Shi Pin vs DesignPass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shi Pin
Instantly convert Chinese text to PinYin with tone marks by scanning photos or images. This tool helps learners, translators, and travelers effortlessly understand Chinese pronunciation and structure.
- Camera and photo library scanning
- Accurate OCR for Chinese characters
- PinYin annotations above characters
- Smart paragraph composition
- Scan history and search
- Copy text and formatted PinYin
- Customizable display options
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Shi Pin makes learning Chinese pronunciation effortless. Simply take a photo or pick an image containing Chinese text, and the app instantly recognizes every character, converting them to PinYin with tone marks above each character. Key Features: • Camera & Photo Library — Capture text in real-time or pick from your album • Accurate OCR — Powered by Apple Vision for precise Chinese character recognition • PinYin Annotations — Pinyin displayed directly above each character for natural reading • Smart Paragraph Composition — Automatically groups recognized text into well-structured paragraphs • Scan History — Review past scans, search, and manage your history • Copy Options — Copy text only, or copy formatted text with aligned PinYin • 12 Language Support — Fully localized interface • Customizable — Adjust font sizes, colors, and line formatting to your preference Perfect for: - Chinese language learners - Translators and linguists - Travelers reading signs and menus - Museum visitors deciphering ancient artifact descriptions - Anyone studying Chinese pronunciation Subscription: Shi Pin offers a free tier with 10 scans per day. Purchase the unlimited version to scan without restrictions.
DesignPass
Easily create custom digital passes for your Apple Wallet, including tickets, store cards, and coupons. Personalize designs with templates or from scratch, and export them for use on your devices. Advanced features are available with a premium subscription.
- Create custom Apple Wallet passes
- Use built-in templates or design from scratch
- Import existing .pkpass files
- Customize text, colors, images, and details
- Export signed .pkpass files
- Sync templates via iCloud
- Preview passes live during editing
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Create personal Apple Wallet passes on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Start with a built-in template, create a pass from scratch, or import an existing .pkpass or .pkpasstemplate file. Customize text, colours, images, dates, locations, barcodes and pass details, and preview the pass before you export it. DesignPass supports coupons, store cards, boarding passes, event tickets, generic passes and poster layouts. Add event schedules, venue information and passenger details where the pass type supports them. Export a signed .pkpass file to save or share, then add it to Apple Wallet on iPhone. Save your designs as reusable templates and sync your template library through iCloud when available. You can also preview the pass live as you edit, add Featured Actions, align text, add Upcoming Events, an Event Guide and Advanced Passenger Info, restrict sharing, view pass.json and try Lab tools. These features are part of DesignPass Premium. No DesignPass account is required. Pass creation and signing take place on your device. DesignPass is for personal use and prototyping; it does not replace passes issued by an airline, venue or other provider. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: DesignPass at every 4 days against Shi Pin's every 2 months. Shi Pin's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 27.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Shi Pin sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and DesignPass sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Shi Pin ships an update every 2 months, DesignPass every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shi Pin | DesignPass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | — | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 27.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 雪 苗 | 若昕 胡 |
Customer experience
Shi Pin
DesignPass
In-app purchases
Shi Pin
- Shi Pin$1.99
DesignPass
- DesignPass Premium Monthly2 Months trial$0.991 Month
- DesignPass Premium Yearly1 Year trial$1.991 Year
- DesignPass Premium Lifetime$7.99









