# PinyinBrowser vs Readibu

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | PinyinBrowser | Readibu |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinyinbrowser/id851303491/reviews) | **[4.8 (158 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readibu-chinese-novel-reader/id1474518982/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **158** |
| Positive reviews | 42.9% of reviews | **91.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 12 MB | 88 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Sorreno Digital Group Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/766997146) | [Lingyi Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1443252218) |

## What reviewers say

### PinyinBrowser

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinyinbrowser/id851303491)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Web Access | $6.99 | one-time |


### Readibu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readibu-chinese-novel-reader/id1474518982)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Readibu Monthly Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Readibu 3-Month Premium | $9.99 | per 3 months |
| Readibu Yearly Premium | $47.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked 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.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*