Comparison

Modu vs Chinese Buddy

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

Head to head
About

Modu

Features
Read full description

Read Chinese stories, understand unfamiliar words, and build vocabulary from what you read. Modu combines graded reading, a tap-to-lookup dictionary, and spaced-repetition review in one app. Choose a graded story or import your own EPUB and TXT books. Tap unfamiliar words for pinyin and meanings, save vocabulary in context, and review it later. READ WHAT INTERESTS YOU • Explore a library of graded retellings of public-domain stories. • Import EPUB and TXT books to read with built-in learning tools. • Generate AI stories based on your selected topic and level, with vocabulary you are due to review. • Follow RSS feeds. Available article text depends on the source; some feeds provide summaries only. UNDERSTAND AS YOU READ • Tap words for pinyin, meanings, and measure words. • Use AI explanations to explore a word in the context of a sentence. • Translate sentences and paragraphs into English on your device, or read with a bilingual chapter view. • Listen to text with read-aloud tools. REMEMBER WORDS IN CONTEXT • Save vocabulary from your reading and review it with spaced-repetition flashcards. • Mark words as known to focus highlighting on unfamiliar vocabulary. • Track your reading and vocabulary progress, and export your vocabulary. OFFLINE READING AND YOUR ACCOUNT Read and save books on your device as a guest, without creating an account. Books already on your device and core reading tools work offline. On-device translation requires an initial language-model download. AI features and natural online voices require an internet connection. Sign in to back up your vocabulary. Modu Plus also syncs reading progress and other learning data across devices. Imported book files remain on your device; import the same books on another device to continue reading there. FREE + MODU PLUS Free features include reading, dictionary lookup, on-device translation, bilingual reading, vocabulary review, book imports, RSS, the story library, and basic read-aloud. Limited AI explanations and story generation are included. Modu Plus adds higher AI usage allowances, natural multi-voice read-aloud, and additional learning-data sync. AI and natural-voice usage limits apply. See the in-app purchase screen for available plans and current allowances. Start with a story, and build your Chinese one reading session at a time. Terms of Use (EULA): https://modu-ai-proxy.zhouxuehan101.workers.dev/terms Privacy Policy: https://modu-ai-proxy.zhouxuehan101.workers.dev/privacy

About

Chinese Buddy

Features
Read full description

Chinese Buddy is your patient AI Mandarin tutor — always pitched exactly at your level. Most apps make you memorize word lists. Chinese Buddy gets you speaking and reading. One tap and you're in a natural conversation with a patient AI panda tutor: it listens, responds, and gently corrects you. Why it works • Speaks at your level — every reply is just one step above what you already know. You understand almost everything, yet always learn something new. • Characters are a network, not a list — tap any word for an instant character card: component breakdown, sound and meaning parts, origin stories. Hanzi stop being isolated symbols. • Tones come first — the Tone Dojo trains your ear with minimal pairs, so your Mandarin actually sounds right. • Smart pinyin — annotations appear only on characters you don't know yet, and fade out automatically as you improve. • Graded reader — AI generates articles you can actually read, matched to your character knowledge, with just the right density of new words. • Your character count is your progress bar — knowing 1,000 characters covers 92% of everyday Chinese. Every step is visible. • Remembers what you've learned — words come back for review at the perfect moment (spaced repetition), so they truly stick. What's inside • Natural conversation practice with instant, gentle feedback • A 5-minute smart placement quiz that estimates your character knowledge • Tap-any-word graded reading with hanzi cards • Tone perception training dojo • Clear progress reports and HSK alignment • A warm panda buddy that keeps you going Privacy first Your learning data stays on your device. No social feed, no ads, no pressure — just you and your tutor. Start free, subscribe to continue. A little every day goes a long way. Terms of Use (EULA): https://cb26.pipi.com/legal/terms Privacy Policy: https://cb26.pipi.com/legal/privacy

Screenshots

Modu4 screens
Chinese Buddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Modu at none against Chinese Buddy's 2. Modu also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Chinese Buddy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Modu asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Modu ships an update weekly, Chinese Buddy every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
Modu versus Chinese Buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterModuChinese Buddy
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.5 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size156 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer雪寒 周KANZ COFFEE ROASTERS PTE. LTD

In-app purchases

None

Modu

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Chinese Buddy

Subscriptions2
  • Chinese Buddy Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Chinese Buddy Pro Annual$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Modu free?
Modu is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chinese Buddy free?
Chinese Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Modu or Chinese Buddy have ads?
Neither Modu nor Chinese Buddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Modu or Chinese Buddy?
Modu ships an update weekly, and Chinese Buddy every 4 weeks. Most recently, Modu was updated on October 24, 2026 and Chinese Buddy on October 14, 2026.

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