Comparison

Chinese@OU vs Smart SIS

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

Head to head
About

Chinese@OU

Features
Read full description

This free, interactive and fun Chinese character learning app is developed by experienced Chinese language teaching academics at The Open University (UK). Learning to read and write Chinese characters presents three major challenges to both non-native learners as well as Chinese children who first start learning characters: - the complexity of characters as an average character consists of about 12 strokes; - matching character form with pronunciation, Pinyin form and the English meaning; - using characters to form sentences This app attempts to tackle these three challenges on one screen with interactive activities to help you write, recognise visually and aurally, and memorise some of the most frequently used characters in a systematic, friendly and fun way. Most importantly it helps you to form phrases and sentences with the limited characters learnt. The app contains 200 plus most frequently used characters taught at beginners’ level. By combining them, you will learn a further 200+ useful and essential words and phrases. For example, by combining η”΅ (electric; electricity) and 视 (viewing; sight)), you learn the word 甡视 (television). You will have the opportunity to search for some common words in the Word Search Activities. There are 16 lessons which chronologically build upon each other. Each of the 16 lessons has five interactive activities with audio embedded: Writing, Reading, Listening, Rearranging, and Identifying or Word Search. Writing: In this activity you can watch the animation of stroke-by-stroke drawing of each character, hear the pronunciation, learn Pinyin and its English meaning, and most importantly draw the character with or without the model with your finger. Reading: Here you can test yourself on recognising the characters you have learnt in the Writing Activity. Match the character with Pinyin or English, and you will get instant feedback. Listening: Here you can test your understanding of i) some characters you have learnt in the current lesson which are single character word (e.g. ζ—©: early); and ii) words consisting of two or more characters, which are made up of characters you have learnt in the current and previous lessons (e.g. ζ—©δΈŠ: morning). Instant feedback is provided. Rearranging: Here you get the opportunity to practise forming a sentence based on the audio you hear, using the characters provided, which you have already learnt. Instant feedback is provided. Identifying: Here you are presented with five groups of characters. Each group consists of four similar looking characters. You will need to choose the character that matches the English. The feedback provides a word/phrase that contains this character. Word Search: Here you have the opportunity to search for words/phrases that consist of the characters you have learnt up till that point. This activity not only helps to develop your character recognition skills but also to remember characters in context, and it is fun to play!

About

Smart SIS

Features
Read full description

Smart SIS - Transform Your School Experience Stay connected with your school community like never before. Smart SIS brings the entire student information system to your fingertips, making school management effortless for parents, teachers, and administrators. Key Features: Real-time student attendance tracking and notifications Instant access to grades, assignments, and academic performance Secure messaging between parents and teachers Push notifications for important school updates Quick student pickup management for parents Comprehensive ward monitoring and quick actions Offline access to essential information Biometric security with fingerprint/face authentication Whether you're checking your child's progress, managing classroom activities, or coordinating school events, Smart SIS streamlines communication and keeps everyone informed. Our intuitive interface ensures easy navigation for all users, while robust security features protect sensitive student data. Designed for schools. Built for families.

Screenshots

Chinese@OU4 screens
Smart SIS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Smart SIS at weekly against Chinese@OU's every 16 months. Chinese@OU's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chinese@OU ships an update every 16 months, Smart SIS weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Chinese@OU versus Smart SIS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChinese@OUSmart SIS
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 16 monthsWeekly β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 β€” better26.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size533 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Open UniversityIntellite

In-app purchases

None

Chinese@OU

No in-app purchases

None

Smart SIS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chinese@OU free?
Chinese@OU is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smart SIS free?
Smart SIS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Chinese@OU or Smart SIS have ads?
Neither Chinese@OU nor Smart SIS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chinese@OU or Smart SIS?
Chinese@OU ships an update every 16 months, and Smart SIS weekly. Most recently, Chinese@OU was updated on October 9, 2026 and Smart SIS on October 25, 2026.

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