ToneDetector vs Hanzi Palace
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ToneDetector
Master Mandarin tones with this intuitive app. Practice pronunciation, compare your pitch contours to samples, and receive immediate visual feedback to improve your speaking accuracy without a tutor. Covers all Mandarin tonal syllables for effective self-assessment.
- Instant tone judgment
- Visual pitch contour comparison
- Practice all Mandarin tonal syllables
- Self-assessment of tone perception
- Sample sounds for comparison
- Intuitive practice interface
Read full descriptionHide full description
How to know if you pronounced a Mandarin tone correctly without human tutors? The 12 years old tone detector app lets you make a judgement by yourself instantly. It is very intuitive for you to practice your tones. The Chinese tones are the most difficult part for a foreign language learner to speak Chinese. How to get rid of strong non-native accent and misunderstanding caused by tone issues? Using this app, practice to be right in every Mandarin tonal syllable first! Hear sample tonal syllables, practice tonal syllables and see their pitch shapes immediately. By comparing your pitch contours with the sample pitch contours directly, you can make a judgement easily by yourself. From the visual intuitive feedback, you may improve your tones quickly. This app basically covers all the possible Mandarin chinese syllables with lexical tones. They are 407 base syllables and 1259 tonal syllables. This app provides a sample sound for each tonal syllable for you to compare. By following the sample sounds, you can practice all the Mandarin tonal syllables and learn Chinese pronunciations. You can self-assess your tone perception ability too. This app is essential to all Chinese learners to master Chinese tone quickly. It could be used for tone lecture demonstration purpose too.
Hanzi Palace
Read full descriptionHide full description
Chinese characters become easier to recall when their sound, tone, shape, and meaning live in one memorable scene. Hanzi Palace turns character study into a guided memory journey. Connect familiar people and places with reusable visual cues, then build a personal story for each character. LEARN THE WHOLE CHARACTER • Follow a guided path that introduces components in a useful order. • Hear the reading, see tone-colored pinyin, and study meaning and stroke order together. • Write your own memory scene, or use an optional on-device suggestion on supported Apple devices. REVIEW BY ACTIVE RECALL • Recall pinyin and meaning before revealing the answer. • Write characters from memory, then reveal their stroke order. • Use spaced repetition to focus on what is due. SEE YOUR PROGRESS • Browse learned characters and HSK levels. • Track activity and maintain a daily learning rhythm. • Keep learned words close with Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, plus Apple Watch. MADE FOR APPLE DEVICES Study across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and widgets. Your progress syncs across supported devices when connected. Learned content remains available for offline review after setup. A complete sample lesson is available before sign-in. START FREE The free plan includes the first 50 guided lessons, HSK 1, synced progress, and unlimited review of what you have learned. Hanzi Palace Plus unlocks the complete guided path, HSK 2–9, and supported on-device suggestions. Monthly and annual subscription options are available. Hanzi Palace is an independent learning app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any examination board. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Hanzi Palace at Free against ToneDetector's $9.99. Hanzi Palace also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 29 months). ToneDetector's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On 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
Hanzi Palace is free to download; ToneDetector costs $9.99 up front. Hanzi Palace sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ToneDetector asks for nothing beyond the download.
ToneDetector ships an update every 29 months, Hanzi Palace fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | ToneDetector | Hanzi Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 29 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 91 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jian Cheng | Jakub Tatar |
In-app purchases
ToneDetector
No in-app purchases
Hanzi Palace
- Hanzi Palace Plus – Monthly$4.991 Month
- Hanzi Palace Plus – Annual14 Days trial$39.991 Year
Questions
Is ToneDetector free?
Is Hanzi Palace free?
Do ToneDetector or Hanzi Palace have ads?
Which is updated more often, ToneDetector or Hanzi Palace?
Other comparisons















