combinations • Learn and practise the four tones and neutral tone • Download a Pinyin audio package containing 1,305 pronunciation recordings • Manage and update downloaded audio resources from your profile DISCOVER HOW CHINESE CHARACTERS ARE BUILT • Explore 74 common radicals with interactive Radical Pull Cards • Learn radicals through colourful illustrations and visual associations • Swipe through component cards to see how different parts combine inside Chinese characters • View each character’s Pinyin, pronunciation, and meaning • Explore 50 phonetic families with the Phonetic Wheels • Rotate radicals around each phonetic component to discover related characters • Learn the pronunciation, meaning, and example words for each character BUILD YOUR HSK VOCABULARY • Study more than 11,000 words across HSK 1–9 • View Chinese characters, Pinyin, part of speech, and translations • Listen to clear word audio with replay • Choose the HSK levels you want to study • Set daily learning goals and track your progress PRACTISE IN DIFFERENT WAYS • Chinese-to-meaning exercises • Meaning-to-Chinese exercises • Audio recognition • Fill-in-the-blank practice • Handwriting from Chinese characters, audio, meanings, and missing characters • Review mistakes and strengthen difficult vocabulary UNDERSTAND EVERY STROKE • Follow guided stroke order and character outlines • Use stroke hints, undo, and rewrite controls • Compare your handwriting with the standard character • Practise writing characters in multiple learning modes TURN REVIEW INTO PLAY • Connection games • Word-matching challenges • Climbing word-wall practice • Reinforce vocabulary through short and engaging activities DOWNLOAD ONLY WHAT YOU NEED • Download vocabulary packs for HSK 1–9 • Download and update the Pinyin pronunciation package • Manage downloaded resources from your profile • Keep your learning progress and resources organised in one place MASTER CHINESE GRAMMAR Build a strong foundation with 605 carefully organized grammar points across progressive levels. Each lesson includes clear explanations, practical sentence patterns, pinyin, translations, example sentences, and audio with adjustable playback speeds. Reinforce what you learn through three focused practice modes: • Fill in the blank • Chinese reading comprehension • Chinese-to-native-language translation Complete lessons, unlock new courses, and track your progress as you advance from essential structures to more complex Chinese grammar. LEARN IN YOUR LANGUAGE Choose your preferred interface language: • English (U.S. and UK) • Simplified Chinese • Vietnamese • Russian • French • Spanish • Korean • Japanese • Greek • Arabic • German • Portuguese • Italian • Thai Whether you are beginning with Pinyin, preparing for the HSK, practising Chinese handwriting, or exploring the structure of Chinese characters, Chivoc gives you the tools to learn step by step. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Chivoc Terms of Service: https://www.chivoc.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://www.chivoc.com/privacy/

Screenshots

trainchinese4 screens
Chivoc4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chivoc at none against trainchinese's shown. Chivoc also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (100% vs 76%). trainchinese's advantage is ratings volume (2.4K vs 2) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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 13 one-off in-app purchases and Chivoc sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

trainchinese holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: trainchinese has 2.4K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of trainchinese's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chivoc's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

trainchinese ships an update fortnightly, Chivoc every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
trainchinese versus Chivoc: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametertrainchineseChivoc
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.4K ratings) — better4.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.4K — better2
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size328 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developertrainchinese B.V.佳 郭

Customer experience

trainchinese

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

Chivoc

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Chivoc

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

13 purchases

trainchinese

One-time13
  • OCR Feature$4.99
  • 10 lists$8.99
  • 3 months$11.99
Show 10 more
  • 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
3 purchases

Chivoc

Subscriptions3
  • Chivoc Premium Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Chivoc Premium 6 Months$12.996 Months
  • Chivoc Premium Annual$19.991 Year

Questions

Is trainchinese free?
trainchinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chivoc free?
Chivoc is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, trainchinese or Chivoc?
trainchinese is rated higher. trainchinese averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Chivoc averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do trainchinese or Chivoc have ads?
trainchinese shows ads; Chivoc does not.
Which is updated more often, trainchinese or Chivoc?
trainchinese ships an update fortnightly, and Chivoc every 3 days. Most recently, trainchinese was updated on November 1, 2026 and Chivoc on October 25, 2026.

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