Read Bean vs Shua
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
Shua
Learn Chinese through authentic short videos, from comedy skits to vlogs. Tap any word mid-scroll to see its pinyin, tone, and meaning in context. The app tracks tone and meaning separately for efficient review and builds your vocabulary bank automatically.
- Learn from real short videos
- Tap to define words mid-scroll
- Separate tone and meaning review
- Automatic vocabulary bank
- Spaced repetition system
- HSK-leveled content
- Customizable decks
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Most Chinese apps teach you flashcards first and real Chinese never. Shua flips that: you start with real short videos, from comedy skits and street interviews to vlogs and cartoons made for native kids, and the app teaches you as you watch. TAP ANY WORD, MID-SCROLL See its pinyin, tone, and meaning without leaving the video. Every definition is grounded in the actual line you just heard, not a generic dictionary entry. English subtitles are there when you need them. TONE AND MEANING ARE TRACKED SEPARATELY Because remembering what a word means and remembering how it sounds are genuinely different skills. Shua reviews them as separate cards, so you are never stuck re-learning a word's meaning when all you actually forgot was the tone. YOUR VOCABULARY BANK BUILDS ITSELF Tap a word, hit Save, and it is in your deck. No separate list to maintain, no typing it out again. Everything you save comes back later through spaced repetition, timed so you see it just before you would have forgotten it. SEARCH ANY WORD TO SEE IT USED AGAIN Curious how a phrase actually gets used? Search it and jump straight to the moment in a real clip where a native speaker says it. HSK-LEVELED, FEED AND EXPLORE Every clip is tagged by HSK level, so your feed never throws you in over your head until you are ready for it to. Browse Explore when you want to pick a level or topic yourself. BUILD YOUR OWN DECKS Organize saved words into custom decks: by topic, by show, or by however you actually think about them. DAILY GOALS AND STREAKS Set a daily watch-time goal, track your streak, and see your progress on a full contribution heatmap. No streak-shaming. No guilt notifications. Just real Chinese, and a fast way to understand it. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://shua-api.lexio.site/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Read Bean at 91% against Shua's 0%. Read Bean also leads on rating (4.9 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (395 vs 2). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Read Bean sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and Shua sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Read Bean holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Read Bean has 395 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Read Bean's written reviews are positive against 0% of Shua's.
Read Bean ships an update every 9 days, Shua weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Read Bean | Shua |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (395 ratings) — better | 1.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.6% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 395 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 130 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Refond, Inc. | Matvei Loginov |
Customer experience
Read Bean
Shua
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
Shua
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
Shua
- Shua Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
- Shua Pro Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year









