Spanish Reader vs OptimalChinese
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Spanish Reader
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Struggling with pronunciation while reading Spanish PDFs or articles? Looking up words breaks your reading flow? Spanish Reader lets you open any PDF file or web page with automatic IPA phonetic annotations. Tap any word to hear pronunciation and see definitions instantly — no interruption to your reading. KEY FEATURES: READ — Browser + PDF + Reader Mode - Built-in browser (Bing/Google search) and PDF reader with automatic IPA annotations - Open PDFs from Files, Mail, or any app via "Open in" / Share - Immersive reader mode: ad-free, adjustable fonts and themes - Peninsular & Latin American IPA modes, one-tap toggle UNDERSTAND — Definitions + Translation - Tap any word for definitions and pronunciation - Native language definitions: English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese - One-tap translation: full article (web) or current page (PDF) via Bing/Google LISTEN — Text-to-Speech - Sentence-by-sentence playback with current sentence highlighting - Adjustable speed (0.4x to 2.0x) for all proficiency levels VOICE CUSTOMIZATION - Voices filtered by your IPA preference (Peninsular or Latin American) - "Auto" intelligently selects the highest quality voice on your device - Preview and compare each voice before selecting - Supports system voices and third-party TTS engines PRACTICE — Shadowing + Flashcards - Shadowing: record your reading, intelligent scoring for pronunciation assessment - Flashcard review: separate modes for vocabulary and sentences GROWTH — Learning Dashboard - Set daily goals and build study streaks - Visual progress insights and learning analytics - Growth system available in 51 languages ORGANIZE — Collection + Notes + Bookmarks - Save words and sentences with color-coded personal notes - Bookmarks, browsing history, and archive management by source PRIVACY & MULTI-LANGUAGE - All data stored locally — no registration, no data collection - Interface available in 50+ languages Whether you're preparing for DELE, SIELE, or reading academic papers, textbooks, novels, or news articles, Spanish Reader is your perfect companion for mastering Spanish. Download now! Read Spanish in the built-in web browser or import PDFs through Open In or Share. Browser, PDF, and Reader modes include pronunciation help, listening, translation, and Shadowing practice; save words, sentences, notes, bookmarks, and progress in the on-device archive. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
OptimalChinese
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Every sentence you study is built from the words you already know, plus exactly one new notion. That is the whole idea: nothing you read is above your level, so you understand it the first time — and you remember it. EVERY SENTENCE IS ONE STEP UP When a new word or rule comes up, the example around it is assembled from vocabulary you have already learned. One unknown per sentence, never five. NEVER FORGET Every word and every rule is scheduled with FSRS-6, the modern spaced-repetition algorithm, and comes back at the last useful moment — so a notion learned once is not learned three times. NEVER CONFUSE Look anything up and see how it is built: the characters a word is made of, the words it combines into, its measure words, and the siblings that are easy to mix up. Link two confusable entries and they are taught apart. FOR EACH ASPECT Reading, listening and writing are different skills, so each gets its own card and its own schedule. A word you can read but not hear keeps coming back in your ears until you can. CUSTOMIZE YOUR PATH Follow HSK 1–5 lesson by lesson, or pick from hundreds of themes and learn the vocabulary of what you actually talk about. Tell the app where you are and it plans the rest. IMPORT WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE Bring in an Anki deck or a Pleco export, or start from your HSK level in one screen. What you already know is merged with what the app teaches, instead of starting you from zero. YOUR CLASSES, IN THE APP Share a private space with your teacher. Anything either of you saves during a lesson — a word, a phrase, a correction — is waiting in your reviews afterwards. AN AI TUTOR THAT KNOWS YOUR LEVEL Ask why a sentence works the way it does, and get an answer written for the vocabulary you actually have. ALSO • Native audio on every word, sentence and example • Dictation using your iPhone's own speech recognition • A dictionary that searches on the device, instantly • Your own cards and phrases, alongside the built-in ones • Dark mode, haptics, and a layout made for one hand SUBSCRIPTION OptimalChinese Pro unlocks everything: $12.99 per month or $79.99 per year, after a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when the free trial ends, and the subscription renews automatically unless it is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.optimalchinese.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.optimalchinese.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
Spanish Reader and OptimalChinese are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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. Spanish Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and OptimalChinese sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Spanish Reader | OptimalChinese |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 100 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | 粤珠 袁 | Lucas Costagliola |
In-app purchases
Spanish Reader
- Spanish Reader$1.991 Month
- Spanish Reader$12.991 Year
OptimalChinese
- Monthly7 Days trial$12.991 Month
- Yearly7 Days trial$79.991 Year
Questions
Is Spanish Reader free?
Is OptimalChinese free?
Do Spanish Reader or OptimalChinese have ads?
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