Comparison

Mandarin vs HanSounds

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Mandarin

This app serves as a bilingual dictionary for Chinese language learners. It allows users to search for words in both English and Chinese, supporting pinyin input and both traditional and simplified characters. The dictionary is powered by the free CEDICT database.

Highlights
  • English to Chinese dictionary
  • Chinese to English dictionary
  • Pinyin input support
  • Traditional and simplified character support
  • Built-in database of thousands of words
Features
Read full description

'Mandarin' is a simple dictionary for Chinese language students. The built-in database of several thousand words can be searched for in both directions, from English to Chinese and from Chinese to English. Chinese words can be entered in pinyin notation or using the Chinese keyboard layout. Both traditional and simplified characters are supported. The Chinese dictionary lookup uses the free CEDICT dictionary from http://cc-cedict.org/.

About

HanSounds

Learn Mandarin Chinese with a structured curriculum designed for English speakers. Master pronunciation, tones, and characters through animated guides and interactive quizzes. Build a strong foundation for fluency.

Highlights
  • Animated mouth diagrams for pronunciation
  • Tone and Pinyin visualization
  • Character study and quizzes
  • Progress tracking
  • Distraction-free design
  • English explanations
Features
Read full description

知音 (Zhīyīn) means "a person who truly understands you" — and that's exactly what this app is designed to be for Mandarin learners. Whether you've always been curious about China, planning a trip, or simply love languages, 知音 gives you the most solid foundation possible for learning Mandarin Chinese — just like Chinese children learn it in school. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Stage 1 — Initials & Finals (声母韵母) Master the building blocks of all Mandarin sounds. Each sound comes with an English approximation, IPA notation, articulation guide, and an animated mouth diagram showing exactly how to position your lips and tongue. Stage 2 — Tones & Pinyin (声调) Mandarin has 4 tones — the same syllable means completely different things depending on your pitch. We explain each tone with animated pitch contour visualizations and memory tricks that actually stick. Stage 3 — Chinese Characters (汉字) Study and quiz yourself on the 1,000 most frequently used Chinese characters, each with Pinyin, tone, English meaning, and example words. WHY 知音 - Built for English speakers — all explanations are in English - Animated mouth diagrams — see exactly how each sound is made - Pitch contour animations — visualize tones the way linguists do - Progress tracking — track your mastered sounds and characters - Clean, distraction-free design — focus on learning, nothing else - No ads, no gimmicks Start with "māo" (猫, cat) and work your way to fluency. 加油!

Screenshots

Mandarin3 screens
HanSounds4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mandarin at Free against HanSounds's $9.99. Mandarin also leads on iOS requirement (6.1 vs 17.6). HanSounds's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 8 months). On ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Mandarin is free to download; HanSounds costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HanSounds holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mandarin ships an update every 8 months, HanSounds every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Mandarin versus HanSounds: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMandarinHanSounds
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating4.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS6.1 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developersofthub龙 程

Customer experience

Mandarin

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

HanSounds

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Mandarin

No in-app purchases

None

HanSounds

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mandarin free?
Mandarin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HanSounds free?
HanSounds costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mandarin or HanSounds?
HanSounds is rated higher. Mandarin averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while HanSounds averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Mandarin or HanSounds have ads?
Neither Mandarin nor HanSounds shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mandarin or HanSounds?
Mandarin ships an update every 8 months, and HanSounds every 4 days. Most recently, Mandarin was updated on September 24, 2026 and HanSounds on October 10, 2026.

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