Mandarin The Wild vs LingQ
Both are built on reading real Chinese. LingQ brings the text into its app; Mandarin The Wild explains it where you found it.
We make Mandarin The Wild. We checked LingQ’s own pages on 16 October 2026, and we say where it is the better choice.
What Mandarin The Wild does
Mandarin The Wild explains Chinese where you meet it. In Chrome or Edge, point at any word on a web page or in YouTube captions 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.
这个网页上的字我都认识。
web page
Also written 網頁
Keep a word and it goes to your Backpack with its sentence; Review brings it back by sight and by sound. The Library has more than 200 free graded stories and articles with recordings, the reader explains any text you paste, and Immersion takes your own links, EPUB, PDF and Word files.
What LingQ does
LingQ is a reading app for many languages, Chinese among them, on the web, iPhone and Android. You read lessons from its library or import your own: its LingQ Importer extension brings web pages, articles and YouTube or Netflix captions into LingQ’s reader, where you tap words to look them up and save them. LingQ: import with the browser extension.
The free plan saves 20 words and phrases and imports 5 lessons. Premium makes both unlimited, at $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year; Premium Plus is $29.99 a month. LingQ: plans on its sign-up page.
Side by side
| What you want to do | Mandarin The Wild | LingQ |
|---|---|---|
| Look up words on the page you are reading | Yes. Point at any word, in Chrome or Edge. | No. Import the page first, then read it in LingQ. LingQ: import with the browser extension |
| Look up words in YouTube captions | Yes. In the captions as the video plays. | No. Import the video’s captions into LingQ. LingQ: import with the browser extension |
| See the meaning a word has in this sentence | Yes. One meaning, picked for the sentence. | No. Dictionary meanings to choose from. |
| Read graded Chinese with recordings | Yes. More than 200 stories and articles, HSK 1 to 6, free. | Yes. Its library of lessons. |
| Keep and review words | Yes. Backpack and Review, by sight and by sound, with a free account. | Yes. 20 words free, unlimited with Premium. LingQ: plans on its sign-up page |
| Learn other languages | No. Mandarin only. | Yes. Many languages in one account. |
| Price | Free to look up, read the Library and review. | Free plan; Premium from $14.99 a month. LingQ: plans on its sign-up page |
Where LingQ is the better choice
If you study more than one language, or you want every text you read in one place with its own statistics and courses, LingQ does that, and its importer works in Chrome, Firefox and Safari. LingQ: import with the browser extension.
Which to choose
If you are learning Mandarin and want to read the real thing without copying it anywhere, use Mandarin The Wild: the help comes to the page, and it is free. If you want one app for several languages and don’t mind paying for it, LingQ is a good one.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to LingQ for Chinese?
Mandarin The Wild explains any Chinese word on a web page or in YouTube captions in Chrome and Edge, and keeps your words in a free Backpack with Review. Its Library of graded stories and articles is free too.
How much is LingQ Premium?
On its sign-up page: $14.99 a month, $119.99 a year or $215.76 for two years. Premium Plus is $29.99 a month.
How many words can I save on LingQ for free?
20 words and phrases, and 5 imported lessons, on its free plan.
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 16 October 2026. Prices and features change; tell us if one has.