Comparison

Luduan vs NiNow

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

Head to head
About

Luduan

Master Chinese vocabulary, characters, and Pinyin with this comprehensive learning companion. Create custom study sets, practice handwriting, and track your progress with detailed analytics. Explore a vast dictionary and character catalog with stroke order diagrams.

Highlights
  • Customizable vocabulary study sets
  • Smart word list import
  • Vocabulary flashcard and handwriting games
  • Progress tracking and analytics
  • Extensive Chinese word dictionary
  • Animated Hanzi stroke order diagrams
  • Pinyin guide and practice games
Features
Read full description

Level up your Chinese language learning with Luduan! Luduan aims to be the ultimate, all-in-one companion app for students learning Chinese. Luduan makes it easy to study vocabulary, practice mastery, look up words and Chinese characters, and learn more about the Chinese language. Master Chinese Vocabulary with Study Sets • Create customized study sets to learn and categorize new vocabulary, and organize study sets in folders to group related sets. Study sets sync automatically and in real-time across all of your devices with iCloud. • Import study sets easily using Luduan’s smart import feature - just paste in a word list, and Luduan creates cards with the correct definition from the dictionary. • Create and filter words by tags to group related vocabulary, and star words you wish to further review. • Play customizable flashcard games to improve your mastery of vocabulary, and improve your handwriting of vocabulary with the practice handwriting game. • Track progress of your learning with analytics on commonly-missed words and practice history. • Build your streak by practicing vocabulary daily! Explore New Words and Characters • Learn more about the over 120,000 Chinese words in Luduan’s Word Dictionary, including information about alternate pronunciations, definitions, and associated measure words, powered by the CEDICT English-Chinese dictionary. Filter words by HSK level. • Explore the over 9,000 characters in the Hanzi Catalog, including animated stroke order diagrams and information on Hanzi radicals and components. Practice Pinyin and Learn with Reference Tools • Learn about Pinyin and tones in Chinese with Luduan’s Pinyin Guide, and practice your Pinyin listening skills with the highly customizable Pinyin Practice game. • Familiarize yourself with various features of Chinese with extra reference tools and resources. Customize Luduan with Themes • Experience all Luduan has to offer in various fun themes! Many more exciting features are planned for Luduan in future updates. Download Luduan today! – About Me – Hello friends, my name is Ajay! I am an iOS Developer and student at UNC-Chapel Hill studying Computer Science, Data Science, and Linguistics. * Note: Luduan was created solely by me, Ajay Gandecha, and is not associated with any club or organization within any institution.

About

NiNow

Features
Read full description

NiNow– We learn how you learn Welcome to the first AI-Native language learning app for English speakers learning Mandarin Chinese! Are you stagnating, not sure where to start, or tired of the same cheesy content in other apps? So were we, that's why we created NiNow. NiNow is built around conversations, and builds and tracks your knowledge along the way. We tailor the experience to your needs and interests, whether it's landing a job, connecting with family, or just challenging yourself. Learning Chinese is particularly hard for English speakers, and the hurdles that come with understanding tones, reading an entirely different character system, and speaking effectively can make it feel like giving up is the only option. We're here to fix that, and bring the world together a little more. You'll meet Coco, your always-ready AI tutor who can help you with more than just rote vocabulary study. She understands your level, goals, and learning style and constantly adapts to your needs! Learning a language is about more than just memorizing words– it's about connecting to new people and cultures. Whatever your goals are for learning Chinese, Coco will guide you on the fastest path. She can help you navigate learning vocabulary, cultural nuances, trending slang, and anything else you need to learn to reach your goals. Not everyone has a chance to be immersed in the Chinese language, and finding materials that are suitable for your level, engaging, and tailored toward your needs has not been possible before. Our team of expert educators has built an entirely new experience around how people learn fastest, get over hurdles, and stay consistent in their improvement of learning Chinese based on years of practical experience. Terms of use can be found at: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Luduan4 screens
NiNow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Luduan at none against NiNow's 4. Luduan also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). NiNow's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.2). On price, 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. NiNow sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $29.00 per month. Luduan asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Luduan ships an update every 4 days, NiNow every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Luduan versus NiNow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLuduanNiNow
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.215.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size317 MB147 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAjay GandechaNinow Inc.

In-app purchases

None

Luduan

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

NiNow

Subscriptions4
  • Explorer- Monthly$29.001 Month
  • Fluent- Monthly$49.001 Month
  • Explorer- Annual$299.001 Year
Show 1 more
  • Fluent- Annual$499.001 Year

Questions

Is Luduan free?
Luduan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NiNow free?
NiNow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Luduan or NiNow have ads?
Neither Luduan nor NiNow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Luduan or NiNow?
Luduan ships an update every 4 days, and NiNow every 2 weeks. Most recently, Luduan was updated on October 13, 2026 and NiNow on October 10, 2026.

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