# npiSoroban vs Chinese Annotator

The clearest difference is price: npiSoroban at Free against Chinese Annotator's $0.99. npiSoroban also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 72%) and iOS requirement (5.1.1 vs 9.0). Chinese Annotator's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 3.4) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

npiSoroban is free to download; Chinese Annotator costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Chinese Annotator holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chinese Annotator has 30 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of npiSoroban's written reviews are positive against 72% of Chinese Annotator's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

npiSoroban ships an update every 5 months, Chinese Annotator every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | npiSoroban | Chinese Annotator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | [3.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/npisoroban-iphone-edition/id586798520/reviews) | **[4.1 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-annotator/id1195474397/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **30** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 72.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 95 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | **5.1.1** | 9.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nonpareil Institute](https://appshunter.io/developer/401989715) | [Jon Hargett](https://appshunter.io/developer/1087189196) |

## What reviewers say

### npiSoroban

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/npisoroban-iphone-edition/id586798520)

Learn to use the Japanese abacus, or soroban, with narrated tutorials on your iPhone or iPad. Master arithmetic with this ancient tool, now digitized for modern learning.

**Highlights:** Digital soroban (abacus), Narrated tutorials, Arithmetic practice, Educational tool, Supports iPhone and iPad

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Chinese Annotator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-annotator/id1195474397)

This app helps you learn Chinese by reading ePub books. It allows you to add Pinyin and English definitions directly to the text, and track your vocabulary knowledge. You can also export your learned words for flashcard review.

**Highlights:** Import ePub files, Add Pinyin and English definitions, Track known words and characters, Hide known Pinyin/definitions, Export word lists for flashcards, Print pages to PDF

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is npiSoroban free?

npiSoroban is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Chinese Annotator free?

Chinese Annotator costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, npiSoroban or Chinese Annotator?

Chinese Annotator is rated higher. npiSoroban averages 3.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Chinese Annotator averages 4.1 from 30 ratings.

### Do npiSoroban or Chinese Annotator have ads?

Neither npiSoroban nor Chinese Annotator shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, npiSoroban or Chinese Annotator?

npiSoroban ships an update every 5 months, and Chinese Annotator every 2 weeks. Most recently, npiSoroban was updated on June 11, 2026 and Chinese Annotator on September 19, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*