Du Chinese
Immersion (video, reading): graded Chinese stories read aloud by native speakers, with pinyin and tap-to-translate.
Prices checked 12 Oct 2026 · How we check
Is Du Chinese worth it?
Yes, if you can read some characters and want stories at your level, each read aloud, to build reading speed and listening.
What it costs. A year costs $119.99 ($10 a month); month to month is $14.99.
What's free. A selection of free lessons at every level.
Skip it if you want speaking practice: Du Chinese is reading and listening, and nothing checks what you say.
What learners rate it. 4.9 out of 5 from 4,587 ratings in Apple's US App Store and 4.8 from 11,644 on Google Play, checked 12 Oct 2026.
$119.99 a year $10 a month, billed yearly · Premium
In our comparison: strongest on offline use, weakest on speaking practice.
- Annual plan
- $119.99 a year ($10/mo)
- Monthly plan
- $14.99
- Lifetime plan
- —
- Free tier
- Free to keep using
A selection of free lessons at every level; Premium opens all 3,000+ articles, stories and courses, offline study and an audiobook mode. - Languages
- 1
- Speech recognition
- —
- Live tutoring
- —
- Offline mode
- Yes
- Placement test
- —
- CEFR levels
- —
- Refund or trial
- A subscription started on Du Chinese's website is refunded in full if you ask within 15 days; App Store purchases cannot be refunded by Du Chinese.
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Web
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to the app makers' own sites earn us nothing. Commissions never affect which apps we recommend. Affiliate disclosure and how the data is collected.
How a Du Chinese lesson works
- What you do
- A story or article at your level, read aloud by a native speaker: tap any word for its pinyin and meaning, show or hide the translation, and save words as flashcards.
- What comes back
- Automatic: exercises are marked right or wrong. No person checks your work.
- Not included
- A live teacher or stated CEFR levels.
How a lesson works in an immersion app
Plans and prices
Every consumer plan on Du Chinese's own pricing page or app-store listing, in US dollars unless marked. Per month is the plan price divided by its term; promotions are noted, never used for the figure.
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BasicFreeA selection of lessons at every level. | Other | $0 | $0/mo | the free lessons |
| Premium, 12 monthsPremium | Annual | $119.99 | $10/mo | every story and course |
| Premium, 6 monthsPremium | Every 6 months | $79.99 | $13.33/mo | every story and course |
| Premium, 1 monthPremium | Monthly | $14.99 | $14.99/mo | every story and course |
What will Du Chinese cost you?
Total billed over 12 months
$59.89 less on annual billingOne yearly payment of $119.99.
What each plan covers. Monthly: every story and course. Yearly: every story and course.
Before subscribing, compare trial, cancellation and refund terms, including how purchases through an app store differ.
What Du Chinese says about itself
| Feature | What Du Chinese says |
|---|---|
| CEFR levels | — |
| What it is | Immersion (video, reading). Graded Chinese stories and articles, each read aloud by a native speaker, with pinyin, word definitions and sentence translations a tap away and flashcards for the words you save. |
| Languages offered | 1: Chinese |
| Free tier | A selection of free lessons at every level; Premium opens all 3,000+ articles, stories and courses, offline study and an audiobook mode. |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web |
| Offline mode | Yes |
| Speech recognition | — |
| Live tutoring | — |
| Placement test | — |
| Refund or trial | A subscription started on Du Chinese's website is refunded in full if you ask within 15 days; App Store purchases cannot be refunded by Du Chinese. |
| Company | Sinamon AB |
How Du Chinese compares
Du Chinese is strongest on offline use, weakest on speaking practice. Each criterion is scored out of 5 from what each app says about itself and from independent reviews, to compare apps that do the same job; it is not a review of the app. How we score.
| Feature | Score (of 5) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching depth | 2 | Graded Chinese stories read aloud by native speakers, with pinyin and tap-to-translate |
| Speaking practice | 1 | — |
| Language coverage | 1 | 1 language |
| Free tier | 3 | A free account with limits |
| Price per month | 3 | $119.99 a year $10 a month, billed yearly · Premium |
| Trial and refund | 2 | Refunds follow Apple's or Google's rules |
| Offline use | 4 | Works offline |
| Staying power and bugs | – | Not available |
Languages you can learn on Du Chinese
1 language as listed by Du Chinese.
How far its courses go
- Du Chinese: Beginner to HSK 6; 3,000+ articles, stories and courses. Simplified or traditional, with pinyin to show or hide.
Compare Du Chinese
- Best app to learn Chinese (Mandarin): every app that teaches it, compared
- Best apps to learn a language with videos, compared
- Du Chinese against any other app, side by side
- What Du Chinese will cost you for the months you study
- All 41 apps in one table
References
- Du Chinese: prices (checked 12 Oct 2026)
- Apple App Store: Du Chinese listing (checked 12 Oct 2026)
- Du Chinese: home page
- Du Chinese: terms of service (checked 12 Oct 2026)