Du Chinese review
Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026
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Our verdict
Du Chinese is a Chinese-only app for self-study learners who want a free way in and a clear way out. The monthly plan at $14.99 keeps the commitment short, and it suits anyone who practises alone on a phone rather than shopping for live tutor hours or a wide language choice.
Key facts
- Best for
- Chinese self-study on a phone that starts free and keeps working offline.
- Price from
- $0 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Price per month
- $14.99 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Price per year
- $119.99 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Free tier
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Money-back period
- 15 days (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Languages
- Chinese (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Offline use
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Sinamon AB (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Sweden (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Founded
- 2015 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Learning method
- Mobile app
- Official website
- duchinese.net
Apps and profiles
Pros and cons
Pros
- Delivery is app, so the course travels with the learner and the same material is there whenever the app is opened.
- Du Chinese has been running since 2015, which puts a record of updates behind the course structure.
- It ranks 1 of 35 brands on entry price, the strongest door price among the apps compared here.
- Against a paid entry point such as Reading Eggs at £6.99, Du Chinese is the cheaper way to test whether a language app fits your routine.
Cons
- Support runs on email only, so a billing question waits on a written reply.
- The catalogue is Chinese alone, so there is nothing to switch to once that one language plateaus.
- The refund window is 15 days, shorter than the 29 day median across language apps.
- The monthly plan at $14.99 sits well above Bunpro's $5 for a single language.
Ready to try Du Chinese?
Scored 9.0 / 10 by AcademyCue.
Who it suits
- Self-study learners starting Chinese from scratch on a phone, without a live tutor budget.
- Travellers and commuters who need study to survive a patchy connection, since offline use is supported.
- Anyone willing to take a yearly plan to hold the yearly rate of $119.99 rather than paying month to month.
Who should look elsewhere
- Learners who want more than one language in a single app, since Du Chinese covers Chinese; a multi-language alternative starts at €0 as the broader option here.
- Budget-first monthly subscribers, since Bunpro's monthly price is $5 against the Du Chinese monthly plan at $14.99.
- Anyone weighing a paid entry point should read Reading Eggs alongside it, since it starts at £6.99 against $0 here.
Free plan and trial
Du Chinese opens with a free tier, so the lessons can be sampled before any card details are entered. For readers who will not pay to find out, that free tier carries the whole first decision at no cost. The exit route once a paid tier is running is a refund window of 15 days, which is short enough to matter: a yearly sign-up regretted straight away can still be unwound, while a habit dropped months later cannot. Read the free tier as the trial, and the refund window as the safety net under the paid tiers.
Where it sits among rivals
On entry price, Du Chinese ranks 1 of 35 brands, which puts it at the front of the field for anyone who starts without paying. The paid side is less flattering. The monthly plan sits at 15 of 25 on price per month, and the yearly plan at 12 of 18 on the annual figure. That is the familiar shape in this category: strong on the door price, mid-table once a subscription starts. The refund window ranks 19 of 29, below the middle of the group, so buyers who want a longer exit should shop wider.
Pricing
The starting price is $0 USD, so nothing is owed to look and the first real commitment is a subscription rather than an upfront sum. The Du Chinese monthly plan is $14.99 USD and the Du Chinese yearly plan is $119.99 USD. Set the two against each other before signing: the yearly figure comes in under a year of monthly payments, so the annual line holds the value, while paying month to month keeps the exit cheap for anyone still unsure. Neither is a one-off payment, and the yearly line asks for a full term up front.
What it does well
Three things carry the value. The free tier means a reader can put real study time in before spending anything, which is the part most services in this category put behind a card. Offline use is supported, so lessons saved in advance keep working on a flight, a commute or a weak hotel connection, and nothing is lost when the signal drops. The refund window of 15 days then acts as a short test of the paid tier: an app that is not opened daily inside that period can be unwound rather than carried for the rest of the term.
How Du Chinese compares
9.0 vs 9.0
9.0 vs 8.8
9.0 vs 8.6
9.0 vs 9.1
9.0 vs 8.7
Frequently asked questions
Does Du Chinese have a free tier?+
Yes. Du Chinese runs a free tier, so lessons can be tried before anything is paid, and the starting price of $0 makes that entry point genuinely free. The free version is where most readers decide whether the app fits their routine, and the paid tiers sit on top of it rather than replacing it.
What does Du Chinese cost per month and per year?+
The Du Chinese monthly plan is $14.99 USD and the Du Chinese yearly plan is $119.99 USD. Both are recurring, and the yearly figure comes in under a year of monthly payments, so the annual line is where the value sits. Paying monthly keeps the commitment short for anyone still testing the habit.
What happens if Du Chinese is not right for me?+
Du Chinese offers a refund window of 15 days, so a subscription can be unwound rather than carried for its full term. That is the practical answer to the free tier: study first, then pay, and keep the right to reverse a decision made early. Past that window, the term is committed.
Which languages can I learn on Du Chinese?+
Chinese is the whole catalogue here, listed as Chinese. A focused single-language app suits a learner who has already chosen Chinese and wants depth, but a household studying a second language will need a separate app. Broader coverage is where the multi-language alternatives in this comparison earn their place.
Can I use Du Chinese without a connection?+
Yes. Offline study is supported, so lessons saved in advance keep working on a plane, a commute or a weak hotel connection. The delivery method is app, which means everything happens inside the app rather than in a live session. That suits independent study, and nothing is lost when the signal drops.
Who runs Du Chinese and how do I reach them?+
Du Chinese is operated by Sinamon AB, and the company is based in Sweden. Support runs on email, so questions go by written message rather than by phone. A named company and a named legal entity make a recurring subscription easier to trust, and there is a real counterparty if a billing query needs chasing.
How does Du Chinese compare on price with other language apps?+
A multi-language alternative starts at €0 and Du Chinese opens at $0, while Reading Eggs opens at £6.99. On a monthly basis the gap widens, with Bunpro's plan at $5 against the Du Chinese monthly plan at $14.99. Buyers who expect to pay every month should weigh that before choosing.
How long has Du Chinese been running?+
Du Chinese has been running since 2015 under the legal entity Sinamon AB. That combination matters for a subscription: the name on the invoice is a real company rather than a trading label, and the years of operation sit behind the course structure. Anyone who prefers a short commitment can still start on the free tier and decide later.
Sources
- duchinese.net checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Languages, Learning method
“Learn Chinese with Stories”
- duchinese.net/about checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Founded
“since it was created in 2015”
- duchinese.net/legal checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Money-back period
“within 15 days of purchase and we will give you a full refund”
- duchinese.net/pricing checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Free tier, Legal entity, Price from, Price per month, Price per year, Support channels
“Du Chinese is free to download and a variety of lessons are available for free”
- play.google.com/store/apps/details checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Offline use
“Ellakrogsvagen 1 187 33 Taby Sweden”
Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Free trial length.
Related by the facts
Du Chinese
Chinese self-study on a phone that starts free and keeps working offline.