Comparison

Speak Chinese vs Shadowing

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

Head to head
About

Speak Chinese

Features
Read full description

Achieve real Chinese fluency - not just textbook knowledge. NowFluency for Chinese focuses on what matters most: understanding and speaking Mandarin naturally. We combine structured native-speaker content, on-device AI speech analysis, and live human voice practice to create the most complete Chinese learning experience on iOS. * STRUCTURED CONTENT LIBRARY * Learn Mandarin from authentic material organized by type: - Videos: real native Mandarin speaker content - Dialogs: authentic two-speaker conversations - Short Talks: monologue listening practice - News: stay informed while learning Chinese - Short Stories: narrative reading and listening All content is searchable and filterable by level (A1-C2 / HSK equivalent) and topic. * AI SHADOWING COACH (OFFLINE) * On-device Whisper AI - no internet needed for speech analysis. - Sentence-by-sentence shadowing: listen, record and get your score - Pronunciation score 0-100 with accuracy, fluency and completeness breakdown - Word-level feedback showing exactly which sounds to improve - Vocabulary pronunciation drill with instant AI scoring * TALK NOW - SPEAK WITH REAL PEOPLE * NowFluency's core feature: instant anonymous voice matching with Chinese learners worldwide. Real conversations, zero pressure - the fastest way to build fluency in Mandarin. * AI CONVERSATION PARTNER * Practice speaking Chinese anytime, on any topic, at your own pace. Our AI adjusts difficulty to your level and gives real-time feedback on your responses. * VOCABULARY HUB (SPACED REPETITION) * Save Chinese words directly from lessons. Our SRS system schedules reviews at exactly the right time - so nothing is ever forgotten. Practice with 4 modes: - Flashcard self-assessment (Forgot / Hard / Good / Easy) - Multiple-choice game (15-second timer, 3 lives) - Typing challenge (smart typo-tolerant scoring) - Pronunciation drill (record, AI scores your Mandarin accent) * COMPLETE LESSON TOOLKIT * Every piece of content unlocks: - Full transcript with tap-to-translate on any word - Shadowing practice: repeat sentences, get pronunciation scores - Role Play: speak as a character in the dialog - Dictation: listen and type what you hear - Comprehension Quiz: multiple choice reading comprehension - True/False Quiz: instant understanding check - Grammar and Knowledge: explanations in context * GAMIFICATION * - Daily XP goals and streak protection - Global leaderboard rankings - Multiplayer games: Vocabulary Duel, Sentence Scramble, Shadowing Duel - Achievements and study history tracking * COMMUNITY * - Ask questions, post updates, get native Chinese speaker feedback - Comment and react on community posts - Bookmark lessons and save discussions for later * YOUTUBE IMPORT * Turn any Chinese YouTube video into a structured lesson instantly. Get the full transcript, then practice with shadowing, dictation, quizzes, and vocabulary extraction. NOWFLUENCY PREMIUM: - Completely ad-free - Unlimited AI conversation sessions - Unlimited word lookups and translations - Unlimited saves and YouTube video imports Dark and Light mode included. AI speech model runs offline for fast, private analysis. Download NowFluency and start speaking Chinese today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://lingfast-server.tnpixel.com/legal/nowfluency/terms-of-service

About

Shadowing

Features
Read full description

ShadowTeep helps you turn your own notes and phrases into repeatable listening and speaking practice. Write the sentence you want to own, hear it with on-device text-to-speech, and shadow it until it feels natural. Drill one line at a time, use Play All for a full note, favorite the phrases you need most, and keep practice material synced across iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Found a line worth practising in a textbook, on a menu, or on a sign? Point the camera at it, swipe the lines you want, and they land in your note โ€” list numbers and speaker labels removed for you. On iPad, draw a box around the text with Apple Pencil. Text is recognized on your device. English and Chinese voice paths run on device after setup, so practice can continue offline once the required voice assets are ready. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Speak Chinese4 screens
Shadowing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shadowing at none against Speak Chinese's 3. Shadowing also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). Speak Chinese's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 27.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Speak Chinese sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Shadowing asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Speak Chinese ships an update fortnightly, Shadowing every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
Speak Chinese versus Shadowing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpeak ChineseShadowing
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days โ€” better
AdsNo โ€” betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch โ€” better
Requires iOS16.0 โ€” better27.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size77 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDinh Thang TranSungwook Baek

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Speak Chinese

Subscriptions3
  • NowFluency Premium Weekly$3.997 Days
  • NowFluency Premium Monthly$8.991 Month
  • NowFluency Premium Yearly$49.991 Year
None

Shadowing

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Speak Chinese free?
Speak Chinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shadowing free?
Shadowing is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Speak Chinese or Shadowing have ads?
Shadowing shows ads; Speak Chinese does not.
Which is updated more often, Speak Chinese or Shadowing?
Speak Chinese ships an update fortnightly, and Shadowing every 5 days. Most recently, Speak Chinese was updated on October 10, 2026 and Shadowing on October 17, 2026.

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