Studying Chinese can be made considerably easier with the right resources. This can include books, online resources, classes, and even language learning apps. Apps are cheap, entertaining, and specific in function. They can teach everything from Pinyin or measure words to greetings in Chinese. Different applications have different uses. The best thing about them is that you can fit so many of them on your phone, so you can use several of them in tandem to supplement one another.
There are many Chinese learning apps out there, while this variety does mean more resources, it also means more to swipe through to see which one is best for you. This article will introduce you to the 25 best apps to learn Mandarin Chinese. These apps can help improve a wide range of aspects of the language and we’ve grouped them based on what they’re best for.
Table of Contents
Best for customized lessons: AmazingTalker
Price: App is FREE, lessons are $10 – $30 per hour
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Personalized curriculum that works on your areas of weakness and is geared toward your learning objective
- All instructors have certifications in language teaching and related teaching experience.
Book classes that work with your unique schedule, spending limit, and interests. Learn Chinese online by enrolling in online Chinese courses aimed at anything from exam preparation to pronunciation for beginners, intermediate, or advanced students. To develop a course tailored to your interests, you can also chat with one of our teachers.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| The app is quite simple to use and makes the overall experience easy | Tutors can see when you have viewed their profile |
| Tutors are kind, supportive, and excellent teachers. | Users may encounter bugs in the app |
Best for learning grammar: Chinese Grammar
Price: FREE
Available on: Main Site , Android
Key features:
- Easy to understand and has good examples from HSK 1 to 5
- Clearly and succinctly breaks down the grammar structures into manageable units
Chinese Grammatical is a grammar reference app that explains grammar concepts through exercises and examples. More than 100 classes are offered, and they are divided into HSK levels 1 through 5. Lessons are easy to learn and are well-illustrated with examples.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| No ads | Not available in traditional Chinese |
| Lessons are all available offline | No pronunciation guide for people unfamiliar with the characters |
Best for practicing speaking: Pimsleur
Price: App is FREE, Pimsleur All Access is $20.95/month, Pimsleur Premium is $19.95/month
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- The Mandarin course’s 30-minute audio sessions are designed to help you begin thinking and interacting in Chinese right away.
- Dedicated solely to conversational language skills
The Pimsleur course has been around for a long time, but its app is a breath of fresh air in terms of usability and interface. Additionally, there is a premium option that offers interactive transcripts of conversations along with a variety of other resources for helping you study course material in textual form (flashcards, quizzes, etc).
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Practicing listening develops your ability to discern the spoken language | No written component |
| You immediately get speaking and dialogue experience | Lessons can be a bit dry |
Best for learning listening: Chinese Class 101
Price: Subscription-based, Basic $4, Premium $10, Premium plus $23, plenty of free content
Available on: Website, iOS, Android, Kindle Fire
Key features:
- Instant access to hundreds of fun and effective audio and video lessons.
- Comprehensive lessons notes and line by line audio for pronunciation aid
ChineseClass101 is built around audio or video segments. A brief scene or dialogue in Chinese is typically included in these recordings. These scenarios cover a variety of subjects pertaining to work, family, school, and everyday life. Following the video or audio segments, grammar and vocabulary notes are provided, and students have the chance to put their new knowledge into practice by participating in quick activities or discussions on the lesson’s forum.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Downloadable classes on your device for offline learning | English is used extensively in the lessons |
| Quickly switch between the app and your PC to pick up where you left off | No written component |
Best for vocabulary: Memrise
Price: Free version restricted version of Memrise’s official courses, Full version is $8.99 per month, $59.99 per year, and $139.99 for lifetime access.
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Spaced repetition (SRS) flashcards for vocabulary practice
- Unlike other applications’ AI-generated voices, audio is made up of native people talking
Two memory experts that specialize in developing memory skills created Memrise. One of them is Ed Cooke, a Grandmaster of Memory, a designation given to those who can memorize 1,000 random digits in an hour, the order of 10 decks of cards in an hour, and the order of one deck of cards in less than two minutes, among other memory feats. The other is Greg Detre, a memory-focused neuroscientist at Princeton.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Adjustable daily goals | Many of the courses are created by users |
| Scientifically backed spaced repetition system (SRS) | Courses may differ in range of quality |
Best for beginners: Hello Chinese
Price: “Learn” portion of the app is FREE. Premium plan costs $8.99 monthly, $19.99 quarterly, or $59.99 annually. The Premium+ plan costs $19.99 monthly, $89.99 semi-annually, and $149.99 annually
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Organized and methodical with multiple ways to learn and practice
- Games for listening and comprehension, word recognition, pinyin spelling, grammar, and more
HelloChinese assists beginners in learning Chinese Mandarin rapidly and at a conversational level using efficient teaching methods. The app has Chinese speech recognition and character handwriting technology. You can also study Pinyin, pronunciation, character stroke order, vocabulary, and grammar.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Plenty of Speaking Exercises | Might be too easy for Upper Intermediate and Advanced learners. |
| Variety of games for different aspects of Mandarin |
Best for reading practices: WordSwing
Price: Limited free content available, subscription is $8 monthly
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Pleco Dictionary integration for easy dictionary look up and flashcard creation
- Choose your own adventure stories with plots to keep intermediate and advanced learners engaged
Wordswing is a hybrid of a graded reader and a choose your own adventure story. The reader makes decisions while you read the stories will impact how the plot progresses. It is one of the few sites that makes you read actively while engaging you with a plot.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Choose your own adventure format | Limited content with lack of updates |
| Audio readings for each paragraph of text |
Best for learning writing: italki
Price: App is FREE, A professional teacher will cost you between $12 and $15 a lesson, a lesson with a community tutor would cost you between $9 and $14.
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Professional Teachers are certified experts in language instruction, ideal if you have specific inquiries or want to learn about advanced topics, such as test preparation.
- Community Tutors are native or advanced English speakers who can help with casual practice and conversation exchange.
Italki is one of the most well-known language learning websites online. It pairs you up with language instructors from all around the world for private classes. They provide good, personalized Mandarin sessions with qualified tutors, a quick sign-up process, and straightforward payment options. Select a tutor, schedule a lesson at a convenient time, and pay the tutor after the lesson.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| The app and website are easy to use | Higher priced teachers don’t always reflect in higher quality |
| Easy to filter and find the best teacher for you | Processing fees |
Best for dictionaries: Pleco
Price: App and main functions are FREE, Basic Bundle is $29.99, Professional Bundle US $59.99
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- A broad and expanding array of authorized dictionary databases
- Use your phone camera to look up unfamiliar Chinese words live or tap the text in a still image to perform a lookup.
A dictionary and translation app would be helpful for all levels of learners, and Pleco is one of the finest. Pleco includes a ton of other features that make it important for learners in addition to being a strong dictionary with native audio pronunciations. You can search up characters using the dictionary offline in a variety of techniques like typing the word in, drawing it with your finger on the screen, and even taking a photo with your device’s camera.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Different input methods to look up words | No desktop version |
| Provides audio and sentence samples |
Best for learning about current events: CHINA DAILY
Price: FREE
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Read news either in English or Chinese through the app’s bilingual channel
- The AI-powered news bot makes it simple to identify headlines that are relevant to your interests.
China Daily, China’s biggest English-language media app, offering high-quality English news content, including breaking news, live streaming, videos, commentary, and in-depth coverage. The software allows users to read news in either English or Chinese on a bilingual channel. Users can quickly stay up to speed on current events.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Option to switch article from English to Chinese and vice-versa | The stories are seldom updated |
| Built-in Dictionary | App doesn’t work unless you agree to accept the cookies |
Best for audio lessons: ChinesePod
Price: Basic Learner $14 monthly, Premium Learning $29 monthly
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Use the search and filter to find the topics that interest you
- Review the expansion materials, dialogue, vocabulary, and grammatical notes that go with each lesson to delve further into translations, pinyin, and audio snippets
ChinesePod is an app that teaches Mandarin Chinese using more than 4000 video and audio sessions. ChinesePod promotes an unstructured method that lets students pick and choose whatever topics they wish to tackle first. There is no set order in which courses must be completed; simply select your level of Chinese and browse the many classes offered.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Large lesson library accumulated over the years | The lessons are not always designed to build on one another |
| Lessons benefit greatly from the hosts’ personalities | Reports of app crashes and restarts |
Best for learning how to write: Skritter
Price: $14.99 monthly, $59.99 semiiannually , $99.99 annually, $179.99 for 2 years
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Learn radicals, stroke sequence, and tones are taught through interactive tutorials.
- Video lessons, tools for measuring your progress, and leaderboards to keep you motivated
Skritter teaches you how to correctly write each Chinese character using the precise stroke order. Audio pronunciations and tones teach you how to speak each word correctly. Simply swipe and touch to select the appropriate tone while also learning how to write, read, and pronounce each character.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Spaced repetition system (SRS) | Handwriting technology doesn’t recognize cursive characters |
| The handwriting recognition works very well. | Narrow focus |
Best for optimizing pronunciation: Speechling
Price: App is FREE, lessons are $10 – $30 per hour
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Speechling’s users can practice hundreds of words with actual human voices from both genders using spaced repetition and advanced algorithms.
- Certified pronunciation coaches provide feedback on your speaking within 24 hours as a customized service.
Speechling is a nonprofit app that solely focuses on the improvement of speaking skills. Instead of vocabulary lists and grammar standards, Speechling focuses on pronouncing common phrases and sentences like an actual Chinese speaker if you want to sound like a native speaker straight away.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Completely free | Dependent on quality of the microphone of its users |
| Real coaches providing personal feedback | Sometimes you might wait 24 hrs only to find the recording can’t be heard clearly |
Best for Q&A: HiNative
Price: App and account are FREE, Premium subscription is $6 monthly and $60 annually
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Native speakers can give you tips to communicate what you want to say in Chinese naturally
- Use the search option to locate questions that contain your search phrase that have already been answered and confirmed
Asking questions about your target language is made incredibly simple using HiNative’s question formats. The app lets you automatically translate your inquiries into the languages of other users. You can ask locals the vital questions that only they can respond to like the local traditions, heritage landmarks, culture, slang, etc.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Diverse, friendly, and helpful language learning community | Answers from the community are from fellow learners who might not always get it right |
Best for structured courses: TutorMing
Price: For adults: ranging from $280 to $3100, For kids: Prices ranging from $200 to $2122
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Lessons can be booked fairly quickly and are offered 24 hrs a day.
- The program is engaging and is rich in cultural knowledge.
Online Mandarin courses are available 24 hours a day at TutorMing from trained instructors who use original materials. A platform for learning Chinese that offers highly structured one of the only ones to be tailored to children.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| In depth content across many levels taught in a unique way | Not very budget friendly |
| Teachers are all qualified with specific certifications | Shortest plan is 3-months |
Best for learning vocabulary easily: Clozemaster
Price: App is FREE, Premium subscription is $8 monthly, $60 annually, one time payment of $140 for a lifetime subscription
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Go hands-free with a Clozemaster Radio and hear the words before you see it, to hone your listening skills
- There are already over 100 language combinations, and more are still being added
Clozemaster is great for exposing users to a wide variety of phrases and words. This software has fill-in-the-blank activities where you may either manually input your response or select from a list of options. Phrases can be filtered based on HSK level, and the app rewards correct answers with points, adding a gamification component to the learning.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Words are introduced appropriately within the context of a full sentence | Unsuitable for lower intermediate and beginning students |
| There are countless sentences for you to study through | The different exercises are all essentially the same |
Best for Video Based Learning: Fluent U
Price: $30 monthly, $240 annually
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Subtitles in both English and Chinese can be simultaneously viewed thanks to interactive subtitles provided by experts
- Keeps track of the progress of your learning, and then tests you on your knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, listening, and speaking
FluentU is a Chinese language learning program that teaches you the language through actual videos that native speakers would watch, such as vlogs, movie trailers, and interviews in Chinese. Watching Chinese media is one of the most enjoyable perks of learning the language, and FluentU turns that perk into another medium of learning for learners of all levels by adding interactive study tools to each video.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Exposure through videos to real Chinese media | Robotic text-to-speech audio is used in flashcards |
| Simple to interact with subtitles |
Best for studying with flashcards: LingQ
Price: Premium subscription is 12.99 monthly, Premium plus is $39.99 monthly
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- With the import function, users can study practically anything
- Spaced repetition flashcards
LingQ emphasizes in-depth reading in more than 30 different languages including Mandarin. You can import your own content or pick books, articles, podcasts, YouTube videos, and other resources in the app’s community library. Any unfamiliar words in the lessons can be converted into SRS flashcards.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Import practically any content with ease | Not much original content, most is shared by users from other sources |
| Spaced repetition system (SRS) | Free version is quite restricted |
Best for practicing listening: Learn Chinese—Listening and Speaking
Price: App is FREE, PRO version is $9.99, Platinum package is $24.99, Silver package is $4.99
Key features:
- With 750 daily conversations and a list of courses covering a range of subjects including greetings, introductions, shopping, business conversations, family conversations, etc.
- Acquire a native speakers’ way of speaking, pronunciation, intonation, and means of breaking the sentence
This app offers lessons that are mostly focused on dialogues.Vocabulary and grammatical structures are taught in proper context through these conversations. Basic greetings and work talk are covered at each of the four levels (Basic, Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced). All audios have transcripts included in case you want to read along as you listen.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Adjustable audio speed | Too advanced for total beginners |
| Different audio recordings for all levels from beginners to experts | Some English and pinyin translations are slightly off |
Best for interactions: Tandem
Price: Limited version is FREE, pro version is $6.99 monthly, $3.99 monthly for three months, and $2.92/month for a year
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Language exchange centers on the practice of two languages by learning partners who are native speakers of different languages
- Large language learning community that is active and supportive
Over a million people use Tandem for language exchange. The app attempts to connect language learners from around the world. Although it is mostly focused on its forums, chat features, and language tools that help with communication, the app also provides tutoring services.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Large community of language exchange partners | Language exchange also involves teaching the other person your language |
| Less intimidating alternative to face-to-face interactions | Variable response times |
Best for learning Pinyin: Standard Mandarin
Price: App is FREE, $9.99 to remove ads and access animated visualizations for each pronunciation
Available on: iOS
Key features:
- Physical component of making the Chinese sounds depicted in-depth in pictures and animations
- A full explanation of how to utilize your tongue and face muscles for every conceivable pinyin syllable
Chinese is a tonal language, therefore pronunciation errors can easily result in misunderstandings. This app focuses on proper pronunciation and instructs you on how to pronounce the sounds using your tongue and face muscles, so you can concentrate on getting the right accent.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Breaks down each Chinese sound | Narrow focus |
| Illustrations and charts of the facial anatomy | No translations or vocabulary |
Best for reading stories: Du Chinese
Price: Limited FREE expirable lessons. Subscription is $11.99 monthly, $89.94 semi-annually, and 179.88 annually
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- These stories have all been written and recorded by native speakers, with professional translations included.
- Each story has a clear HSK level indication for the words and is viewable in both simplified and traditional Mandarin
Du Chinese is a great tool for developing your reading abilities. The user experience is excellent because of its well designed UI, and the information is fascinating. With the option to listen to the content read aloud by native readers, this app also gives you the opportunity to enhance your listening abilities.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| The readings offer interesting and educational material | Not many updates to the content, especially at higher levels |
| Articles can be downloaded for offline reading |
Best for news reading: The Chairman’s Bao
Price: $10 monthly, $25 quarterly, $45/ semiannually, $80 annually, and $140 for two years
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Over 1600 new articles published per year plus an extensive back catalogue
- Each lesson includes vocabulary lists and grammatical notes that are relevant to the news topic
For Chinese language learners of all levels, The Chairman’s Bao helps readers immerse using real-world news stories from China. It’s easy to see why the app is utilized by more than 131,000 users and more than 250 universities and organizations worldwide.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Regularly adds content | Only individual sentences can be translated but not full sentences |
| Content is interesting and engaging aside from being HSK friendly |
Best for reaching advanced level: Daily Chinese
Price: FREE
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Wide variety of word packs from language mastery, understanding grammar, work jargon, sports and more
- Beautiful and sleek user-interface and frequent updates of words and word packs
Daily Chinese has the most diverse word packs curated in an app. The range of topics taught is enormous from basics like grammar and HSK vocabulary to specialized areas like Buddhism and industry-specific jargon. Chances are you’ll discover all the important vocabulary packs to advance your Mandarin, regardless of how obscure your hobbies or demands are.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Diverse word packs | No sample sentences |
| Spaced repetition system (SRS) | Not currently available for offline reviews |
Best for memorizing characters: Zizzle
Price: $9.99 monthly, $24.99 quarterly, and $59.99 annually
Available on: Main Site, iOS, Android
Key features:
- Charming illustrated narrative mnemonics for various characters
- For each level of the HSK, Chinese characters conforms to the most frequently used characters
Chinese characters are taught via short stories and images on Zizzle . Each Chinese character is introduced in the form of a quirky story that includes the character’s pronunciation, audio, stroke order, and meaning. The challenging task of rote memorization of Chinese characters is made simpler and more fun with these tales and drawings.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Drawings and character mnemonics for stories | Stories are sometimes only arbitrarily related to the actual meaning of the words |
| Useful for distinguishing characters that look the same | Story mnemonics do not reflect actual character etymology |
Found your ideal app yet?
We hope this article has given you a better understanding of how you may now take control of your education with just the phone in your pocket. In looking for an app that offers all the tools you’ll need to effectively learn a language, you should discover your preferred learning style—visual, auditory, reading, or instruction-based —to help you choose the perfect app that maintains your motivation for mastering Mandarin Chinese and Chinese characters at your ideal pace. Why not start with some lessons from native-speaking teachers from AmazingTalker and dive into the Chinese language?
