11 Best Apps to Learn Mandarin Chinese To Become Fluent

Apps are the best online source of learning for those who want to improve their Chinese language skills from the beginning to become fluent.

Language Apps are good sources for those who want to learn a language from native speakers. It teaches you how to write Chinese characters, help you remember vocabulary, and more. 

Many apps, like Duolingo, provide free versions to teach the basic concepts of the Chinese language. Each app has its features. Some apps are good for improving vocabulary, and many apps are suitable for improving vocabulary skills.

Best Apps to Learn Mandarin Chinese In 2024

There are many apps to improve Chinese language skills. These apps improve speaking, listening, reading, or writing skills.

  • ChinesePod: Enhance listening and comprehension skills.
  • HelloChinese: It is a well-rounded app suitable for beginners and intermediate learners.
  • Ninchanese: It offers a unique method of teaching Chinese characters.
  • The Chairman’s Bao: It is the best app to enhance reading comprehension
  • Super Chinese: It is designed to enhance Chinese grammar and vocabulary skills
  • Daily Chinese: It is very helpful for grammar, vocabulary, characters, and listening comprehension skills.
  • Du Chinese: It offers reading, listening, writing, and speaking practice methods.
  • Pimsleur: It is suitable to enhance speaking skills.
  • Italki: It connects users with online Chinese tutors for personalized lessons.
  • Clozemaster: It utilizes fill-in-the-blank exercises to teach Chinese vocabulary and grammar.
  • HelloTalk: It connects users with native Chinese speakers to enhance their speaking and writing skills.

1. ChinesePod

ChinesePod logo

ChinesePod is an online platform that will boast your language skills in Mandarin Chinese. It provides video and audio lessons, mobile study tools, and exercises, as well as individual online tutoring lessons.

It offers video lessons related to real-life scenarios and conversations to help learners practice their Mandarin in everyday situations. Its lessons are suitable for beginners, intermediate, upper-intermediate, and advanced learners.

After joining this platform, you will get access to a library of over 4000 lessons, printable lesson notes, a vocabulary manager, flashcards & writing practice tools, and HD video lessons

Pros:

  • Its free trial gives you access to all premium features.
  • You can download what you need and listen/watch anywhere.
  • It offers a dictionary with audio pronunciation and example sentences.
  • Its content focused on improving pronunciation and intonation.
  • It offers different types of exercises, such as Lesson exercises, Placement tests, Personal scoring, and Progress tracker.

Cons:

Cost:

  • Its Basic Plan costs $14/month or $124/year. Its  Premium Plan costs $29/month or $249/year. 

Learn More About ChinesePod.

2. HelloChinese

HelloChinese logo

This app provides a fun and gamified way for beginners to learn Mandarin Chinese. It offers a daily learning goal approach and bite-sized lessons to help learners improve their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills

Its structured curriculum covers various topics, such as vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and listening skills. It offers 1000+ graded stories, 2,000+ videos, and handwriting lessons to help you learn Chinese characters faster.

This app uses Speech Recognition Technology to Correct pronunciation and makes speaking Chinese a breeze. It is a great app for beginners looking to learn Mandarin Chinese, and its premium features may be worth the investment for those who want to learn Mandarin Chinese from scratch.

Pros:

  • It is a well-designed Pinyin (pronunciation) app for newbies.
  • It provides a clear and concise explanation of basic grammar concepts.
  • This app provides a lot of free content to improve Chinese language skills.
  • It allows learners to track their study progress across multiple devices.
  • It covers all aspects of learning, such as reading, writing, speaking, vocabulary, and grammar.

Cons:

  • A free version is very limiting.
  • Lacks explanations of more complex grammar concepts.

Cost:

  • One-month subscription for $8.99
  • 3-month subscription for $19.99
  • 12-month subscription for $59.99

Learn More About Hellochinese

3. Ninchanese

Ninchanese logo

Ninchanese is a gamified app that teaches Chinese characters, vocabulary, and grammar. It uses gamification and an SRS system to teach Mandarin Chinese. Its 150+ Chinese sentences teach you grammar, syntax, and exceptions.

You will learn to write Chinese simultaneously by using its embedded Input Method Editor. It uses a Spaced Repetition System (SRS) to help learners memorize vocabulary and characters.

You will learn the Chinese vocabulary you want when you want. It offers many courses to learn the basic and advanced concepts of Chinese. It offers preparation for the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) exam, which tests Mandarin proficiency.

Pros:

  • It offers a fun and easy-to-use user interface.
  • It provides a fun and effective way to learn Chinese.
  • It provides well-presented grammar explanations and exercises.
  • Its SRS system makes it a fun and effective tool for learners of all levels.
  • You will become a master in Chinese with AI-powered Grammar Assistance.

Cons:

  • Speaking stages have computer-generated audio.
  • Not good for more advanced learners.

Cost:

  • Its monthly plan costs $10, 6 months costs $54, and 12 months costs $96.

Learn More About Ninchanese.

4. The Chairman’s Bao

The Chairman's Bao logo

It is a Chinese reading app and website that provides news-based lessons for learning Chinese. Its articles cover various topics, from current events and world news to culture, technology, and lifestyle.

It provides content related to different topics of news in China and worldwide, including animals, aviation, business, crime, and education. The best this is, It uploads up-to-date content regularly.

It is the best app for individuals looking to improve their Chinese language proficiency through current and diverse news topics. You will also practice with flashcards for long-term memorization. Learners can access this platform on their desktop, laptop, mobile, or tablet. 

Pros:

  • It offers human-recorded audio for each article.
  • It has 200,000 global users and is used by over 400 schools.
  • It publishes 3-6 new articles daily related to Chinese.
  • It offers news content and features that help in the learning process,
  • It also offers institutional subscriptions for schools or companies.

Cons:

  • Limited access to the free version.
  • It does not provide English translations of full sentences.

Price:

  • Monthly cost: $10
  • 3-Months cost: $25
  • 6-Months cost: $45
  • 12-Month cost: $80

Learn More About The Chairman’s Bao

5. Super Chinese

Super Chinese

It is the best app to learn Chinese. It provides interactive exercises that test learners’ abilities in writing, listening, and speaking Mandarin. It also uses advanced AI technology to meet individual learning styles and offers lessons lesson related to real-life topics.

This app tests your Mandarin Chinese Level Accurately in 5 Minutes. Its course content covers HSK Level 1 to Level 5. It provides a clear explanation for vocabulary, grammar, and conversation.

It provides a user-friendly interface, gamified learning experience, and personalized learning paths. It is known for its focus on real-life scenario-based learning and professional Chinese language-level assessment. It also offers personalized feedback and optimized practice exercises.

Its learning tools are already being used by several leading Universities and Mandarin Chinese training schools.

Pros:

  • It offers native male and female speaker audio.
  • It is very helpful for improving speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
  • It is an effective and engaging way to learn Mandarin Chinese.
  • It offers a variety of features to help learners improve their Chinese language skills. 

Cons:

  • Only 10 minutes free for those not paying.
  • There’s no clear character memorization aspect.

Cost:

  • Its monthly cost is $11.99, and its annual cost is $69.99 or $149.99 for a lifetime.

Learn More About Super Chinese

6. Daily Chinese

Daily Chinese logo

Daily Chinese is recommended for learners who want to improve their Chinese language skills through daily practice. You will learn words and idioms through daily reviews guided by spaced repetition. It offers 9000+ words to learn both traditional and simplified characters.

This app is very helpful for beginners because it provides daily lessons, vocabulary, exercises, and other tools to learn and improve your Chinese language skills.

It focuses on teaching users Chinese words and idioms, which are essential for understanding and speaking the language. It is a simple and easy-to-use app for learning Chinese vocabulary.

Pros:

  • It provides the simplest way to master words and idioms.
  • It offers a spaced repetition system for long-term memorization.
  • Its word packs will teach you the basic words for traveling, living, or studying in China.
  • It offers vocabulary lists for all 6 Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, Mainland China’s Chinese proficiency exam levels.

Cons:

  • Not good for advanced learners.

Learn More About Daily Chinese

7. Du Chinese

Du Chinese logo

Du Chinese is an app and website that offers a collection of Chinese texts at various difficulty levels. It offers a vast collection of articles and short stories that match the user’s level. It is a valuable app for learners of all levels who want to improve their Chinese reading skills.

It is a powerful tool that makes learning Chinese simple and effective. Its dictionary shows you what the word means in that particular sentence.

Its engaging content, user-friendly interface, and effectiveness make it a perfect app for learning Chinese vocabulary.  

Du Chinese instructors manually translate its sentences into natural English. It also provides extensive reading practice to all levels of Chinese language learners.

Pros:

  • Articles can be downloaded for offline use.
  • It provides recommended lessons based on your reading history.
  • You can save and review words using an intuitive flashcard system.
  • It provides sentence translations and context-dependent word translations.
  • Its Content is highly relevant to Chinese culture and life in China.

Cons:

  • Lessons are no longer than a few pages.
  • It offers less content for Advanced and Master levels.

Cost:

  • Its monthly cost is $14.99, the 6-month cost is $79.99, and the annual cost is $119.99.

Learn More About Du Chinese

8. Pimsleur

pimsleur logo

Pimsleur is a language-learning platform that offers audio-based lessons related to 50+ languages, including the most popular language Chinese. It is suitable for learners looking to develop their Mandarin speaking and listening skills.

It is the best language learning platform for those who prefer audio-based lessons and want to focus on conversational skills. It is designed to help learners speak and understand Mandarin Chinese. 

It is available for iOS, Desktop, and Android devices. Its Android app has 1 million+ downloads. Its iOS app rating is 4.7, and its Android app rating is 4.4 out of 5.

Pros:

  • It offers 50+ languages to learn.
  • It offers 30-minute free access to all new users.
  • It offers Digital Flash Cards for Practice.
  • It is available for all devices.
  • It offers a 7-day free trial for a monthly subscription.
  • Its content quality is high.

Cons:

  • Not much reading or writing practice.
  • Not suitable for advanced learners.
  • It offers only audio-based lessons.

Cost:

  • Its cost ranges from $15 to $21. 

Learn More About Pimsleur 

9. Italki

italki-logo

It connects learners with experienced teachers for one-on-one language lessons. It offers a variety of Chinese language learning teachers to learn Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, and Hokkien. It is the best language tutor platform.

Certified teachers provide content and classes that fit your budget and schedule. Italki is a recommended platform for learners looking for a flexible and affordable way to learn Chinese with experienced teachers.

Pros:

  • It offers 1000+ tutors in each language.
  • It is easy to filter and find the best teacher.
  • Italki allows learners to schedule lessons at their convenience.
  • Italki has a community of users who share their experiences and provide feedback on their teachers and lessons.

Cons:

  • The quality of teachers varies a lot
  • Restrictive cancellation policy.
  • Higher prices don’t mean higher quality.

Cost:

  • Italki lessons generally range from $10 to $50 per hour. Many teachers charge less than $10 per hour, and some tutors charge more than $50.

Learn More About Italki

10. Clozemaster

Clozemaster logo

Clozemaster is a gamified learning platform that offers content related to 70+ languages, including the most popular languages such as Spanish, French, and Chinese.

It is recommended for learners looking for a fun and engaging way to improve their Chinese vocabulary and reading skills. It offers a wide range of vocabulary exercises to help learners expand their Chinese vocabulary.

You will get thousands of sentences, phrases, and full texts covering many topics. It also uses spaced repetition to learn new vocabulary for your long-term memory.

Pros:

  • It offers content related to 70+ languages
  • It has a massive library of sentences, phrases
  • It offers a spaced repetition system for practice.
  • It offers listening exercises that help learners improve their listening skills.
  • It allows learners to practice their active recall skills by filling in missing words in sentences.

Cons:

  • Tricky for complete beginners
  • Some phrases aren’t translated correctly.
  • It’s mostly for practicing, not learning.

Cost:

  • Its monthly cost is $8.00, and its annual cost is $60.00.

Learn More About Clozemaster

11. HelloTalk

hellotalk logo

HelloTalk is the best language exchange platform. It connects you with native speakers to chat for free. Users can practice their Chinese language skills through text, voice, and video chat with native speakers. It also offers features like translation, pronunciation correction, and personalized learning plans. 

It recently introduced HelloTalk Live and Voiceroom to learn a language quickly. It also offers learning tools such as translation and instant captions to learn by chatting with native speakers. 

It is the best app for learners looking to practice their Chinese language skills with native speakers and engage in language exchange.

Pros:

  • You can chat with people in 150+ languages.
  • It is available for free with limited features.
  • It offers Live and Voiceroom to learn a language quickly.
  • It also offers private classes to learn a language.
  • You can chat with native speakers worldwide.
  • 30 Million+ learners have already joined this App.

Cons:

  • A free version is very limited
  • It does not teach a language.
  • You’re at the mercy of others.

Cost:

  • Its monthly cost is $12.99. It also offers a lifetime access plan, and its cost is $149.99. Its cost is different for different countries.

Learn More About HelloTalk

Conclusion

All Apps are good learning sources for those who want to boost their language skills from beginning level to pro. I have shared 11 apps for improving language skills. These apps are best for improving speaking, listening, reading, or writing skills.

FAQs

What is the best free app to learn Chinese?

ChinesePod, HelloChinese, and Ninchanese are the best apps to improve speaking, listening, reading, or writing skills.

How can I learn Chinese on my phone?

Apps like ChinesePod, HelloChinese, and Ninchanese are good sources for those who want to learn a language from native speakers. It teaches you how to write Chinese characters, help you remember vocabulary, and more. 

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