Daily Hanzi vs Bamlu
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Daily Hanzi
Learn Chinese characters, pronunciation, and meaning passively throughout your day by viewing them on your phone's lock screen. This app integrates learning into your existing habits, making it effortless and sustainable for busy individuals. It offers a pressure-free approach to building familiarity with Chinese.
- Lock screen Chinese character display
- Passive learning integration
- Pronunciation and meaning on lock screen
- In-app flashcards (subscription)
- Background learning
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Learn Chinese from Your Lock Screen* REQUIRES A PAID SUBSCRIPTION You check your phone 100+ times a day. Daily Hanzi just gives those seconds something to do. Unlock your phone and there's a character waiting, with pinyin, the meaning, and a sentence showing how it's actually used. Join 190K+ Chinese learners on the #1 Chinese lock screen learning app. Pick from 18 categories like Everyday Conversation, Chengyu, Food & Drink, and Business so you're always learning things you'll actually use. Sentences match your level, and notifications keep it going without any pressure. *LOCK SCREEN WIDGET AND IN APP FLASHCARDS REQUIRE A SUBSCRIPTION TERMS: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Bamlu
Learn Mandarin through short, engaging video clips. Tap any word to instantly see its pronunciation and meaning, then save it for later review. Track your progress and build a daily learning habit with personalized practice.
- Short Mandarin video clips
- Tap-to-learn vocabulary
- Saved word review
- HSK-oriented placement
- Daily habit tracking
- Cross-device sync
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Learn Mandarin in short, focused sessions with BAMLU and its friendly red fox. WATCH AND LISTEN Practice with compact Mandarin clips designed around useful everyday language. Follow Hanzi, pinyin, and English meaning while you listen. TAP ANY WORD Open a word directly from a caption to see its pronunciation and meaning. Save useful vocabulary without interrupting the lesson. REVIEW WHAT YOU SAVE Return to saved words, mark what you know, and review vocabulary in context. FIND YOUR LEVEL Start with a short HSK-oriented placement experience. BAMLU uses broad learning bands to personalize practice; it is not an official HSK examination or certification. BUILD A DAILY HABIT Choose a daily goal, follow your streak, track learning time, and see your progress throughout the year. SYNC ACROSS DEVICES Sign in with Apple or email to keep your saved words, streak and settings on every device. Accounts are optional. SEARCH YOUR LIBRARY Search Mandarin or English, then filter clips by level, topic, and format. BAMLU PRO A BAMLU Pro subscription unlocks the complete learning experience. Monthly and annual plans are available. The annual plan may include a seven-day introductory trial for eligible customers. Prices and availability are shown in the app before purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://zolvastudios.com/bamlu/terms Privacy Policy: https://zolvastudios.com/bamlu/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
Daily Hanzi and Bamlu both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Bamlu's written reviews are positive against 17% of Daily Hanzi's. Daily Hanzi's advantage is ratings volume (1.6K vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Daily Hanzi sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Bamlu sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Daily Hanzi against 4.5 for Bamlu. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Daily Hanzi has 1.6K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 17% of Daily Hanzi's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bamlu's.
Daily Hanzi ships an update every 4 days, Bamlu every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Daily Hanzi | Bamlu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.6K ratings) — better | 4.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 16.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 172 MB | 196 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ALEX XINWEI LIU | ALBERT STEEN FELDT |
Customer experience
Daily Hanzi
Bamlu
In-app purchases
Daily Hanzi
- Monthly Plan$4.991 Month
- Yearly Plan (Special Offer)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Yearly Plan3 Days trial$29.991 Year
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- Yearly Plan7 Days trial2 variants$29.991 Year
- Yearly Plan7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Bamlu
- BAMLU Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
- BAMLU Pro Annual$29.991 Year
- BAMLU Pro Annual$44.991 Year
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- BAMLU Pro Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- BAMLU Pro Annual$59.991 Year
- 30 minutes with your teacher$4.99
- 60 minutes with your teacher$9.99
- 120 minutes with your teacher$14.99









