Comparison

Cjexplorer vs IPA Reader

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

Head to head
About

Cjexplorer

Easily find Cangjie, Pinyin, Onyomi, and Kunyomi codes for Chinese characters. Features include clipboard lookup, live camera scanning of text or objects, and pronunciation synthesis. Supports Korean Hanja lookup, all processed on-device.

Highlights
  • Clipboard character lookup
  • Live text camera scanning
  • Live object camera scanning
  • Pinyin pronunciation synthesis
  • Korean Hanja lookup
  • On-device processing
Features
Read full description

CJExplorer is a fast, private reference tool for anyone who studies, types, reads, or teaches Chinese characters. Look up the Cangjie input code, Mandarin Pinyin, Cantonese Jyutping, Japanese Onyomi and Kunyomi readings, and Korean Hanja/Hangul information for Chinese characters in seconds. Copy a character, scan printed text with the live camera, or point the camera at an object and let on-device AI identify the related Chinese word for lookup. Whether you are learning Cangjie, checking Mandarin pronunciation, reading Cantonese, comparing Kanji readings, or working with Korean Hanja, CJExplorer keeps the answer close without forcing you into a heavy dictionary workflow. Key features: 1. Clipboard lookup for quick Cangjie, Pinyin, Jyutping, Japanese reading, and Hanja reference. 2. Live OCR camera lookup for Chinese characters and Korean Hangul romanization. 3. Object camera mode that recognizes everyday objects and shows the related Chinese word and codes. 4. Built-in Mandarin pronunciation to help learners hear the word. 5. On-device processing, so lookups stay private and the app does not need internet access. Buy CJExplorer once and keep a practical Chinese character companion ready whenever a character, reading, or input code slows you down.

About

IPA Reader

Features
Read full description

IPA Reader adds IPA phonetic transcription to English PDFs and web pages. Tap any word to hear how it sounds and see what it means, without leaving the page. Reading in English gets slow when you are unsure how a word sounds, and stopping to look it up breaks your concentration. IPA Reader keeps the phonetics, the meaning and the audio in the same place as the text. READ - BROWSER, PDF AND READER MODE - Built-in browser with Bing or Google search, plus a PDF reader, both with automatic IPA annotation - Every line of a PDF is annotated, including tightly spaced body text - Open PDFs from Files, Mail or any other app through Share and "Open in" - In-document search, outline navigation, go to page, and PDF display themes - Reader mode strips the clutter, with adjustable fonts, spacing and themes - American and British IPA, switchable with one tap - A common-word filter hides annotation on words you already know, in browsing, reader mode and PDF UNDERSTAND - WORD LOOKUP AND TRANSLATION - Tap a word once for its pronunciation and its dictionary definition together - Definitions in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and English - Translate a whole article on the web, or the current page of a PDF - Long-press a sentence to play it, copy it, collect it or attach a note LISTEN - TEXT TO SPEECH - Sentence-by-sentence playback with the current sentence highlighted - Speed from 0.4x to 2.0x, for every level - Voices filtered to your accent preference, with previews before you choose - Auto mode selects the highest quality voice installed on the device PRACTICE - SHADOWING AND REVIEW - Record yourself reading a sentence and get a pronunciation score - Flashcards for saved vocabulary and saved sentences, in separate modes - Spaced repetition schedules each item for the day you are about to forget it TRACK - GOALS AND STREAKS - Daily goals, learning streaks and reading time - XP, levels, quests and achievements - Progress insights across everything you read and practise ORGANIZE - COLLECTION, NOTES AND BOOKMARKS - Save words and sentences, and attach colour-coded notes - Bookmarks, browsing history and an archive organised by source PRIVACY AND LANGUAGES - Everything is stored on your device. No account and no registration. - The interface is available in 51 languages FREE AND PRO Free every day: 2 article translations, 15 word lookups and 5 saved items. One tap on a word costs at most one lookup, replaying audio from the definition panel costs nothing, and sentence playback is always free. Pro removes the daily limits. Useful for academic papers, textbooks, news, novels and exam preparation - TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge and GRE. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Cjexplorer4 screens
IPA Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cjexplorer at none against IPA Reader's 2. On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. IPA Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Cjexplorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Cjexplorer versus IPA Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCjexplorerIPA Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size100 MB134 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperWing Shun Vincent Chu粤珠 袁

In-app purchases

None

Cjexplorer

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

IPA Reader

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Pro Annual$12.991 Year

Questions

Is Cjexplorer free?
Cjexplorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is IPA Reader free?
IPA Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Cjexplorer or IPA Reader have ads?
Neither Cjexplorer nor IPA Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cjexplorer or IPA Reader?
Cjexplorer ships an update every 3 weeks, and IPA Reader every 3 weeks. Most recently, Cjexplorer was updated on October 16, 2026 and IPA Reader on October 1, 2026.

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