Buying Guide

The Best Apps for Learning Chinese, Sorted by What You Need

There is no single best Chinese app — any list that names one is selling you something. Learners use apps for different jobs: a course, a dictionary, a tutor, a graded reader, a listening tool. Find your bottleneck below, then pick the one or two tools that clear it.

Haoshan Hong

Founder of Fluentide · Native Mandarin speaker · Incoming Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University

Updated July 2026

Complete beginner courses

“I’m starting Mandarin and want something to decide what I learn next.”

A course is the right pick when you don’t yet know what to study — it hands you a sequence. Most thin out once you leave the beginner levels.

Chinese learning apps compared by fit
App and approach	Best for	Skip if	Price and access
HelloChinese Gamified course A Chinese-specific, game-like course with tone practice, character writing, and review — coherent through the beginner levels, thinner after.	A first guided path from zero	Advanced learners wanting native-speed input	Free core; paid tier Real beginner path free Visit
SuperChinese Feature-rich course A structured course bundled with speech recognition, character writing, and video — broad, though the feature count can crowd the path.	Beginners wanting speaking prompts + many skills	Learners who mainly want listening or reading	Freemium; subscription Assessment + early units Visit
Duolingo Daily habit The easiest daily habit to keep, but lighter on Chinese-specific tones, grammar, and characters than a specialist app.	A free, familiar daily streak	Learners wanting Mandarin explained systematically	Free; paid tiers Whole course usable free Visit

HelloChinese

Gamified course

A Chinese-specific, game-like course with tone practice, character writing, and review — coherent through the beginner levels, thinner after.

Best for: A first guided path from zero
Skip if: Advanced learners wanting native-speed input
Price: Free core; paid tier

Real beginner path freeVisit

SuperChinese

Feature-rich course

A structured course bundled with speech recognition, character writing, and video — broad, though the feature count can crowd the path.

Best for: Beginners wanting speaking prompts + many skills
Skip if: Learners who mainly want listening or reading
Price: Freemium; subscription

Assessment + early unitsVisit

Duolingo

Daily habit

The easiest daily habit to keep, but lighter on Chinese-specific tones, grammar, and characters than a specialist app.

Best for: A free, familiar daily streak
Skip if: Learners wanting Mandarin explained systematically
Price: Free; paid tiers

Whole course usable freeVisit

Also worth a look — LingoDeer. Bite-sized lessons with native audio across several Asian languages; a fine fourth pick, just less Mandarin-specialised.

In short. HelloChinese for a structured start; Duolingo for the easiest free habit. Pick by which failure worries you more — quitting, or outgrowing the app.

Listening and audio lessons

“Written Chinese is easier for me than spoken. I need to understand more Mandarin by ear.”

Fluentide lives here, so read our entry skeptically — we say plainly what it doesn’t do. These three solve listening differently: graded input, explained dialogue, and screen-free recall.

Chinese learning apps compared by fit
App and approach	Best for	Skip if	Price and access
Fluentide That’s us Sustained graded input Fresh Mandarin from real news, graded to four HSK levels — mostly Chinese, not English explanation, so you get real listening reps. A full transcript, pinyin toggle, and line-by-line English catch you when you get lost. Free to start.	Daily listening you can actually follow, at your level	Absolute beginners still learning pinyin and tones	Free to start; paid plan Listen without an account; free RSS
ChinesePod Explained dialogue A deep archive of dialogue lessons with teacher explanation — great for commentary, though English can crowd out Chinese at lower levels.	Learners who want dialogues unpacked	Learners wanting mostly uninterrupted Mandarin	Subscription Sample lessons Visit
Pimsleur Screen-free oral recall A fixed audio course that makes you recall and speak aloud, screen-free — set pace, heavy repetition, light on characters and reading.	Commuters who’ll answer prompts aloud	Learners focused on characters or fresh content	Subscription / per level Free trial lesson Visit

Fluentide

That’s us

Sustained graded input

Fresh Mandarin from real news, graded to four HSK levels — mostly Chinese, not English explanation, so you get real listening reps. A full transcript, pinyin toggle, and line-by-line English catch you when you get lost. Free to start.

Best for: Daily listening you can actually follow, at your level
Skip if: Absolute beginners still learning pinyin and tones
Price: Free to start; paid plan

Listen without an account; free RSS

ChinesePod

Explained dialogue

A deep archive of dialogue lessons with teacher explanation — great for commentary, though English can crowd out Chinese at lower levels.

Best for: Learners who want dialogues unpacked
Skip if: Learners wanting mostly uninterrupted Mandarin
Price: Subscription

Sample lessonsVisit

Pimsleur

Screen-free oral recall

A fixed audio course that makes you recall and speak aloud, screen-free — set pace, heavy repetition, light on characters and reading.

Best for: Commuters who’ll answer prompts aloud
Skip if: Learners focused on characters or fresh content
Price: Subscription / per level

Free trial lessonVisit

In short. No single winner: Fluentide for sustained graded input, ChinesePod for explained dialogue, Pimsleur for screen-free oral practice.

Graded reading

“I want to read things that are interesting but not overwhelming.”

Graded readers sit between textbook sentences and native text. Judge them on whether the level is honest and the lookup, audio, and pinyin stay out of the way when you don’t need them.

Chinese learning apps compared by fit
App and approach	Best for	Skip if	Price and access
Du Chinese Polished graded stories Level-graded stories with tap-lookup, pinyin, and audio in a clean reader; fast readers may burn through a level quickly.	The smoothest dedicated reading experience	Learners chasing current news or native web content	Subscription Rotating free stories Visit
The Chairman's Bao Graded Chinese news Real news graded to HSK levels with audio and notes — fresh and topical, but news vocabulary is narrower than general reading.	Learners motivated by current affairs	Beginners wanting a course or narrative fiction	Subscription Limited free articles Visit
Mandarin Bean Lighter graded texts Graded texts with audio and study support and a generous free path; smaller catalog and less polish than the specialists.	Sampling graded reading on a budget	Heavy readers wanting a large, polished library	Free tier; paid Substantial free reading Visit

Du Chinese

Polished graded stories

Level-graded stories with tap-lookup, pinyin, and audio in a clean reader; fast readers may burn through a level quickly.

Best for: The smoothest dedicated reading experience
Skip if: Learners chasing current news or native web content
Price: Subscription

Rotating free storiesVisit

The Chairman's Bao

Graded Chinese news

Real news graded to HSK levels with audio and notes — fresh and topical, but news vocabulary is narrower than general reading.

Best for: Learners motivated by current affairs
Skip if: Beginners wanting a course or narrative fiction
Price: Subscription

Limited free articlesVisit

Mandarin Bean

Lighter graded texts

Graded texts with audio and study support and a generous free path; smaller catalog and less polish than the specialists.

Best for: Sampling graded reading on a budget
Skip if: Heavy readers wanting a large, polished library
Price: Free tier; paid

Substantial free readingVisit

Also worth a look — Fluentide Reading Practice. Free level-matched Chinese reading practice on Fluentide, with stories and articles you can open directly in the browser.

In short. Du Chinese is the strongest all-rounder; The Chairman’s Bao if you specifically want graded news; Mandarin Bean to test whether graded reading suits you.

Dictionaries and lookup tools

“I hit Chinese I don’t understand and need a reliable answer now.”

A dictionary explains a word — meanings, examples, register; a translator just hands you output. You want both, but not for the same job.

Chinese learning apps compared by fit
App and approach	Best for	Skip if	Price and access
Pleco The reference standard Deep, fast lookup with OCR, handwriting, and offline support. Add-ons cost extra, but the core is why most learners keep it.	Almost any serious learner	Someone wanting a course to guide their study	Free core; paid add-ons Core dictionary free Visit
Hanping Chinese Focused alternative A cleaner, more focused dictionary alternative, strongest on Android; a narrower ecosystem than Pleco.	Android learners wanting fast, simple lookup	Learners expecting identical apps on every platform	Paid app; some free tools Limited free version Visit
Google Translate Utility, not a course Great travel rescue for signs, menus, and speech — but it hands you output and hides how the sentence works.	Travel rescue — signs, menus, speech	Building vocabulary or fine lexical distinctions	Free Fully free Visit

Pleco

The reference standard

Deep, fast lookup with OCR, handwriting, and offline support. Add-ons cost extra, but the core is why most learners keep it.

Best for: Almost any serious learner
Skip if: Someone wanting a course to guide their study
Price: Free core; paid add-ons

Core dictionary freeVisit

Hanping Chinese

Focused alternative

A cleaner, more focused dictionary alternative, strongest on Android; a narrower ecosystem than Pleco.

Best for: Android learners wanting fast, simple lookup
Skip if: Learners expecting identical apps on every platform
Price: Paid app; some free tools

Limited free versionVisit

Google Translate

Utility, not a course

Great travel rescue for signs, menus, and speech — but it hands you output and hides how the sentence works.

Best for: Travel rescue — signs, menus, speech
Skip if: Building vocabulary or fine lexical distinctions
Price: Free

Fully freeVisit

In short. Pleco is the reference tool most serious learners settle on. Google Translate earns a place as a travel utility — not as a peer dictionary.

Vocabulary and spaced repetition

“I meet useful words and keep forgetting them.”

Spaced repetition works — the question is how much setup you’ll tolerate. The spectrum runs from a fully configurable engine to a Chinese-ready system with sensible defaults.

Chinese learning apps compared by fit
App and approach	Best for	Skip if	Price and access
Anki Maximum control Total control over cards and scheduling, and you own your data — at the cost of real setup and a paid iOS app.	Learners willing to build their own system	Learners wanting great cards with zero setup	Free; paid iOS app Free except iOS client Visit
Hack Chinese Chinese-ready SRS Mandarin-ready spaced repetition with sensible defaults and little setup; less customizable, and a subscription for one job.	Spaced repetition without the admin	Power users needing arbitrary card templates	Subscription Trial period Visit
TOFU Learn Guided lists + writing Guided character and vocabulary lists with writing practice at low friction — confirm current availability before relying on it.	Guided lists and writing prompts on a budget	Learners needing advanced scheduling	Free tier; paid Free lists Visit

Anki

Maximum control

Total control over cards and scheduling, and you own your data — at the cost of real setup and a paid iOS app.

Best for: Learners willing to build their own system
Skip if: Learners wanting great cards with zero setup
Price: Free; paid iOS app

Free except iOS clientVisit

Hack Chinese

Chinese-ready SRS

Mandarin-ready spaced repetition with sensible defaults and little setup; less customizable, and a subscription for one job.

Best for: Spaced repetition without the admin
Skip if: Power users needing arbitrary card templates
Price: Subscription

Trial periodVisit

TOFU Learn

Guided lists + writing

Guided character and vocabulary lists with writing practice at low friction — confirm current availability before relying on it.

Best for: Guided lists and writing prompts on a budget
Skip if: Learners needing advanced scheduling
Price: Free tier; paid

Free listsVisit

Also worth a look — Quizlet. Familiar and easy to share, but not Chinese-specific; worth it mainly if your class already uses it.

In short. Anki for maximum control, Hack Chinese for Chinese-specific convenience. The best system is the one you’ll actually keep reviewing.

Characters and handwriting

“I need to recognise, remember, or actually write Chinese characters.”

Three routes to the same wall: drilling strokes, making structure meaningful, and lowering the fear of a first character. Remember that mnemonics are memory aids, not always real etymology.

Chinese learning apps compared by fit
App and approach	Best for	Skip if	Price and access
Skritter Handwriting trainer A dedicated handwriting trainer with stroke-level feedback and spaced review; weigh the subscription and screen-to-paper transfer.	Learners who need to write, with correction	Learners focused only on listening	Subscription Free trial Visit
Dong Chinese Structure + context Teaches characters through decomposition and context, not pure drilling; check its etymology claims against a reference.	Learners who remember via components	Someone wanting the strictest stroke trainer	Freemium; subscription Meaningful free content Visit
Chineasy Visual introduction A visual-mnemonic intro that makes first characters less scary — charming, but it doesn’t scale far and mnemonics aren’t history.	Visual beginners wanting a gentle start	Serious handwriting or a full literacy system	Freemium; paid tiers Intro content free Visit

Skritter

Handwriting trainer

A dedicated handwriting trainer with stroke-level feedback and spaced review; weigh the subscription and screen-to-paper transfer.

Best for: Learners who need to write, with correction
Skip if: Learners focused only on listening
Price: Subscription

Free trialVisit

Dong Chinese

Structure + context

Teaches characters through decomposition and context, not pure drilling; check its etymology claims against a reference.

Best for: Learners who remember via components
Skip if: Someone wanting the strictest stroke trainer
Price: Freemium; subscription

Meaningful free contentVisit

Chineasy

Visual introduction

A visual-mnemonic intro that makes first characters less scary — charming, but it doesn’t scale far and mnemonics aren’t history.

Best for: Visual beginners wanting a gentle start
Skip if: Serious handwriting or a full literacy system
Price: Freemium; paid tiers

Intro content freeVisit

In short. Skritter is the specialist writing trainer. Dong Chinese and Chineasy are different approaches to character memory — pick by whether you learn through structure or pictures.

Speaking, pronunciation, and tutors

“I need to produce Mandarin and get corrected.”

Three service models hide here — a tutor marketplace, a pronunciation coach, and peer exchange — and they shouldn’t share one score. With marketplaces, the platform isn’t the same as any one teacher on it.

Chinese learning apps compared by fit
App and approach	Best for	Skip if	Price and access
italki Tutor marketplace A large marketplace of Chinese teachers for one-to-one lessons; breadth is the win, but quality varies teacher to teacher.	Learners who know the teacher they want	Learners wanting a fixed-price subscription	Pay per lesson Free to browse Visit
Preply Tutor marketplace Another big tutor marketplace — judge it on matching, booking, and cancellation policy rather than the headline hourly rate.	Learners who prefer Preply’s matching	Learners unwilling to compare tutors and policies	Pay per lesson / package Free to browse Visit
Speechling Pronunciation coaching Human pronunciation feedback on short recordings without booking a full lesson; feedback volume depends on the plan.	Repeated pronunciation correction	Learners wanting free conversation	Free tier; subscription Limited free coaching daily Visit

italki

Tutor marketplace

A large marketplace of Chinese teachers for one-to-one lessons; breadth is the win, but quality varies teacher to teacher.

Best for: Learners who know the teacher they want
Skip if: Learners wanting a fixed-price subscription
Price: Pay per lesson

Free to browseVisit

Preply

Tutor marketplace

Another big tutor marketplace — judge it on matching, booking, and cancellation policy rather than the headline hourly rate.

Best for: Learners who prefer Preply’s matching
Skip if: Learners unwilling to compare tutors and policies
Price: Pay per lesson / package

Free to browseVisit

Speechling

Pronunciation coaching

Human pronunciation feedback on short recordings without booking a full lesson; feedback volume depends on the plan.

Best for: Repeated pronunciation correction
Skip if: Learners wanting free conversation
Price: Free tier; subscription

Limited free coaching dailyVisit

Also worth a look — HelloTalk & Tandem. Free peer exchange with real conversation — partner quality and safety vary; a supplement, not a teacher.

In short. italki and Preply are decided by the teacher you book, not the brand. Speechling for pronunciation feedback; peer exchange is a supplement, not a replacement for a teacher.

Video and native-content immersion

“I want to learn from content made for native speakers, without getting lost.”

These package different things: a curated library, an import-and-track tool, and a browser overlay. The shared trap is leaning on English subtitles instead of processing Chinese.

Chinese learning apps compared by fit
App and approach	Best for	Skip if	Price and access
FluentU Curated video Curated clips with interactive subtitles, vocabulary, and quizzes — low setup, but weigh catalog depth against the subscription.	Curated video without assembling tools	Audio-first learners or your own media library	Subscription Free trial Visit
LingQ Import-and-track Import any text or audio and track known vs. unknown words; flexible and input-based, with a learning curve and rough Chinese word-splitting.	Self-directed learners with their own content	Beginners needing explicit instruction	Freemium; Premium Free tier with limits Visit
Language Reactor Browser overlay A browser extension adding dual subtitles and lookup to sites you already watch; desktop-only and can break when sites change.	Watchers of Mandarin on supported sites	Mobile-only learners or beginners	Free core; paid Pro Core features free Visit

FluentU

Curated video

Curated clips with interactive subtitles, vocabulary, and quizzes — low setup, but weigh catalog depth against the subscription.

Best for: Curated video without assembling tools
Skip if: Audio-first learners or your own media library
Price: Subscription

Free trialVisit

LingQ

Import-and-track

Import any text or audio and track known vs. unknown words; flexible and input-based, with a learning curve and rough Chinese word-splitting.

Best for: Self-directed learners with their own content
Skip if: Beginners needing explicit instruction
Price: Freemium; Premium

Free tier with limitsVisit

Language Reactor

Browser overlay

A browser extension adding dual subtitles and lookup to sites you already watch; desktop-only and can break when sites change.

Best for: Watchers of Mandarin on supported sites
Skip if: Mobile-only learners or beginners
Price: Free core; paid Pro

Core features freeVisit

Also worth a look — Migaku. An ambitious media-mining system for turning video into cards; powerful but heavier to set up.

In short. No single winner: FluentU for curated video, LingQ for an import-and-track library, Language Reactor for content you already watch.

Build a Small Stack, Not a Pile of Subscriptions

The method in practice

Fluentide is the free listening tool in the stack

If your reading is ahead of your ears — the most common intermediate bottleneck — Fluentide gives you daily Mandarin at four HSK levels, with transcripts, a pinyin toggle, and line-by-line English. No subscription needed to start.

More Chinese Learning Resources

Pricing, free allowances, and features were checked in July 2026 and change often — confirm on each app’s official site before subscribing. Fluentide makes the listening tool above; every other product belongs to its own maker.

Stop researching, start listening

Not sure which HSK level is yours? Find out in 2 minutes.

You could keep comparing apps, or you could take a 2-minute placement quiz and get Mandarin you can actually follow today. Fluentide drops you straight into listening at your real level — full transcripts, pinyin toggle, line-by-line English. Free, no install.

A 2-min quiz pins your level
Episodes matched to it, daily
Listen free in the browser now