# VerticalChinese vs HanSounds

The clearest difference is price: VerticalChinese at Free against HanSounds's $9.99. HanSounds's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 18 months). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

VerticalChinese is free to download; HanSounds costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for VerticalChinese against 5.0 for HanSounds. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

VerticalChinese ships an update every 18 months, HanSounds every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | VerticalChinese | HanSounds |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $9.99 |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/verticalchinese/id6739588080/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hansounds-mandarin-starter/id6760903364/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 52 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | **17.6** |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Digital X Prairie LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1786193588) | [龙 程](https://appshunter.io/developer/1886529551) |

## What reviewers say

### VerticalChinese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/verticalchinese/id6739588080)

Explore classical Chinese literature with a beautiful, vertical layout and an integrated dictionary. Understand characters, toggle between traditional and simplified scripts, and utilize spaced-repetition flashcards to aid memorization. Features read-aloud audio and customizable themes for a serene learning experience.

**Highlights:** Vertical, character-by-character layout, Integrated dictionary with stroke order, Toggle Traditional/Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, English, Read-aloud audio mode with pronunciation, Spaced-repetition flashcards, Progress tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### HanSounds

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hansounds-mandarin-starter/id6760903364)

Learn Mandarin Chinese with a structured curriculum designed for English speakers. Master pronunciation, tones, and characters through animated guides and interactive quizzes. Build a strong foundation for fluency.

**Highlights:** Animated mouth diagrams for pronunciation, Tone and Pinyin visualization, Character study and quizzes, Progress tracking, Distraction-free design, English explanations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is VerticalChinese free?

VerticalChinese is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HanSounds free?

HanSounds costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, VerticalChinese or HanSounds?

VerticalChinese and HanSounds are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do VerticalChinese or HanSounds have ads?

Neither VerticalChinese nor HanSounds shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, VerticalChinese or HanSounds?

VerticalChinese ships an update every 18 months, and HanSounds every 4 days. Most recently, VerticalChinese was updated on October 30, 2026 and HanSounds on October 31, 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.*