Read Bean vs Macalaoshi
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Read Bean
Master Chinese with authentic, graded readings and interactive exercises. Tailored lessons adapt to your HSK level, offering vocabulary drills, grammar practice, and AI-powered speaking roleplays. Get instant translation and pronunciation support.
- Authentic graded readings
- HSK 1-6 level adaptation
- Interactive drills and exercises
- AI-powered speaking roleplays
- On-demand translation and pronunciation
- Spaced repetition flashcards
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Master Chinese Through Real-World Graded Content — Read Bean Go beyond basic apps and textbooks. Read Bean is the ultimate tool for Chinese learners from HSK 1 to 6 who want to read, listen, and think in real Chinese — at a professional, cultural, and conversational level. Whether you're preparing for business, professional exams, or personal fluency, Read Bean transforms authentic articles, stories, and conversations into dynamic, personalized graded readings with mini vocab drills made just for you. Built for all learners HSK 1 through 6 Forget "beginner content" stretched thin. Read Bean assesses your exact reading and listening levels and instantly tailors every lesson to challenge you without overwhelming you. Improve fluency across real-world topics — from culture to commerce — with lessons designed to mirror how Chinese is actually used. Practice the Skills That Matter Learn actively with sentence structure drills, fill-in-the-blank questions, smart listening challenges, and comprehension boosters. Every question type is crafted to sharpen your grammar, expand your vocabulary, and strengthen your ability to read, write, and think in Chinese — not just recognize words. New: Interactive Speaking Roleplays Go beyond passive learning with Read Bean Roleplays — dynamic, voice-driven conversations that simulate real-life scenarios in Chinese. Whether you're ordering food, negotiating at work, or chatting with a neighbor, our AI-powered roleplays help you practice speaking naturally and confidently. You’ll get feedback, cultural tips, and just the right level of challenge to improve your fluency in a fun, low-pressure way. On-Demand Translation, Pronunciation, and Grammar Support Tap any word to see its meaning, pronunciation, usage notes, and common collocations. Explore grammar patterns, sentence breakdowns, and alternative expressions with a single tap. Your growth stays fast and natural — without endless dictionary lookups. Your Personal AI Language Coach Need a deeper explanation, a cultural note, or a memory tip for a tough word? Just ask. Our built-in AI tutor gives you personalized help in real time — it’s like having a Chinese teacher in your pocket 24/7. Spaced Repetition That Works — Flashcards Reimagined Reinforce everything you learn with smart flashcards powered by proven spaced repetition methods. Read Bean automatically tracks your progress and schedules reviews, turning short-term learning into long-term mastery. Achieve Your Chinese Learning Goals With Read Bean, you'll do more than memorize — you'll think and operate in Chinese. Whether you're aiming to work abroad, connect more deeply with Chinese culture, ace professional certifications, or simply enjoy native content without subtitles, Read Bean gives you the edge. What Our Users Say "I have a 1500-day streak on Duolingo. If I had to choose between Read Bean and Duo today, I'd choose Read Bean." — Lawson K., After 30 Days "Dropped my 500+ day Duolingo streak to make Read Bean part of my New Year’s resolutions. Huge fan now." — Gary N., After 5 Days Subscription Details Full access to all lessons requires a subscription. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Your Apple account will be charged within 24 hours prior to renewal. Manage your subscription anytime in your Apple Account Settings. Privacy Policy: https://readbean.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ CONTACT US: Questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@readbean.app
Macalaoshi
Learn Mandarin Chinese through an interactive, story-driven flashcard experience. Build consistent learning habits with progress tracking and engaging challenges. Collect characters and level up as you progress through a captivating narrative.
- Story-driven learning mode
- Progress and daily streak system
- Over 1,300 Chinese characters
- Purchasable premium content
- Unlockable cosmetic skins
- Available in English and Spanish
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Learn Mandarin Chinese by playing. In Macalaoshi you collect Chinese characters, level them up in challenges and beat bosses to help Lili save the world from the Empress. Macalaoshi is a family project: Maca Laoshi, a Chinese teacher, and her son Manu, a content creator, built the app they wished they had to learn Chinese every day and actually enjoy it. ▶ LEARN CHINESE STEP BY STEP • Flashcards with pinyin, meaning and audio, made for learning Chinese from scratch. • 2,000+ Chinese characters from HSK 1 to HSK 4 to collect. • Every character levels up when you get it right, so you know what you've mastered and what to review. • Writing mode: learn to write Chinese characters stroke by stroke, in the correct stroke order. • Create your own units: build notebooks with words from your textbook, your teacher or a song, and share them. ▶ A REAL GAME • Timed challenges with lives and rewards. • Bosses you can only beat with your vocabulary: cross the Forest, the Sea and the Mountain until you face the Empress. • Story mode with Lili: new chapters unlock as your Mandarin improves. • Lili's shop with upgrades and skins. ▶ A HABIT THAT STICKS • A short plan for every day: learn, review and complete challenges. • Daily streak, study calendar and achievements. • Leaderboard to compete with other Chinese learners. • Study offline: your progress syncs when you're back online. ▶ WHO IT'S FOR • Beginners who want to learn Mandarin Chinese from scratch. • Students preparing for HSK 1, HSK 2, HSK 3 or HSK 4. • Anyone already studying Chinese who wants to review vocabulary with fun flashcards. Available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Korean. Download Macalaoshi and start learning Chinese today. It's free to start, with optional premium content.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Read Bean at 393 against Macalaoshi's 14. Macalaoshi's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 91%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Read Bean sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and Macalaoshi sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Read Bean against 5.0 for Macalaoshi. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Read Bean has 393 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Read Bean's written reviews are positive against 100% of Macalaoshi's.
Read Bean ships an update weekly, Macalaoshi every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Read Bean | Macalaoshi |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (393 ratings) | 5.0 (14 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 90.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 393 — better | 14 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 113 MB | 254 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Refond, Inc. | MANUEL SHI |
Customer experience
Read Bean
Macalaoshi
Bugs and requests
Read Bean
Reported bugs
2 issues- Login screen freezes
- Incompatibility with older devices
Requested features
2 requests- Full-screen mode for iPad
- Ability to use reading assistance on any website
Macalaoshi
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Read Bean
- Monthly Premium3 Days trial$14.991 Month
- 6 Month Premium$79.996 Months
- Annual Premium3 Days trial$99.991 Year
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- Annual Premium3 Days trial$119.991 Year
Macalaoshi
- Upgrade Super Support$6.99
- Premium Access$11.99
- Super Support$18.99
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- Ultra Support$34.99









