Mandarin The Wild vs Du Chinese
Both give you Chinese stories at your level with recordings. Mandarin The Wild also follows you out of the stories, onto YouTube and the web.
We make Mandarin The Wild. We checked Du Chinese’s own pages on 13 October 2026, and we say where it is the better choice.
What Mandarin The Wild does
The Library has more than 200 graded stories and articles, from beginner to advanced, each with a recording in two voices, all free. Tap or point at any word for its card: the meaning it has in that sentence, its pinyin as it is read there, its parts and its sound. Here is the card for one word in a real sentence.
我想看懂这篇文章。
article; essay
Turn on pinyin above the characters with 拼, and the bar under each reading shows which of its words are new to you. Keep a word and it goes to your Backpack with its sentence; Review brings it back by sight and by sound, on every device you sign in on.
When you are ready for real Chinese, the same card works on any web page and in YouTube captions, in Chrome or Edge. The reader explains any text you paste, and Immersion takes your own links, EPUB, PDF and Word files.
What Du Chinese does
Du Chinese is an app for iPhone, Android and the web with stories, articles and courses in six levels, from Newbie to Master, each with native-speaker audio. Tap a word for its definition and pinyin, see sentence translations and grammar notes, and save words to its flashcards. Du Chinese and Du Chinese: App Store listing.
You can show pinyin, tone marks only or bopomofo, for every word or only the difficult ones. Du Chinese: how to use Du Chinese. Some lessons are free; premium unlocks all of them, at $14.99 a month, $79.99 for six months or $119.99 a year. Du Chinese: pricing.
Side by side
| What you want to do | Mandarin The Wild | Du Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| Read graded stories with recordings | Yes. More than 200, beginner to advanced, two voices, free. | Yes. Stories, articles and courses in six levels; all of them with premium. Du Chinese: pricing |
| See the meaning a word has in this sentence | Yes. One meaning, picked for the sentence. | Yes. Definitions, with a translation of the sentence. Du Chinese: App Store listing |
| Look up words on web pages and YouTube | Yes. Point at any word, in Chrome or Edge. | No. Inside its own lessons only. Du Chinese |
| Read your own text | Yes. Paste it into the reader, or add links and files to Immersion. | No. Its own library. Du Chinese |
| Keep and review words | Yes. Backpack and Review, by sight and by sound, with a free account. | Yes. Its flashcards. Du Chinese: App Store listing |
| Show pinyin above the characters | Yes. With 拼 in the reader. | Yes. Pinyin, tone marks or bopomofo, for all words or the hard ones. Du Chinese: how to use Du Chinese |
| Grammar notes in each lesson | No. The card gives a pattern’s meaning where the reader finds one. | Yes. Du Chinese |
| Price | Free to look up, read the Library and review. | Free lessons; premium from $14.99 a month. Du Chinese: pricing |
Where Du Chinese is the better choice
If you want lessons and courses on your phone that step up a level at a time, with grammar explained along the way, or you read with bopomofo, Du Chinese does that well. Du Chinese and Du Chinese: how to use Du Chinese.
Which to choose
If you want a guided course on your phone and don’t mind paying for it, Du Chinese is a good one. If you want graded stories for free, and then a card that helps with the Chinese you meet everywhere else, on YouTube and the web, use Mandarin The Wild. They also work together: read Du Chinese on the bus, and Mandarin The Wild at your computer.
Questions
Is Du Chinese free?
Some lessons are free. Premium unlocks every lesson: $14.99 a month, $79.99 for six months or $119.99 a year on its pricing page.
Does Du Chinese have a browser extension?
Its own site names iOS, Android and the web, and no browser extension.
Are Mandarin The Wild’s stories graded by HSK?
Yes. Each reading is levelled against the HSK word list, and the Library shows how many of its words you already know.
Is Mandarin The Wild free?
Looking words up, the Library with its recordings, and Review are free. Looking up needs no account; a free account keeps your words.
Sources
Checked on 13 October 2026. Prices and features change; tell us if one has.