VerticalChinese vs Lingoa
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
VerticalChinese
Read full descriptionHide full description
Vertical Chinese is a calm, beautiful place to read classical Chinese (ęčØ) ā and a built-in dictionary that helps you understand every character. Read the Daodejing, the Analects, Mencius, Zhuangzi, Tang poetry, Records of the Grand Historian, and more ā 250+ foundational texts, laid out vertically and character by character, the way they were written. READ ⢠Vertical, character-by-character layout with a steady pinyin gutter ⢠Toggle Traditional ē¹ / Simplified ē®, pinyin ę¼, and English č± ā¢ č½ęø read-aloud (audiobook) mode, plus per-word pronunciation ⢠Warm rice-paper design, with light & dark themes UNDERSTAND ā a dictionary built in ⢠Tap any character for pinyin, meaning, and animated stroke order ⢠Full CC-CEDICT word lookup ā search by character, pinyin, or English ⢠Radical index to find characters you can't type ⢠Example sentences with pinyin and English REMEMBER ⢠Save any character or word with a tap ⢠Spaced-repetition flashcards (ē·“ēæ) to review what you save ⢠Track your progress from carp to dragon ā éÆčŗé¾é
Lingoa
Read full descriptionHide full description
Completely free. Practice language by speaking for 5 minutes. Every day. No lessons, just conversations. Lingoa helps you learn languages through real conversation practice. Speak naturally with an AI conversation partner for just 5 minutes daily. Features: ⢠Natural Conversations No lessons, no drills, no grammar exercises. Just real, natural conversations that feel like talking to a friend. ⢠11 Languages Supported Practice English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Hindi, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, or Korean. ⢠Voice Activity Detection The timer only runs when you're speaking, encouraging continuous conversation and natural flow. ⢠Real-Time Feedback Get gentle corrections and suggestions without interrupting your conversation flow. Learn naturally through context. ⢠Daily Streak Tracking Build a consistent practice habit with daily streak tracking. Complete your 5-minute session to maintain your streak. ⢠Role-Play Scenarios Practice real-world situations with 20 built-in scenarios like ordering food, job interviews, or travel conversations. ⢠Custom Scenarios Create your own conversation contexts. Describe any situation and practice speaking in that context. ⢠Adaptive Learning The AI adjusts difficulty based on your performance, simplifying when you struggle and increasing complexity when you're confident. Perfect For: ⢠Busy learners who want quick daily practice ⢠People who learn better through speaking than reading ⢠Anyone building conversational confidence ⢠Language learners at any level Start your daily 1-minute speaking practice today!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Lingoa at every 3 weeks against VerticalChinese's every 18 months. Lingoa also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.2). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
VerticalChinese ships an update every 18 months, Lingoa every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VerticalChinese | Lingoa |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | Every 3 weeks ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod ā better |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 15.6 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Digital X Prairie LLC | Yogesh Sharma |
In-app purchases
VerticalChinese
No in-app purchases
Lingoa
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is VerticalChinese free?
Is Lingoa free?
Do VerticalChinese or Lingoa have ads?
Which is updated more often, VerticalChinese or Lingoa?
Other comparisons















