Comparison

HiNative vs KeepReading

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

Head to head
About

HiNative

Connect with native speakers worldwide to ask questions about languages and cultures. Get pronunciation help, writing corrections, and cultural insights. Learn and help others in over 110 languages.

Highlights
  • Ask questions via audio or text
  • Get writing corrections from natives
  • Post pictures for context
  • Connect with speakers from 170+ countries
  • Supports over 110 languages
  • Premium features for enhanced learning
Features
Read full description

**Over 5,000,000 Users Worldwide!!** HiNative is a global Q&A community for language learners and people that are curious about the world. Ask questions, get answers, and connect with native speakers from over 170 different countries! FEATURES Audio Uploads - Want to check your pronunciation? Curious about a certain region's accent? Need some handy phrases for your upcoming trip? Just record your questions and ask: let the world hear you! Correction Function - Have your writing corrected by native speakers!When you post in your target language, native speakers will show you natural ways to say what you want to say. You can receive corrections to your messages with friends, work emails, journal entries, speeches, etc. Pictures - Not sure how to write something? No problem! It's easier to ask some questions by posting a picture: signs, menus, labels, and even that rad Chinese character you're considering getting a tattoo of--just snap a picture and ask away. Unlike a dictionary or web search, HiNative gives you customized example sentences, responses to your follow-up questions, and tips to improve your pronunciation. With HiNative, you also get access to the best resource for language learning: native speakers. And as a native speaker yourself, you can help out too! HiNative supports over 110 languages, bringing the entire world to your fingertips. It's never been this easy to connect, help, and learn. ------ HiNative is run by the creators of Lang-8, one of the most successful and popular language learning websites around, with over a million users worldwide. ------ HiNative PREMIUM Premium features include the following. 1: Play every voice answer, even those posted in response to other users' questions. This gives you even more opportunity to hear native speakers pronounce the language you're learning. 2: Use bookmarks to gather your favorite questions and answers into a simple, searchable list. Never lose track of important questions. 3: Receive 10 Premium tickets per month to help your questions stand out. Questions asked with a ticket stick to the top of the question feed, get highlighted, and receive more answers on average. 4: Search. Everything's better with search. Search your old questions and bookmarks to find the information you want, faster. 5: Follow any question that you're interested in. You'll receive notifications when anyone responds to a question you follow. This makes it easier to stay up-to-date with the questions you really care about. 6: If a feature you want isn't listed above, email us at support@hinative.com, and we'll see what we can do :) Payment information: Premium Subscriptions cost $11.40 USD per month. - Payment will be charged to a user's iTunes Account upon confirmation of purchase. - Subscription will renew automatically unless Auto-Renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. - A user's account will be charged for the following month if their subscription is not cancelled 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user, and Auto-Renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. - Subscriptions for the current month cannot be canceled. Premium Terms of Use: https://lang8.notion.site/HiNative-Premium-Service-Terms-of-Use-183a44cf58b1800f81abfb35bd68470b Privacy Policy: https://lang8.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-183a44cf58b1802c851acddb39445b95?pvs=74 FAQ about Premium: https://lang8.notion.site/Tell-me-about-the-features-included-with-a-HiNative-Premium-subscription-13ea44cf58b180a9afa4ef6414b11914 How to cancel a Premium subscription: https://lang8.notion.site/How-do-I-cancel-my-Premium-subscription-13ea44cf58b18044acfce96b11c71473

About

KeepReading

Effortlessly read foreign language texts with instant translations. This app helps you build vocabulary and comprehension by providing seamless translation options for various content types, making language learning enjoyable and interruption-free.

Highlights
  • Tap-to-show word translation
  • Swipe-to-show phrase/sentence translation
  • Auto-scan translation while reading
  • Supports web pages, ePubs, PDFs, and notes
  • Over 20 languages supported
  • Vocabulary and comprehension building
Read full description

Dive into the world of foreign language reading with KeepReading—your ultimate companion for learning without interruptions. Forget the hassle of stopping to check a dictionary. With KeepReading, translations appear right when you need them, so you can focus on what really matters: enjoying your reading. It’s designed to help you breeze through tricky texts, effortlessly building your vocabulary and comprehension as you go. Here’s how KeepReading keeps things simple: 1. Tap-To-Show: Need a quick word translation? Just tap and keep going. 2. Swipe-To-Show: Want to see a full phrase or sentence translated? Swipe and it’s done. 3. Auto-Scan-To-Show: Let the app scan and translate while you keep reading—no interruptions, no effort. Whether it’s web pages, ePubs, PDFs, or your personal notes, KeepReading makes sure translations are smooth and seamless. With support for over 20 languages—including Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, and more—KeepReading has you covered, no matter what you’re reading. Reading is one of the best ways to learn a new language, but tackling texts that feel too advanced can be frustrating. KeepReading turns frustration into flow, helping you confidently take on challenging content while growing your skills. Start reading your way to fluency with KeepReading today.

Screenshots

HiNative4 screens
KeepReading4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: KeepReading at none against HiNative's 10. KeepReading also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). HiNative's advantage is ratings volume (9.1K vs 1) and review sentiment (68% vs 50%). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. HiNative sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per month. KeepReading asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

KeepReading holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HiNative has 9.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of HiNative's written reviews are positive against 50% of KeepReading's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HiNative ships an update fortnightly, KeepReading every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
HiNative versus KeepReading: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHiNativeKeepReading
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (9.1K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.4% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9.1K — better1
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB19 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperLang-8, IncCambridge Technology Innovation Centre Ltd

Customer experience

HiNative

All ratings9,087 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews1,022 reviews
Positive68.4%
Neutral8.1%
Negative23.5%

KeepReading

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

HiNative

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent app crashes or freezes
  • Inconsistent notification behavior
  • Issues with landscape orientation
  • Difficulty changing language settings

Requested features

4 requests
  • Private messaging or chat functionality
  • Ability to filter or search past questions
  • Moderation system to ensure quality answers
  • More language options and dialects

KeepReading

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

HiNative

Subscriptions8
  • HiNative Premium Monthly plan7 Days trial$4.491 Month
  • HiNative Premium Monthly plan1 Month trial$4.491 Month
  • HiNative Premium Monthly plan7 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • HiNative Premium Monthly plan1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • HiNative Premium Yearly plan7 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • HiNative Premium Yearly plan1 Month trial$34.991 Year
  • HiNative Premium Yearly plan7 Days trial$83.991 Year
  • HiNative Premium Yearly plan1 Month trial$83.991 Year
One-time2
  • Hinative Coin$0.99
  • Hinative Coin$8.99
None

KeepReading

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HiNative free?
HiNative is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is KeepReading free?
KeepReading is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HiNative or KeepReading?
KeepReading is rated higher. HiNative averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while KeepReading averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do HiNative or KeepReading have ads?
Neither HiNative nor KeepReading shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HiNative or KeepReading?
HiNative ships an update fortnightly, and KeepReading every 5 days. Most recently, HiNative was updated on October 17, 2026 and KeepReading on October 8, 2026.

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