Comparison

PinyinBrowser vs Readibu

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

Head to head
About

PinyinBrowser

This tool automatically displays Pinyin or Zhuyin readings above Chinese characters on web pages. It allows users to hide and show readings to test their knowledge and includes a curated list of Chinese web pages for practice.

Highlights
  • Automatic Pinyin and Zhuyin readings
  • Show/hide Pinyin for self-testing
  • Zoom text for readability
  • Curated Mandarin reading list
  • Portrait and landscape modes
Features
Read full description

PinyinBrowser™ automatically adds Pinyin readings of Chinese characters to entire web pages, as you surf. A UNIQUE tool for learners of Mandarin Chinese. Features: • AUTOMATIC AND INSTANT PINYIN READINGS added to web pages with Chinese characters • ALSO SUPPORTS BOPOMOFO / ZHUYIN for users in Taiwan • ZOOM TEXT OF ENTIRE WEB PAGE FOR EASE OF READING of complex Chinese characters • SHOW AND HIDE PINYIN WITH ONE TAP to test yourself • MANDARIN READING LIST provides a library of high-quality Chinese language mobile web pages for practice • PORTRAIT AND LANDSCAPE modes for ease of reading. Includes a Mandarin Reading List with a curated list of the *best* of the Chinese web for mobile. 加油 ! (Jiā Yóu - Chinese for "Go for it"!) Language experts agree that the best way to learn a new language is to use it in everyday practice. Surfing Chinese web sites provides an excellent environment for immersion, but the difficulty of learning thousands of chinese characters makes reading more difficult than speaking for beginner-level Chinese learners. PinyinBrowser™ enables you to link your study of Chinese characters to your study of Chinese speech. "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.  If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." - Nelson Mandela NOTES: Website compatibility is VERY important to us and we have tested to ensure compatibility with the vast majority of websites. If you encounter a Chinese website that does not display Pinyin over top of the Chinese characters, let us know at our support website!

About

Readibu

Access a vast library of Chinese web novels, short stories, and children's tales. Enhance your learning with integrated dictionary lookups, text-to-speech, and pinyin display. Premium features offer advanced tools like sentence translation and offline reading for an immersive language learning experience.

Highlights
  • Explore Chinese web novels
  • Tap for character definitions
  • Reader mode for web pages
  • Pinyin/zhuyin display
  • Text-to-speech
  • Offline reading (Premium)
  • Sentence translation (Premium)
Features
Read full description

Discover new stories and worlds in Chinese! Ready to move beyond flashcards and graded readers? Readibu is your portal to the world of popular Chinese web novels, short stories and children stories enjoyed by native readers — or bring your own books and read them the same way. From historical to sci-fi or romance to horror, there's always something good to read. Readibu is a Chinese reading app where you can: 1. Explore popular web novels, short stories, and children stories from native Chinese sites — browse by ranking, category, or search 2. Import your own EPUB, PDF, or TXT files and read them alongside your web library 3. Tap on characters for definitions 4. Open web pages in a reader for immersive reading 5. Absorb the language while you're immersed in gripping adventures Supported features: • Tap for dictionary • Text-to-speech • Simplified and traditional conversion • Pinyin/zhuyin display over words • Add custom url to display in reader • Import EPUB, PDF, and TXT files into your library • Organize your reading with collections, bookmarks, and history • Check the difficulty of any text with HSK-level breakdowns • Look up words in Pleco, MDBG, Yellow Bridge, Baidu Translate, and more • Export saved vocabularies • Auto-detect next chapter • Auto-save last page you were on • Back up and restore your library and vocabulary ================================ ENHANCE YOUR READING EXPERIENCE WITH READIBU PREMIUM • Cloud sync - Sync subscription, library, bookmarks, vocabs and reading progress between devices • Sentence Translation - Unlimited translation by Google Translate • Image Search - Display image search results for selected text • Offline Reading - Download pages for reading offline • Quiz Mode - Quiz your pinyin, tones, and definitions of words you looked up before • Smart Name Recognition - Detect names of people, orgs and places in content • Syntax Analysis - Analyze syntax of sentence Free trials included with all plans! 1-month subscription: $4.99 per month 3-month subscription: $9.99 per month 12-month subscription: $47.99 per year Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at the end of your free trial period. Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period or trial. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel subscriptions in your Itunes Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.readibu.com/privacy Terms & Conditions: https://www.readibu.com/terms Have questions? Feel free to contact us at support@readibu.com.

Screenshots

PinyinBrowser3 screens
Readibu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Readibu at 92% against PinyinBrowser's 43%. Readibu also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months). PinyinBrowser's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PinyinBrowser sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Readibu sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Readibu holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Readibu has 158 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of PinyinBrowser's written reviews are positive against 92% of Readibu's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PinyinBrowser ships an update every 2 months, Readibu every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PinyinBrowser versus Readibu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPinyinBrowserReadibu
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (9 ratings)4.8 (158 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews91.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9158 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB88 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperSorreno Digital Group Ltd.Lingyi Chen

Customer experience

PinyinBrowser

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%

Readibu

All ratings157 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral0.6%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive91.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.1%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PinyinBrowser

One-time1
  • Full Web Access$6.99
3 purchases

Readibu

Subscriptions3
  • Readibu Monthly Premium14 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Readibu 3-Month Premium14 Days trial$9.993 Months
  • Readibu Yearly Premium14 Days trial$47.991 Year

Questions

Is PinyinBrowser free?
PinyinBrowser is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Readibu free?
Readibu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PinyinBrowser or Readibu?
Readibu is rated higher. PinyinBrowser averages 4.2 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Readibu averages 4.8 from 158 ratings.
Do PinyinBrowser or Readibu have ads?
Neither PinyinBrowser nor Readibu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PinyinBrowser or Readibu?
PinyinBrowser ships an update every 2 months, and Readibu every 8 days. Most recently, PinyinBrowser was updated on October 12, 2026 and Readibu on October 23, 2026.

Other comparisons