Dumpling vs Bamlu
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dumpling
Master Mandarin with real Chinese videos, interactive transcripts, HSK 3.0 vocabulary, and smart flashcards. Practice daily with quizzes, graded reading, and Lock Screen widgets. Prepare for HSK exams or simply improve your daily Chinese.
- Learn HSK 3.0 vocabulary
- Learn Chinese with videos
- Review with smart flashcards
- Read and listen at your level
- Take daily quizzes
- Practice from your Lock Screen
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Learn Chinese every day with real Chinese videos, synced transcripts, HSK 3.0 vocabulary, smart flashcards, graded reading, daily quizzes, and natural Mandarin audio. Dumpling Chinese is a beautifully designed Mandarin learning app that helps you build vocabulary, improve reading and listening, and make Chinese practice part of your daily routine. Watch Chinese videos with interactive transcripts, study HSK words, review with spaced repetition, read at your level, explore practical phrases, and practice from your Lock Screen with free vocabulary widgets. Whether you're preparing for the HSK exam, starting to learn Mandarin, or looking for a more enjoyable way to practice Chinese every day, Dumpling gives you a simple and structured way to keep making progress. LEARN HSK 3.0 VOCABULARY Build your Chinese vocabulary with HSK 3.0 words, pinyin, English meanings, example sentences, and natural Mandarin pronunciation. Learn step by step and keep track of the words you've mastered. LEARN CHINESE WITH VIDEOS Watch Chinese videos matched to your level and learn directly from the language you hear. Follow along with synced Chinese transcripts and English translations, and tap any word to instantly check its meaning. Explore vlogs, lessons, cartoons, stories, songs, and more across different HSK levels. Practice listening while seeing how words and phrases are actually used in context. REVIEW WITH SMART FLASHCARDS Practice Chinese vocabulary with simple, focused flashcards. Smart spaced-repetition scheduling brings words back when you need to review them, helping you remember more over time. READ AND LISTEN AT YOUR LEVEL Improve your Chinese reading and listening with short graded stories and sentence-by-sentence Mandarin audio. Tap words to check meanings as you read. Today’s Chinese also brings you a fresh real-world story every day, adapted to your HSK level so you can practice with Chinese that feels current and useful. TAKE DAILY QUIZZES Turn what you've learned into active recall with quick daily quizzes. Practice vocabulary based on your learning progress and strengthen the words that need more review. PRACTICE FROM YOUR LOCK SCREEN — FREE Turn small moments into Chinese practice with Dumpling's free Lock Screen widgets. See Chinese words throughout the day and review vocabulary without even opening the app. LEARN PRACTICAL CHINESE BY TOPIC Explore Collections of useful Chinese words and phrases for everyday conversation, travel, food, work, relationships, and more. Learn Mandarin you can actually use in real life. SAVE WORDS AND PHRASES WITH SMART NOTE Save Chinese words, phrases, and expressions you come across. Smart Note automatically adds translations and pronunciation so you can build your own personal Chinese vocabulary list and review it later. LISTEN TO NATURAL MANDARIN Hear clear Mandarin pronunciation across vocabulary, example sentences, stories, phrases, and video content. Build stronger listening skills while learning how Chinese sounds in context. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Follow your learning streak, mastered vocabulary, saved phrases, quizzes, and daily study progress as your Chinese improves. Dumpling Chinese is designed for: • Beginner and intermediate Chinese learners • HSK 3.0 vocabulary study and exam preparation • Learning Chinese through videos and real-world content • Mandarin vocabulary and flashcard practice • Chinese reading and listening practice • Pinyin and pronunciation practice • Practical Chinese words and phrases • Learners who want a clean, playful, and focused study experience Learn a little Chinese every day — one word, one video, one story, and one small win at a time. Some content and features require an optional Dumpling Plus subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://dumplingchinese.app/privacy
Bamlu
Learn Mandarin using short video clips from real Chinese media. Each line displays hanzi, pinyin, and English. Tap words to hear pronunciation, get definitions, and save them for review. Features an HSK-aligned curriculum and AI-powered pronunciation practice.
- Learn from real Chinese video clips
- Interactive word lookup and saving
- HSK 1-9+ curriculum
- Spaced repetition review system
- Pronunciation and tone practice
- AI language teacher chat
- Stroke-by-stroke character writing
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Bamlu teaches Mandarin with short clips cut from real Chinese videos. Every line has hanzi, pinyin and English on screen. Don't know a word? Tap it to hear it, see what it means, and save it. Native speakers, not a textbook recording read into a microphone. WHAT'S IN THE APP • Clips you can tap word by word, with saved words kept for review • An HSK path: over 1,000 lessons from HSK 1 to the 7–9 band • Spaced review that brings your saved words back at intervals • A tones drill for hearing the tones apart • Say it: speak a word and watch your pitch drawn over the tone it should have • Write: trace HSK 1 characters stroke by stroke • Teacher: a live voice chat with Bamlu's fox, an AI teacher. Pro includes 10 minutes a week • A dictionary, search, and a daily streak Levels follow HSK 3.0. Bamlu is a way to practice; it isn't an official HSK exam and doesn't give certificates. BAMLU PRO Pro is a monthly or yearly subscription. Eligible new subscribers get a free trial; the length and the price are shown in the app before you pay. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://zolvastudios.com/bamlu/terms Privacy Policy: https://zolvastudios.com/bamlu/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Dumpling at none against Bamlu's shown. Dumpling also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (35 vs 2). Bamlu's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On price, review sentiment, 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. Dumpling sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Bamlu sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Dumpling holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dumpling has 35 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Dumpling ships an update weekly, Bamlu every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dumpling | Bamlu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (35 ratings) — better | 4.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 35 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 344 MB | 208 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 岩 曹 | ALBERT STEEN FELDT |
Customer experience
Dumpling
Bamlu
In-app purchases
Dumpling
- Dumpling Chinese Plus7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Dumpling Chinese Plus7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Dumpling Plus Lifetime Special$29.99
- Dumpling Plus Lifetime$34.99
Bamlu
- BAMLU Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
- BAMLU Pro Annual$29.991 Year
- BAMLU Pro Annual$44.991 Year
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- BAMLU Pro Annual3 Days trial$59.991 Year
- BAMLU Pro Annual$59.991 Year
- 30 minutes with your teacher$4.99
- 60 minutes with your teacher$9.99
- 120 minutes with your teacher$14.99








