talkstep vs HangulNova
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
talkstep
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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. ■ 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. ■ Clear English Guidance Understand the situation and your task in English. Explore Korean model answers with pronunciation guides, meanings, and explanations of useful expressions. ■ 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. ■ AI Feedback on Your Speaking Get feedback on pronunciation, phrasing, and how your response fits the situation. Review suggested sentences and record another attempt. ■ 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. ■ Review Your Recordings Revisit saved recordings and AI feedback. Choose the sentences you want to practice again and build a regular speaking routine. ■ 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. ■ 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/
HangulNova
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HangulNova is a Korean learning app that covers TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) from Level 1 to Level 6 in one place. ■ 9,472 study words Every TOPIK 1–6 study word is included. Each word has a romanization, part of speech, English meaning, and an example sentence with its English translation. You can listen at normal speed or slowly. ■ Korean–English dictionary with 9,472 entries (offline) The dictionary is built into the app and searched on your device. It uses no network connection and no AI. ・Search in Hangul (학교) ・Search by romanization (hangugeo or han guk eo) ・Search by initial consonants only (ㅎㄱㅇ → 한국어) ・Search in English (promise → 약속) Save words you want to remember to your word list and review them with flashcards. ■ 310 grammar points and 113 reading passages Grammar is organized by level and explained with example sentences and romanization — from the past tense -았어요 / 었어요 and the honorific -(으)시- to -는데 for background and lead-ins. Each reading passage comes with questions and English notes. ■ Listening Plays the podcasts published by VOA 한국어 (a public-domain broadcast provided by the U.S. government) directly from VOA's servers. Episodes can also be saved for offline listening. ■ AI Korean conversation (Premium) Korean conversation practice, reading answer checks and pronunciation feedback are powered by Claude by Anthropic. Before you use these features, the app explains what data is sent and asks for your consent before sending anything. If you don't consent, the AI features stay off and no data is sent. You can withdraw your consent at any time in Settings. The AI replies in English. [About Premium] ・Monthly and yearly plans (auto-renewing) ・Payment is charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. ・You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal in your device's Settings after purchase. ・Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ ・Privacy Policy: https://ars-sys.github.io/hangulnova-legal/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: talkstep at 15.0 against HangulNova's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. talkstep sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and HangulNova sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
talkstep ships an update weekly, HangulNova every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | talkstep | HangulNova |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 로완인터렉티브 | 株式会社ARS |
In-app purchases
talkstep
- SpeakLoop Plus Monthly$4.991 Month
- SpeakLoop Pro Monthly$8.991 Month
- 3 AI Feedback Credits$1.99
- 10 Staff Role-Practice Turns$1.99
HangulNova
- 月額プラン$3.991 Month
- 年額プラン$29.991 Year









