Best Mandarin Chinese From Scratch Apps

207+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.5 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated May 2026

Out of 207+ mandarin chinese from scratch apps on iOS, 20 are free and the rest sit in the paid tier. This page sorts them so you can compare both sides before you commit.

Top Picks for Mandarin Chinese From Scratch

HelloChinese - Learn Chinese#1

HelloChinese - Learn Chinese by HelloChinese Technology Co., Ltd.

#1 Chinese Learning App
Editor's Choice
📚 Education
4.8😊(18K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
HelloChinese - Learn Chinese screenshot 1
HelloChinese - Learn Chinese screenshot 2
HelloChinese - Learn Chinese screenshot 3
HelloChinese - Learn Chinese screenshot 4
HelloChinese - Learn Chinese screenshot 5
HelloChinese - Learn Chinese screenshot 6

An innovative app for mastering Chinese language through interactive lessons, real-life dialogues, pronunciation exercises, and quizzes. Start your language learning journey today!

What We Love

  • 🚀 Easy to learn
  • 👍 Engaging and fun
  • 👍 Helpful for beginners
  • 👍 Good for pronunciation practice

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent speech recognition
  • 🐛 Audio quality issues in some videos
  • 💰 Paywall limits access to full content
Learn Chinese: ChineseSkill#2

Learn Chinese: ChineseSkill by YIYAN TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

Must-Have Mandarin Chinese App
Strong Contender
📚 Education
4.8😊(867 ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Learn Chinese: ChineseSkill screenshot 1
Learn Chinese: ChineseSkill screenshot 2
Learn Chinese: ChineseSkill screenshot 3
Learn Chinese: ChineseSkill screenshot 4
Learn Chinese: ChineseSkill screenshot 5
Learn Chinese: ChineseSkill screenshot 6

Learn Mandarin Chinese quickly and systematically with this must-have app for beginners. Featuring 500 engaging mini-lessons covering Pinyin, grammar, listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, it offers automatic speech assessment, gamified learning, and offline mode. Start your Chinese language journey today!

What We Love

  • 👍 Great app for learning Chinese
  • 🚀 Comprehensive and effective learning approach
  • 💡 Helpful explanations and grammar notes
  • 👍 Engaging and fun learning experience

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
  • 🔒 Concerns about subscription cancellation and account issues
  • 💰 Paid subscription required to access all features
Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese#3

Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese by Sinamon AB

Read Mandarin at any level
Worth Considering
📚 Education
4.9😊(4.3K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese screenshot 1
Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese screenshot 2
Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese screenshot 3
Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese screenshot 4
Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese screenshot 5
Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese screenshot 6

Practice Mandarin easily anytime with the graded reading app offering Chinese lessons for all levels. Access pinyin, audio, translations, and a built-in dictionary to enhance your learning journey. Improve your reading and listening skills with daily new content and track your progress. Start your Chinese learning journey today!

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

More Mandarin Chinese From Scratch apps to explore

4
Chineasy: Learn Chinese easily
Chineasy: Learn Chinese easily
Chineasy: Learn Chinese easily
Map your way to learn Chinese
Free

Learn Chinese easily with a visually engaging app that offers bite-sized challenges, games, and quizzes to help you master Mandarin quickly. Switch between Simplified and Traditional Chinese, practice speaking with speech recognition, and join a community of learners on the path to fluency. Take your first step today!

📚 Education
(9.3K)
5
Learn Chinese (Mandarin) by MindSnacks
Learn Chinese (Mandarin) by MindSnacks
Learn Chinese (Mandarin) by MindSnacks
by MindSnacks
Free

Learn Mandarin Chinese through engaging games on the go with 8 addictive activities for essential vocabulary building. Experience one of the best educational apps of the year - Apple (iTunes Rewind) - and start mastering Mandarin today!

📚 Education
(116)
6
SuperChinese - Learn Chinese
SuperChinese - Learn Chinese
SuperChinese - Learn Chinese
#1 Chinese Self-Study App
Free

Learn Mandarin Chinese quickly and effectively with an AI-powered app offering lessons tailored to your learning style. Practice speaking, reading, writing, and listening with bite-sized lessons, speech recognition, and animated videos. Try SuperChinese now to accelerate your path to fluency!

📚 Education
(3.2K)
7
Pleco Chinese Dictionary
Pleco Chinese Dictionary
Pleco Chinese Dictionary
Handwriting, OCR, flashcards
Free

A powerful and comprehensive Chinese learning companion app with features like dictionaries, OCR, flashcards, and handwriting input. Easily look up words, characters, and example sentences, while enjoying excellent customer support. Experience the best in mobile Chinese learning without ads. Contact support for more information.

🔍 Reference
(1.9K)
8
Learn Chinese Essentials
Learn Chinese Essentials
Learn Chinese Essentials
AccelaStudy®
Free

This language education software helps users learn new Chinese words quickly and permanently with features like native speaker audio, spaced repetition, and hands-free mode. Join millions of users worldwide and master Chinese with this powerful tool that syncs across devices and tracks progress.

📚 Education
(2)
9
Speak Chinese: 중국어 배우기
Speak Chinese: 중국어 배우기
Speak Chinese: 중국어 배우기
Learn Chinese with AI Tutor
Free

Unlock fluency in Mandarin with this AI-powered learning app, featuring personalized lessons, interactive exercises, and comprehensive support for HSK exams. Download now and start your Mandarin journey today!

📚 Education
(11)
10
Immersive Chinese
Immersive Chinese
Immersive Chinese
Simple Chinese Spoken Clearly
Free

Immersive Chinese is a comprehensive language learning app for spoken Mandarin Chinese, offering over 12,000 high-quality audio recordings with a systematic course structure for beginners. With features like customized study sessions, offline access, and repetition training, it provides an effective way to build practical language skills. Experience natural and intuitive learning by starting with 36 free lessons and unlock more with a low-cost subscription. Start your language journey today!

📚 Education
(54)
11
Skritter: Write Chinese
Skritter: Write Chinese
Skritter: Write Chinese
Learn Mandarin vocabulary fast
Free

Practice writing Chinese characters with Skritter, the best app for learning Mandarin vocabulary quickly. Explore different decks based on topics and difficulty levels to enhance your Chinese writing skills. Start mastering Chinese characters today!

📚 Education
(760)
12
Learn Chinese Easily
Learn Chinese Easily
Learn Chinese Easily
Study Chinese Lesson Games
Free

Immerse yourself in a fun and engaging language learning experience with interactive lessons, picture-based study methods, and progress tracking. Discover an efficient and enjoyable way to learn Chinese through a user-friendly interface and test your mastery with regular updates featuring free lessons. Start your language journey today!

📚 Education
(1.8K)
13
TCB | Read Chinese to Learn
TCB | Read Chinese to Learn
TCB | Read Chinese to Learn
Chinese Reading, Graded News
Free

Improve Chinese reading skills with news-based lessons at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. New app release in October 2023 with enhanced features and personalized study options. Learn on the go with offline mode, test your skills, and track progress easily.

📚 Education
(544)
14
trainchinese
trainchinese
trainchinese
The best way to learn Chinese
Free

Learn Chinese effectively with an all-in-one app featuring a comprehensive dictionary, flashcard system with OCR, and handwriting training. Enhance your vocabulary with audio recordings, example sentences, measure words, and interactive learning modes. Master Chinese characters and language nuances effortlessly with trainchinese!

📚 Education
(2.1K)
15
Chinese Writer by trainchinese
Chinese Writer by trainchinese
Chinese Writer by trainchinese
Play to learn Chinese writing!
Free

Learn Chinese writing effortlessly with an engaging app. Practice over 5,600 characters through interactive games, stroke-order diagrams, and audio pronunciations. Suitable for learners of all levels, create custom packs, track progress, and share achievements with friends. Enjoy the beauty of Chinese writing with this educational and addictive tool.

📚 Education
(358)
16
Learn Chinese – Studycat
Learn Chinese – Studycat
Learn Chinese – Studycat
Learning Games for Kids
Free

Experience Fun Chinese, learning games for kids by award-winning creators Studycat for Schools, designed to make learning Chinese engaging and interactive. Start your child's language learning journey today!

📚 Education
(919)
17
Mandarin Chinese by Nemo
Mandarin Chinese by Nemo
Mandarin Chinese by Nemo
Easy, fast and fun learning
Free

Learn Mandarin Chinese effortlessly with this app designed for quick, personalized language practice. Master essential words and phrases with native speaker audio, improve your accent with Speech Studio, and target common vocabulary to speak confidently in everyday conversations. Download now for free!

✈️ Travel
(1.5K)
18
Learn Chinese 学中文-JUZI Chinese
Learn Chinese 学中文-JUZI Chinese
Learn Chinese 学中文-JUZI Chinese
Chinese Dictionary & HSK
Free

Master the beauty of the Chinese language with this all-in-one app, featuring a comprehensive dictionary, learning tools, and a user-friendly interface. Learn Chinese with real audio pronunciations, dynamic writing demonstrations, and personalized learning tools to help you ace the HSK exam and improve your language skills.

🔍 Reference
(12)
19
Chinese Learning-MandarinSpark
Chinese Learning-MandarinSpark
Chinese Learning-MandarinSpark
Chinese learning with AI
Free

Revolutionize your Chinese learning with AI-powered lessons, real-time tone analysis, and interactive features like mini-dramas, a calligraphy game, and personalized daily word notifications. Start your personalized Mandarin journey today and perfect your pronunciation with interactive learning tools.

🔧 Utilities
(83)
20
HeyChina: Learn Chinese
HeyChina: Learn Chinese
HeyChina: Learn Chinese
Basic Chinese Learning App
Free

Learn Chinese effectively and prepare for HSK exams with HeyChina! Master the language through step-by-step lessons, interactive exercises, and personalized assessments. Start your journey to fluency today!

📚 Education
(127)