# Read Bean vs Hourly Hanzi

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Read Bean | Hourly Hanzi |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (394 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-bean/id6736993989/reviews)** | [4.8 (68 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourly-hanzi-learn-chinese/id6777846080/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **394** | 68 |
| Positive reviews | **90.6% of reviews** | 73.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 113 MB | 554 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Refond, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1774270517) | [Radish Retail, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1894128531) |

## What reviewers say

### Read Bean

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-bean/id6736993989)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $14.99 | per month |
| 6 Month Premium | $79.99 | per 6 months |
| Annual Premium | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive UI
- 🚀 Effective learning experience
- 💡 Relevant and engaging content
- 🎉 Helps improve reading comprehension
- 🌟 Better than Duolingo

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Design issues on iPad
- 🔍 Auto-correct issues when searching

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatibility with older devices

**Requested features**

- Full-screen mode for iPad
- Ability to use reading assistance on any website


### Hourly Hanzi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourly-hanzi-learn-chinese/id6777846080)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hourly Hanzi Pro | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Hourly Hanzi Pro - 30 Days | $7.99 | per month |
| Hourly Hanzi Pro | $7.99 | per month |
| Hourly Hanzi Pro | $34.99 | per year |
| Hourly Hanzi Pro | $34.99 | per year |
| Hourly Hanzi Pro - 30 Days | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $99.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*