# 拼音 Pinyin vs Text Alchemy

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: 拼音 Pinyin at none against Text Alchemy's 4. 拼音 Pinyin also leads on ads (none vs shown). Text Alchemy's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 12 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Text Alchemy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. 拼音 Pinyin asks for nothing beyond the download.

拼音 Pinyin ships an update every 12 months, Text Alchemy fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 拼音 Pinyin | Text Alchemy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Size | 10 MB | 74 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kouta Fukuhara](https://appshunter.io/developer/1769018204) | [Chun Yu Kam](https://appshunter.io/developer/1870007199) |

## What reviewers say

### 拼音 Pinyin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinyin-chinese-reader/id6692631196)

**In-app purchases:** none


### Text Alchemy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-alchemy/id6757970013)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $5.99 | per month |
| Premium+ Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| Premium yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Premium+ Yearly | $119.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 拼音 Pinyin free?

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

### Is Text Alchemy free?

Text Alchemy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do 拼音 Pinyin or Text Alchemy have ads?

Text Alchemy shows ads; 拼音 Pinyin does not.

### Which is updated more often, 拼音 Pinyin or Text Alchemy?

拼音 Pinyin ships an update every 12 months, and Text Alchemy fortnightly. Most recently, 拼音 Pinyin was updated on October 5, 2026 and Text Alchemy on September 26, 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.*