Comparison

TypeFlow Chinese vs Minus 5

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

TypeFlow Chinese

This app provides real-time English to Chinese translation directly within your keyboard. It allows for seamless communication without switching apps or copying and pasting, focusing on natural conversation flow. All processing is done on-device for enhanced privacy and offline functionality.

Highlights
  • Real-time translation as you type
  • On-device processing for privacy
  • Works offline
  • Integrates with any app
  • Focuses on conversational translation
  • One-time purchase
Features
Read full description

TypeFlow is a translation keyboard that turns English into Chinese as you type. No switching between apps. No copy and paste. Just type — and see the translation instantly. Translate as you type TypeFlow continuously refines translation while you type. You can type word by word or write a full sentence — TypeFlow always finds the most natural translation. Built for real conversations TypeFlow isn’t designed for academic-perfect translation. It’s designed to help people communicate across languages while preserving meaning and emotion. Fast translation keeps your thoughts flowing. Fully private. Fully on-device. TypeFlow runs entirely on your device. Your typing never leaves your phone. No cloud processing. No tracking. Local translation is fast and works even without internet. Works everywhere Use TypeFlow in any app: • WhatsApp • Messages • Instagram • Email • Notes • and more One-time purchase Unlock TypeFlow Chinese with a single purchase. No subscriptions. No recurring fees. Use it forever. Created by an independent developer TypeFlow was created while traveling between countries and needing to communicate quickly. If you enjoy the idea of translating directly inside your keyboard, your support helps make TypeFlow better. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://etwang1991.github.io/typeflow/PRIVACY.md

About

Minus 5

This app limits your daily tasks to five slots, encouraging completion. Unfinished items carry over with visual cues to track their age. It offers recurring tasks, customizable levels, and weekly reviews to boost productivity.

Highlights
  • Five daily task slots
  • Age badges for overdue tasks
  • Recurring task setup
  • Level-based slot increases
  • Weekly review charts
  • Markdown export
  • Widgets and Siri integration
Features
Read full description

Minus 5 is a daily to-do list with one rule: five things. That's it. Every other task app gives you infinite room, and infinite room is how you end up with a 40-item list you're too tired to look at. Minus 5 gives you five slots. Most to-do lists count up forever. This one counts down to zero. If you open your task manager, feel your stomach drop, and close it again — this is built for you. — THE RING — One neon progress ring is the entire interface. The big number in the middle is what's LEFT, not what you've done. When it hits zero: "you've earned the day." Close the app. Go outside. — FIVE SLOTS, ON PURPOSE — The cap isn't a limitation, it's the product. Five is roughly what a person actually finishes in a day. Everything beyond five is a wish list pretending to be a plan. — STREAKS THAT DON'T PUNISH YOU — Finish at least one thing a day and your streak grows. Miss a day and a Streak Freeze covers you automatically — you earn one every 10 days and can bank two. No shattered-streak animation, no guilt trip, nothing to buy back. A day off isn't a character flaw, it's a Tuesday. An optional evening nudge (off by default, at a time you pick) tells you what's still open before midnight. — AGE BADGES — Anything you don't finish carries into tomorrow with a small 1d / 4d / 2w tag, warming from grey to red the longer it sits. A nudge, not a punishment — delete what's not going to happen. You'll feel better. — LEVELS — Consistency unlocks capacity. Start at 5 slots. Clear your whole list seven days in a row and the next level opens: 7 slots at Level 2, 11 at Level 3, and up. The app rewards follow-through, not list-making. — RECURRING THINGS — Daily, weekly, monthly, or custom-day things that appear on schedule, with reminders that say exactly what — no generic "tackle your things." Stretch every morning. Pay rent on the 1st. Gym Mon/Wed/Fri. — PROGRESS — A 30-day curve, your weekly rhythm, and a consistency grid where each square is one week of the year. Best streak, active days, and how many days you cleared all five. Honest numbers, no dashboards. — RANKINGS (optional) — See how your streak stands against everyone else's, worldwide and in your own country. Free, and off until you switch it on. You get a made-up name like "Bright Otter" plus a few digits of your own — no real names, no accounts, no email. — WIDGETS & LOCK SCREEN — Home Screen (small and medium), and all three Lock Screen styles — circular, rectangular, and inline. Your ring, glanceable, without opening anything. — SIRI & SHORTCUTS — "Hey Siri, add a thing to Minus 5." Works from the Lock Screen, AirPods, CarPlay, anywhere Siri lives. — APPLE WATCH — A real Watch app and complication. Check things off from your wrist. — EXPORT — Copy your list as Markdown, share it, or send things straight to Things 3 or Reminders. Your data is portable. — CALENDAR MIRROR (optional) — Pull today's events in as read-only one-liners ("Meeting · 6–8pm"). They don't count toward your five and don't carry over — just context. — iCLOUD SYNC — Your things sync privately across your devices through your own iCloud account. No accounts, no tracking, no telemetry, no analytics. The only thing that ever leaves your iCloud is a streak number — and only if you turn on Rankings. — THEME & ACCESSIBILITY — Light, Dark, or System. Nine neon accent colors with automatic contrast. Text size override (Default / Large / Larger / Huge). Full VoiceOver support. — MINUS 5 PRO — The five things stay free, forever. Pro is a one-time unlock — bought once, not rented — adding progress stats and streak history, the Apple Watch app and complication, the calendar mirror, unlimited recurring templates, and custom reminder times. Widgets, Siri, export, Rankings and iCloud sync stay free for everyone. No ads. No subscription. No analytics. No tags. No projects. Just five things.

Screenshots

TypeFlow Chinese4 screens
Minus 54 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Minus 5 at 5.0 against TypeFlow Chinese's 2.9. Minus 5 also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). TypeFlow Chinese's advantage is ratings volume (8 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. TypeFlow Chinese sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Minus 5 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Minus 5 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TypeFlow Chinese has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TypeFlow Chinese ships an update every 2 months, Minus 5 every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
TypeFlow Chinese versus Minus 5: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTypeFlow ChineseMinus 5
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (8 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer弈天 汪Victor Florian

Customer experience

TypeFlow Chinese

All ratings8 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Minus 5

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

TypeFlow Chinese

One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlock – Chinese$9.99
None

Minus 5

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TypeFlow Chinese free?
TypeFlow Chinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Minus 5 free?
Minus 5 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TypeFlow Chinese or Minus 5?
Minus 5 is rated higher. TypeFlow Chinese averages 2.9 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Minus 5 averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do TypeFlow Chinese or Minus 5 have ads?
Neither TypeFlow Chinese nor Minus 5 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TypeFlow Chinese or Minus 5?
TypeFlow Chinese ships an update every 2 months, and Minus 5 every 6 days. Most recently, TypeFlow Chinese was updated on October 22, 2026 and Minus 5 on October 9, 2026.

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