Comparison

talkstep vs Dongne

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

Head to head
About

talkstep

Features
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Practice Korean for everyday life with clear English guidance. talkstep helps you practice Korean by reading a task in English, saying your answer aloud, and listening to your own voice. Check the model answer when you need help, then hide it and try again. โ–  Everyday Situations, Practical Korean Practice numbers and time, ordering food, shopping, getting around, and everyday conversations. Learn what to say for the situation in front of you. โ–  Clear English Guidance Understand the situation and your task in English. Explore Korean model answers with pronunciation guides, meanings, and explanations of useful expressions. โ–  Listen, Speak, and Hear Yourself Listen to model audio, record your answer, and play it back. Return to the same sentence whenever you want more practice. โ–  AI Feedback on Your Speaking Get feedback on pronunciation, phrasing, and how your response fits the situation. Review suggested sentences and record another attempt. โ–  Keep the Conversation Going with Pro Listen to full scripted dialogues and record your part in each exchange. Practice following the flow of a conversation across multiple turns. โ–  Review Your Recordings Revisit saved recordings and AI feedback. Choose the sentences you want to practice again and build a regular speaking routine. โ–  An English-Learning Track, Too You can also switch to an English-learning track with Korean instructions, covering situations such as cafes, restaurants, hotels, airports, taxis, and shopping. โ–  Free Practice and Plus / Pro Plans Some lessons and features are free. Plus monthly unlocks standard sentence practice. Pro monthly includes Plus content, continuous conversation practice, and 20 AI feedback credits each month. Extra AI feedback credits and staff role-practice turns are also available as separate purchases. See the purchase screen for current access and pricing. Monthly subscriptions renew automatically. Unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the current subscription period ends, you will be charged for the next period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple account settings. Microphone access is required to record your voice. An internet connection is required for content, model audio, and AI feedback. Support: info@rowanzone.co.kr Privacy Policy: https://talkstep.rowanzone.co.kr/privacy Terms of Service: https://talkstep.rowanzone.co.kr/terms Standard End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Dongne

Features
Read full description

Stop translating. Start reading the room. In Korean the same words can mean four different things depending on the face saying them. Dongne teaches the part textbooks skip โ€” by putting you inside webtoon scenes and asking what you would actually say. LOOK FIRST, READ SECOND Every question starts with a picture: an expression, a gesture, a place. You work out the situation before you ever see a translation. WATCH THEM REACT Pick a reply and the character's face changes โ€” warm, awkward, or annoyed. There is no hidden affection meter. You just see it. SAME WORDS, DIFFERENT FACE ๊ดœ์ฐฎ์•„! / ๊ดœ์ฐฎ์•„โ€ฆ / ๋์–ด, ๊ดœ์ฐฎ์•„. / ๊ดœ์ฐฎ์•„? โ€” four scenes, four meanings, one phrase. A NEIGHBOURHOOD, NOT A MENU Cafe, convenience store, subway, school, office, home. Twenty-four episodes, 192 scenes, unlocked as you learn. SLANG WITH A SAFETY LABEL ์•„์•„, ์กด๋ง›, ใ…‡ใ…‹ and ใ…‹ใ…‹ใ…‹ come paired with when NOT to use them โ€” and with the version you say to a shop assistant instead. REVIEW THAT REMEMBERS THE SCENE Yesterday's expressions come back in the scene that taught them, on a spaced schedule. Context is what makes them stick. One-time purchase. No subscription, no ads. Twelve episodes are free. WORKS COMPLETELY OFFLINE No account, no sign-in, no servers, no analytics. Your progress never leaves your phone โ€” the app makes no network requests at all. Interface: English, ๆ—ฅๆœฌ่ชž, ็ฎ€ไฝ“ไธญๆ–‡, ็น้ซ”ไธญๆ–‡, ํ•œ๊ตญ์–ด.

Screenshots

talkstep4 screens
Dongne4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: talkstep at 15.0 against Dongne's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. talkstep sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Dongne sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

talkstep ships an update weekly, Dongne every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
talkstep versus Dongne: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametertalkstepDongne
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size77 MB5 MB
Age rating12+4+
Developer๋กœ์™„์ธํ„ฐ๋ ‰ํ‹ฐ๋ธŒByoungho Kim

In-app purchases

4 purchases

talkstep

Subscriptions2
  • SpeakLoop Plus Monthly$4.991 Month
  • SpeakLoop Pro Monthly$8.991 Month
One-time2
  • 3 AI Feedback Credits$1.99
  • 10 Staff Role-Practice Turns$1.99
1 purchases

Dongne

One-time1
  • Dongne Pro$3.99

Questions

Is talkstep free?
talkstep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dongne free?
Dongne is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do talkstep or Dongne have ads?
Neither talkstep nor Dongne shows ads.
Which is updated more often, talkstep or Dongne?
talkstep ships an update weekly, and Dongne every 4 days. Most recently, talkstep was updated on October 31, 2026 and Dongne on October 31, 2026.

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