# Engineering Formulas vs Cranora

The clearest difference is update cadence: Cranora at every 5 days against Engineering Formulas's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Engineering Formulas sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Cranora sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Engineering Formulas ships an update every 2 months, Cranora every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Engineering Formulas | Cranora |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cranora-chinese-dictionary/id6786246282/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 45 MB | 189 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Mobin Akhter](https://appshunter.io/developer/1812505286) | [雨婷 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/6780311899) |

## What reviewers say

### Engineering Formulas

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/engineering-formulas-engiref/id6758258119)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Yearly Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Access | $54.99 | one-time |


### Cranora

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cranora-chinese-dictionary/id6786246282)

This app serves as a comprehensive Chinese dictionary and learning tool. It allows users to search for words using characters, pinyin, or English, and provides detailed definitions, examples, and character breakdowns. Users can build vocabulary, study with spaced repetition, and access core features offline.

**Highlights:** Search by character, pinyin, or English, Detailed definitions and example sentences, Character component and stroke order exploration, Vocabulary collection and custom list creation, Spaced repetition for vocabulary review, Offline dictionary access, Cross-device progress syncing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cranora Premium 1 Month | $9.99 | per month |
| Cranora Premium 1 Year | $89.99 | per year |
| Cranora Offline | $7.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Engineering Formulas free?

Engineering Formulas is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Cranora free?

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

### Do Engineering Formulas or Cranora have ads?

Neither Engineering Formulas nor Cranora shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Engineering Formulas or Cranora?

Engineering Formulas ships an update every 2 months, and Cranora every 5 days. Most recently, Engineering Formulas was updated on October 20, 2026 and Cranora on October 24, 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.*