Comparison

Hanzi vs OS Translator

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

Head to head
About

Hanzi

Features
Read full description

Hanzi turns any Chinese app into English, right on top of what you were doing. Shopping, food delivery, payments, banking, maps, social feeds: tap once and the whole screen comes back in English, every word sitting exactly where the Chinese was. Close it and you are still in your app, ready for the next tap. No more screenshot, switch app, upload, squint, switch back. WHY IT FEELS DIFFERENT • The screen, not a word list. Hanzi rebuilds the page in English, same place, same size, so buttons, prices and menus still make sense. • Deals decoded. Chinese discounts are converted properly: 88折 becomes 12% off, 万 becomes 10,000, and prices stay untouched. • Text inside pictures too. Banners, product photos and posters are translated where the text sits. • Traditional and Simplified Chinese, even mixed on the same screen. • Swipe to compare with the original Chinese at any time. • Pinyin and copy: open any translated screen as text, with the Chinese and pinyin for every line, and copy what you need. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Hanzi reads and translates on your iPhone or iPad with Apple's on-device engines. Your screens are never uploaded, not to us and not to anyone. It works offline once the language packs are installed. No account, no sign-up. SET UP ONCE, USE EVERYWHERE The first launch walks you through a one-minute setup. After that, a floating on-screen button (or a double-tap on the back of your iPhone) translates whatever is on screen. GREAT FOR • Living in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan or Singapore • Travelling in China with apps that only speak Chinese • Shopping on Chinese marketplaces and tracking deliveries • Reading payment, bank and utility notifications • Anyone who wants to read Chinese apps without switching the whole phone's language Hanzi translates Chinese into English only. The app itself is in English. HANZI PRO Try Hanzi on a sample screen and translate your first real screen before you decide. Hanzi Pro unlocks unlimited screens and pinyin text. • Hanzi Pro Yearly: 7-day trial, then $49.99 per year • Hanzi Pro Monthly: $7.99 per month • Hanzi Lifetime: $69.99, one-time purchase, no subscription Prices shown are in US dollars; your local price is always shown in the app before you buy. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your App Store account settings (Settings > your name > Subscriptions) after purchase. Any unused portion of a trial period is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://perufitlife.github.io/hanzi-app/privacy/ Hanzi is an independent app and is not affiliated with any of the apps it helps you read.

About

OS Translator

Instantly translate text directly on your screen while using other apps. Supports games, comics, and online shops with two viewing modes and offline translation. All features are free, with an optional ad-removal purchase.

Highlights
  • Real-time on-screen translation
  • Picture-in-Picture window
  • Mirror mode for text overlay
  • Subtitles mode for dialogue lists
  • Offline translation support
  • Supports 20 languages
Features
Read full description

The translation, right where the original text was. Play a Japanese game, read a Chinese comic or browse an overseas shop, and OS Translator reads the text on your screen and translates it on the spot. While you use any other app, OS Translator reads your screen and shows the translation in a Picture in Picture window. When the screen changes, the translation follows within about a second. No screenshots, no copy and paste. TWO WAYS TO READ • Mirror mode — Place the PiP window at the top or bottom of the screen, and it mirrors the other half with the translation laid over the original text. Speech bubbles and product pages read just as they look. • Subtitles mode — Game dialogue, menus, chat and captions burned into videos appear as a list in the PiP window, starting with the paragraphs closest to what you're reading. • On iPad, put another app next to OS Translator in Split View or Stage Manager. The app mirrors it and lays the translation right over the original text. HOW IT WORKS • Pick the language to read and tap Start Translating. • Share your entire screen when iOS asks, then go to your game, comic or app. • Move and resize the translation window as you like. Stop anytime from the app or the screen recording indicator. GREAT FOR • Dialogue and quests in Japanese games • Manga, webtoons and web novels that haven't been translated yet • Product names, options and details in overseas shops • Social media and forums in other languages • Captions burned into videos ALSO • Reading direction for vertical manga • Choose whether to show the original text • Recent Translations keeps what you read so you can view and copy it again EVERY FEATURE FREE No limits on time or number of translations, and every feature is free. A short ad may play before you start translating. The only purchase is Remove Ads — buy once and it's yours for good. TRANSLATED ON YOUR DEVICE Reading the screen and translating both happen on your device with Apple's built-in text recognition and translation. What's on your screen is never sent anywhere or saved. Once a language is downloaded, translation works even in Airplane Mode. LANGUAGES Translate between 20 languages, including English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Thai, Vietnamese and more.

Screenshots

Hanzi4 screens
OS Translator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Hanzi at none against OS Translator's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hanzi sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and OS Translator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hanzi ships an update weekly, OS Translator every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Hanzi versus OS Translator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHanziOS Translator
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.0 — better27.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRenzo MaduenoSunghyun Kim

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Hanzi

Subscriptions2
  • Hanzi Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Hanzi Pro Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Hanzi Pro Lifetime$69.99
1 purchases

OS Translator

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99

Questions

Is Hanzi free?
Hanzi is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OS Translator free?
OS Translator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hanzi or OS Translator have ads?
OS Translator shows ads; Hanzi does not.
Which is updated more often, Hanzi or OS Translator?
Hanzi ships an update weekly, and OS Translator every 5 days. Most recently, Hanzi was updated on October 29, 2026 and OS Translator on October 31, 2026.

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