Pleco Chinese Dictionary vs MDX Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pleco Chinese Dictionary
This app is a comprehensive tool for learning Chinese, offering integrated dictionaries, document reading, and flashcard features. It supports various input methods including handwriting and OCR, with extensive dictionary options and pronunciation guides.
- Integrated dictionaries with over 110,000 entries
- Full-screen handwriting input
- Live OCR for word lookup
- Document reader for various file types
- Flashcard system with SRS
- Stroke order diagrams
- Mandarin and Cantonese audio
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Pleco is the ultimate Chinese learning companion: an integrated dictionary / document reader / flashcard system with fullscreen handwriting input and live OCR, from a company that's been making the world's best mobile Chinese learning apps since 2001. Major features: ($ = paid add-on) • Amazing dictionaries. We offer two free built-in dictionaries: the popular open-source CC-CEDICT, with over 110,000 frequently-updated entries, and our own PLC dictionary, with 125,000 entries, parts of speech, and over 25,000 example sentences (with Pinyin). More than two dozen other dictionaries are available as free and paid ($) add-ons, including licensed titles from well-known publishers like Oxford, Longman, FLTRP, Tuttle, SLPH, and Commercial Press. • Powerful merged search: look up words by Chinese characters, Pinyin (spaces / tones optional), or English, with support for wildcards and full-text search. And no need to tediously flip between all of those dictionaries to find a word - just type in your search term and instantly get a combined, frequency-sorted result list. • Links and cross-references: easily look up character components, break down words into individual characters, look up lists of words containing a particular character, and search across all dictionaries for example sentences containing a word. • Gorgeous typography: see it for yourself in our screenshots - we think we're one of the best-looking Chinese dictionaries around. Alternate Kai/Song/Xing-style Chinese fonts are also available ($). • PRC/HK/Taiwan-friendly: every part of Pleco supports both traditional and simplified, headword readings can be shown in Pinyin and Zhuyin, and some dictionaries even support Cantonese. (note: stroke order diagrams do support traditional characters, but use PRC order) • Audio: Hear Mandarin and Cantonese for words and example sentences using iOS' free built-in text-to-speech system. We also offer add-ons ($) with native-speaker Mandarin recordings and higher-quality Mandarin TTS. • Document Reader: bring in text from the clipboard and tap on words in it to instantly look them up. Upgrade ($) adds support for tap-lookups in text, HTML, DOC, DOCX, PDF, and EPUB files. We also offer graded readings ($). • OCR: look up words simply by pointing your device's camera at them, or by tapping on them in a still image. ($) • Fullscreen handwriting: use your device's whole screen instead of just a little box. Extremely accurate and highly tolerant of stroke order mistakes. (enhanced $) • Flashcards: create a card from any dictionary entry with a single button tap, import premade word lists, use advanced memorization techniques like SRS, and study in a variety of modes including fill-in-the-blanks handwriting and tone drills. ($) • Stroke Order Diagrams: animations showing you how to draw each character; 500 characters for free, 28,000 in paid ($) version. • User dictionaries: create new dictionary entries right on your device as you encounter new words. ($) • No ads. We also offer famously excellent customer support and an active user community at http://www.plecoforums.com. And we're constantly working to make our products better; our sales and customer base have been growing for two decades across 4 different platforms. You can be confident that we'll still be fixing bugs and adding features for years to come. Paid add-ons can be transferred to other devices that link to your iTunes account just like any other paid iTunes content; simply install our free app, open up the "Add-ons" screen, and tap on the "Restore Purchases" button to activate your purchase on each device. Please contact us at support@pleco.com, via the form at http://www.pleco.com/contact.html, or using the in-app "Contact Support" command with any questions - we'll be delighted to hear from you.
MDX Reader
This app allows you to build and manage your personal dictionary using MDX/MDD files. It offers powerful offline search, smart favorites, and customizable appearance for a personalized reference experience.
- Unlimited dictionary management
- Fast full-text search
- Smart favorites for saved words
- Customizable appearance
- Offline functionality
- Cross-dictionary search
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MDX Reader is a powerful offline dictionary reading application that supports MDX/MDD format dictionary files. Whether you're learning a language, doing academic research, or need quick reference, MDX Reader is your ideal choice. Core Features • Unlimited Dictionaries Add and manage multiple MDX dictionaries simultaneously, supporting parallel queries across dictionaries for comprehensive information retrieval. • Powerful Search Engine Lightning-fast full-text search with instant results. Supports fuzzy matching and comprehensive indexing. • Smart Favorites One-tap to save important words, organized by dictionary for easy review and management. • Custom Appearance Personalize font family, size, weight, line spacing, padding, and background color. Create your ideal reading experience. • Offline First All dictionary data and search functionality work completely offline. No internet connection required, protecting your privacy. • Cross-Dictionary Search Simultaneously search multiple dictionaries and instantly view definitions from different sources. • Search History Automatically record search history for quick access to previously viewed content. Supported Formats • MDX (MDict Dictionary) Mainstream dictionary format with wide compatibility • MDD (MDict Resource) Supports images, audio, and multimedia resources Premium Features Unlock all features with a one-time purchase: - Unlimited dictionary additions (free version limited to 1) - Unlimited daily searches (free version limited to 20) - Custom appearance settings - Background color selection - Advanced font settings Free Trial New users get a 7-day free trial of all premium features. Experience the full functionality before deciding to purchase. Privacy First - No data collection - No user tracking - No third-party analytics - All data stored locally on device - Complete offline functionality Perfect For - Language learners: Support for multiple language dictionaries - Academic researchers: Professional terminology dictionaries - Translators: Quick reference and terminology lookup - Students: Comprehensive learning resource - Knowledge workers: Personal knowledge base Easy to Use 1. Add Dictionary: Import your MDX/MDD dictionary files 2. Search Words: Enter search terms for instant results 3. Manage Favorites: Save important content for easy review Download MDX Reader now and start your knowledge exploration journey!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: MDX Reader at every 2 weeks against Pleco Chinese Dictionary's every 3 months. MDX Reader also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Pleco Chinese Dictionary's advantage is ratings volume (1.9K vs 1) and chart position (#179 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Pleco Chinese Dictionary sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and MDX Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
MDX Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pleco Chinese Dictionary has 1.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Pleco Chinese Dictionary ships an update every 3 months, MDX Reader every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pleco Chinese Dictionary | MDX Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.9K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1.9K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #179 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 114 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | +9 | 4+ |
| Developer | Pleco Inc. | Yulei Duan |
Customer experience
Pleco Chinese Dictionary
MDX Reader
Bugs and requests
Pleco Chinese Dictionary
Reported bugs
3 issues- Handwriting recognition not always accurate
- Inconsistent performance on older devices
- Occasional issues with iCloud sync and backup
Requested features
4 requests- Improved flashcard management and organization
- More language options beyond Mandarin and Cantonese
- Better integration with other learning apps and platforms
- Ability to filter and prioritize common/essential vocabulary
MDX Reader
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Pleco Chinese Dictionary
- Integrate PurchasesFree
- Mandarin Audio (male)$4.99
- Stroke Order Diagrams$4.99
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- Document Reader$9.99
- Enhanced Handwriting$9.99
- Flashcard System$9.99
- Optical Character Recognizer$9.99
- Basic Bundle$29.99
- A Student's Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese$39.99
- Professional Bundle$59.99
MDX Reader
- MDX Premium (Lifetime)$3.99






