Comparison

Read Bean vs Hourly Hanzi

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Authentic graded readings
  • HSK 1-6 level adaptation
  • Interactive drills and exercises
  • AI-powered speaking roleplays
  • On-demand translation and pronunciation
  • Spaced repetition flashcards
Features
Read full description

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

About

Hourly Hanzi

Learn Mandarin vocabulary throughout your day with lock screen and home screen widgets. Practice words with interactive exercises, pronunciation audio, and personalized flashcards. Supports HSK and TOCFL levels, with offline access and iCloud sync.

Highlights
  • Lock screen and home screen widgets
  • Scheduled word reminders
  • Pinyin, meaning, and pronunciation audio
  • HSK and TOCFL vocabulary levels
  • Personalized flashcards and smart review
  • Handwriting practice
  • Offline access and iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

Learn Chinese from your Lock Screen. Hourly Hanzi brings Mandarin vocabulary into the moments you already spend on your phone, then helps you practice what you see. A NEW WORD, THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY Add a Lock Screen or Home Screen widget and choose scheduled word reminders. Set your own pace and quiet hours, then open any word to explore its pinyin, meaning, example sentences and pronunciation audio. FROM FIRST TONES TO HSK & TOCFL Start with pinyin and the four tones in Foundations. Practice listening, build pinyin and use the tone trainer to see your voice's pitch. Take a placement test or choose vocabulary from HSK 1–9 or TOCFL Novice 1–Level 5. TURN FAMILIAR WORDS INTO WORDS YOU KNOW • Save difficult words to your personal flashcards. • Build recall with smart review and short quizzes. • Practice handwriting and explore character breakdowns. • Study grammar through sentences and answer explanations. • Follow your collection, learning history and progress. Keep learning with offline access and private iCloud sync. No ads. Add a widget and make Chinese part of your daily routine. AVAILABLE IN 10 LANGUAGES The app, word meanings and lessons are in: English, Español, Português (Brasil), Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, Filipino, हिन्दी, العربية, 한국어, 日本語 Try Hourly Hanzi free for 7 days. Paid access is required after the trial. Choose your interface language in Settings. End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://hourlylearning.com/language/terms Privacy Policy: https://hourlylearning.com/language/privacy Questions or suggestions? Email support@radish.software.

Screenshots

Read Bean4 screens
Hourly Hanzi4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hourly Hanzi at every 2 days against Read Bean's weekly. Read Bean's advantage is review sentiment (91% vs 73%) and ratings volume (394 vs 68). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Read Bean sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and Hourly Hanzi sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Read Bean against 4.8 for Hourly Hanzi. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Read Bean has 394 ratings behind it against 68, 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 73% of Hourly Hanzi's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Read Bean ships an update weekly, Hourly Hanzi every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Read Bean versus Hourly Hanzi: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRead BeanHourly Hanzi
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (394 ratings) — better4.8 (68 ratings)
Positive reviews90.6% of reviews — better73.3% of reviews
Number of ratings394 — better68
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size113 MB554 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperRefond, Inc.Radish Retail, LLC

Customer experience

Read Bean

All ratings369 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive90.6%
Neutral6.3%
Negative3.1%

Hourly Hanzi

All ratings68 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative26.7%

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

Hourly Hanzi

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Read Bean

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Premium3 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • 6 Month Premium$79.996 Months
  • Annual Premium3 Days trial$99.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Annual Premium3 Days trial$119.991 Year
7 purchases

Hourly Hanzi

Subscriptions5
  • Hourly Hanzi Pro$6.997 Days
  • Hourly Hanzi Pro - 30 Days$7.991 Month
  • Hourly Hanzi Pro7 Days trial$7.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Hourly Hanzi Pro2 variants$34.991 Year
  • Hourly Hanzi Pro7 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time2
  • Hourly Hanzi Pro - 30 Days$4.99
  • Lifetime$99.00

Questions

Is Read Bean free?
Read Bean is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hourly Hanzi free?
Hourly Hanzi is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Read Bean or Hourly Hanzi?
Read Bean is rated higher. Read Bean averages 4.9 out of 5 from 394 ratings, while Hourly Hanzi averages 4.8 from 68 ratings.
Do Read Bean or Hourly Hanzi have ads?
Neither Read Bean nor Hourly Hanzi shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Read Bean or Hourly Hanzi?
Read Bean ships an update weekly, and Hourly Hanzi every 2 days. Most recently, Read Bean was updated on October 30, 2026 and Hourly Hanzi on November 1, 2026.

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