# Zen Chinese vs Pinyin Reader

The clearest difference is ads: Pinyin Reader at none against Zen Chinese's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Zen Chinese sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Pinyin Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Zen Chinese ships an update weekly, Pinyin Reader every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Zen Chinese | Pinyin Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinyin-reader/id6759076586/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Size | 117 MB | 135 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Thinh Nguyen Viet](https://appshunter.io/developer/1844542928) | [粤珠 袁](https://appshunter.io/developer/1875136461) |

## What reviewers say

### Zen Chinese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zen-chinese/id6753702941)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Premium Quarterly | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Premium Yearly | $14.99 | per year |


### Pinyin Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinyin-reader/id6759076586)

This reading tool automatically adds pinyin annotations to Chinese characters on web pages and PDFs. It offers translation, text-to-speech playback, and pronunciation practice to enhance learning efficiency and pronunciation skills.

**Highlights:** Automatic pinyin annotations, Integrated web and PDF reader, Character definition and pronunciation lookup, Sentence-by-sentence text-to-speech, Pronunciation assessment and shadowing practice, Vocabulary and sentence saving, Ad-free reading experience

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Pro Annual | $12.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Zen Chinese free?

Zen Chinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Pinyin Reader free?

Pinyin Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Zen Chinese or Pinyin Reader have ads?

Zen Chinese shows ads; Pinyin Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, Zen Chinese or Pinyin Reader?

Zen Chinese ships an update weekly, and Pinyin Reader every 2 weeks. Most recently, Zen Chinese was updated on October 17, 2026 and Pinyin Reader on October 20, 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.*