Best Learn Mandarin Alternative Apps

212+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.6 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated July 2026

Du Chinese is the household name in learn mandarin alternative, but it's far from the only option. We track 212+ alternatives and competitors on iOS — many free, many higher-rated than you'd expect.

Compare top Learn Mandarin Alternative Apps (July 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Du Chinese: Read&Learn ChineseDu Chinese: Read&Learn ChineseFree4.9★ (4.5K)NoYesAug 2026
2Chineasy: Learn Chinese easilyChineasy: Learn Chinese easilyFree4.8★ (9.4K)NoYesAug 2026
3Learn Chinese (Mandarin) by MindSnacksLearn Chinese (Mandarin) by MindSnacksFree3.1★ (116)NoYesMay 2026
4HelloChinese - Learn ChineseHelloChinese - Learn ChineseFree4.9★ (23K)NoYesAug 2026
5ChineseSkill - Learn ChineseChineseSkill - Learn ChineseFree4.8★ (15K)NoYesAug 2026
6SuperChinese - Learn ChineseSuperChinese - Learn ChineseFree4.9★ (3.6K)NoYesAug 2026
7Learn Chinese EssentialsLearn Chinese EssentialsFree4.0★ (2)NoNoMay 2026
8LingoDeer - Learn LanguagesLingoDeer - Learn LanguagesFree4.7★ (28K)NoYesAug 2026

Top Picks for Learn Mandarin Alternative

Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese#1

Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese by Sinamon AB

Read Mandarin at any level
Editor's Choice
📚 Education
4.9😊(4.5K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese screenshot 1
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Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese screenshot 6

Learn Mandarin Chinese through engaging stories with integrated tools for reading and listening comprehension. Access definitions, pinyin, native audio, and translations instantly. Build vocabulary with a built-in dictionary and flashcards.

What We Love

  • 👍 Excellent reading and listening practice
  • 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use interface
  • 💡 Variety of content and levels
  • 👍 Helpful features like pinyin, translations, and flashcards

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Subscription is considered expensive by some
  • 🔒 Limited access to premium content without subscription
  • 💡 Need more advanced or longer-form stories
Chineasy: Learn Chinese easily#2

Chineasy: Learn Chinese easily by Chineasy

Map your way to learn Chinese
Strong Contender
📚 Education
4.8😊(9.4K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Chineasy: Learn Chinese easily screenshot 1
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Chineasy: Learn Chinese easily screenshot 6

Learn Chinese characters and vocabulary through visual aids and a unique building block method. This app breaks down the language into manageable lessons, making it easy to understand and remember, while also exploring Chinese culture. Suitable for all levels, it offers games and SRS reviews for efficient learning.

What We Love

  • 🎨 Beautiful and creative visuals
  • 💡 Innovative approach to learning characters
  • 👍 Engaging and fun learning experience
  • 🤓 Helpful cultural and historical insights

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Paywall after initial free levels
  • 🤔 Confusing mix of traditional and simplified characters
  • 📚 Lacking comprehensive review and testing features
Learn Chinese (Mandarin) by MindSnacks#3

Learn Chinese (Mandarin) by MindSnacks by MindSnacks

Worth Considering
📚 Education
3.1😊(116 ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Learn Chinese (Mandarin) by MindSnacks screenshot 1
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Learn Mandarin Chinese through engaging games designed for vocabulary and conversation. Master Pinyin, tones, and character writing with over 1000 words and phrases. Includes a free level with an option to upgrade for extensive content.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Best language app
  • 👍 Fun and engaging games
  • 🚀 Effective for learning vocabulary
  • 👍 Great for beginners

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 App no longer works with latest iOS
  • 🔧 Needs to be updated
  • ⏱️ Games progress too quickly

More Learn Mandarin Alternative apps to explore

4
HelloChinese - Learn Chinese
HelloChinese - Learn Chinese
HelloChinese - Learn Chinese
#1 Chinese Learning App
Free

This app offers a fun and effective way to learn Mandarin Chinese from beginner to conversational levels. It combines game-based lessons, stories, videos, and speech recognition to help you master pronunciation, characters, and practical conversations while exploring Chinese culture.

Game-based learningGraded storiesImmersive lessons
📚 Education
(23K)
freemium
5
ChineseSkill - Learn Chinese
ChineseSkill - Learn Chinese
ChineseSkill - Learn Chinese
#1 Mandarin & Cantonese App
Free

Master Mandarin Chinese with interactive lessons, smart reviews, and AI-powered speaking practice. Learn Pinyin, Hanzi, vocabulary, and grammar for work, travel, or HSK exams. Improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

Gamified bite-sized lessonsNative-speaker audio & videoHandwriting practice
📚 Education
(15K)
free with in-app purchases
6
SuperChinese - Learn Chinese
SuperChinese - Learn Chinese
SuperChinese - Learn Chinese
#1 Chinese Self-Study App
Free

Master Mandarin Chinese with an AI-powered app designed for all levels. Learn to speak, read, write, and listen through engaging lessons, animated videos, and speech recognition. Track your progress with proficiency tests and enjoy bite-sized learning sessions.

AI-powered learningSpaced repetitionAnimated videos
📚 Education
(3.6K)
free with in-app purchases
7
Learn Chinese Essentials
Learn Chinese Essentials
Learn Chinese Essentials
AccelaStudy®
Free

Master new Chinese words quickly and permanently with this language learning app. It offers native speaker audio for pronunciation, spaced repetition for memorization, and various study modes, including hands-free options. Sync your progress across devices with a cloud account.

Native speaker audio for pronunciationSpaced repetition for memorizationSearchable dictionary
📚 Education
(2)
free with in-app purchases
8
LingoDeer - Learn Languages
LingoDeer - Learn Languages
LingoDeer - Learn Languages
Learn Japanese,Korean,Spanish
Free

This app offers structured language lessons created by teachers, making learning effective and easy. It covers 20 languages, from beginner alphabets to conversational fluency, with interactive exercises and native speaker audio.

Short, interactive lessonsClear learning pathGrammar tips and notes
📚 Education
(28K)
subscription
9
Pleco Chinese Dictionary
Pleco Chinese Dictionary
Pleco Chinese Dictionary
Handwriting, OCR, flashcards
Free

This app is a comprehensive tool for learning Chinese, offering integrated dictionaries, document reading, and flashcard features. It supports various input methods including handwriting and OCR, with extensive dictionary options and pronunciation guides.

Integrated dictionaries with over 110,000 entriesFull-screen handwriting inputLive OCR for word lookup
🔍 Reference
(1.9K)
free with in-app purchases
10
trainchinese
trainchinese
trainchinese
The best way to learn Chinese
Free

Learn Chinese with a comprehensive dictionary, flashcards, and OCR. Access example sentences, audio, and character animations. Supports both Simplified and Traditional Chinese, with customizable phonetic input.

Comprehensive Chinese dictionaryOptical Character Recognition (OCR)Spaced Repetition flashcard system
📚 Education
(2.2K)
free with in-app purchases
11
Mandarin Chinese by Nemo
Mandarin Chinese by Nemo
Mandarin Chinese by Nemo
Easy, fast and fun learning
Free

Learn Mandarin Chinese with this app that focuses on essential words and phrases, native speaker audio, and accent mastery through speech recording. It's designed for flexible learning, allowing you to study whenever you have a few minutes, and builds confidence for everyday conversations without requiring prior knowledge.

Essential words and phrases with native audioAccent mastery with Speech StudioOffline access to downloaded audio
✈️ Travel
(1.6K)
free with in-app purchases
12
Learn Chinese Easily
Learn Chinese Easily
Learn Chinese Easily
Study Chinese Lesson Games
Free

This app offers a relaxing and interactive method for learning Chinese. It uses games that connect words with images and includes pronunciation to aid understanding. Track your progress and test your knowledge with a summary and rating.

Interactive word-image associationPronunciation supportProgress tracking
📚 Education
(1.8K)
free with in-app purchases
13
MyMandarin - Learn Chinese
MyMandarin - Learn Chinese
MyMandarin - Learn Chinese
Personalized Mandarin Practice
Free

Master Mandarin Chinese with personalized daily sessions that adapt to your learning style. Practice speaking with an AI coach, read engaging stories, and improve writing skills with interactive feedback. Save and review vocabulary using spaced repetition to build fluency.

Personalized daily learning sessionsAI-powered speaking practice with feedbackInteractive writing and character stroke practice
📚 Education
(11)
freemium
14
Laoshi: Learn Chinese & HSK
Laoshi: Learn Chinese & HSK
Laoshi: Learn Chinese & HSK
Flashcards, Grammar & Writing
Free

Master Mandarin Chinese with smart flashcards, comprehensive grammar explanations, and character writing practice. Prepare for HSK exams and track your progress with scientifically optimized review intervals. Supports importing custom decks.

Smart flashcards for characters, tones, and grammarComplete Chinese grammar section with explanationsHSK 2.0 & 3.0 exam preparation
📚 Education
(623)
subscription
15
TCB | Read Chinese to Learn
TCB | Read Chinese to Learn
TCB | Read Chinese to Learn
Chinese Reading, Graded News
Free

This app offers over 9,500 news-based lessons to enhance Chinese reading skills. It provides content for all proficiency levels, with daily updates and features like offline study and a one-tap dictionary. Improve fluency and vocabulary through interactive exercises and detailed lesson breakdowns.

9,500+ news-based lessonsOffline study modeOne-tap dictionary
📚 Education
(546)
freemium
16
Skritter: Write Chinese
Skritter: Write Chinese
Skritter: Write Chinese
Learn Mandarin vocabulary fast
Free

Master Mandarin characters through interactive writing practice. Learn meanings, readings, and tones with curated decks for all levels, from beginner to advanced.

Interactive character writing practiceLearn character meaning, reading, and toneTopic-based and difficulty-level decks
📚 Education
(806)
freemium
17
Pimsleur | Language Learning
Pimsleur | Language Learning
Pimsleur | Language Learning
Practice Daily. Speak Fluently
Free

Master over 50 languages with daily 30-minute audio lessons. Achieve native-like fluency through a scientifically proven method focused on speaking and pronunciation, even offline. Perfect for busy adults seeking flexible, effective language learning.

Learn 50+ languages30-minute daily lessonsOffline mode
📚 Education
(29K)
free with in-app purchases
18
Learn Mandarin Chinese
Learn Mandarin Chinese
Learn Mandarin Chinese
Phrases & Words
Free

Master Mandarin Chinese phrases and words with a native-speaking parrot. Practice speaking and listening skills anytime, anywhere. Ideal for travelers heading to China.

Learn Mandarin phrases and wordsNative speaker pronunciationPractice speaking and listening
📚 Education
(60)
free with in-app purchases
19
Daily Mandarin
Daily Mandarin
Daily Mandarin
Chinese Character Practice
Free

Practice Chinese characters with ease. Search by English, Chinese characters, or pinyin to find any character. Includes stroke order, pronunciation, and official HSK vocabulary lists for comprehensive learning.

Practice any Chinese characterSearch by English, Chinese, or PinyinIncludes HSK vocabulary lists
📚 Education
(24)
free
20
Victor AI - Language Learning
Victor AI - Language Learning
Victor AI - Language Learning
Speak to Learn 11 Languages
Free

Practice speaking 11 languages with an AI tutor that engages in real conversations. Learn through 3,500+ dialogues based on real-life situations and receive instant feedback to build confidence and fluency.

AI conversation practiceReal-life dialogues60-day speaking challenge
📚 Education
(2.3K)
subscription

FAQ about Learn Mandarin Alternative

What are the best learn mandarin alternative apps for iPhone?
Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese tops our learn mandarin alternative apps ranking as of July 2026, with a 4.9-star average from 4.5K App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Yes — 20 of the top learn mandarin alternative apps we rank are free to download, including Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese and Chineasy: Learn Chinese easily.
Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese has no ads and offers in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of July 2026.
We track 212+ learn mandarin alternative apps on the iOS App Store as of July 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.
Du Chinese is a language learning application designed to help users learn Mandarin Chinese through reading and listening to stories. It provides tools like instant word definitions, pinyin, native speaker audio, and sentence translations to facilitate comprehension and vocabulary building.
Key features include an extensive library of Mandarin Chinese stories and articles for all levels, instant access to pinyin, definitions, and translations, native speaker audio for all readings, a built-in dictionary and flashcard system for vocabulary reinforcement, and options for both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.