MandarinAI vs Pleco
Pleco is the best Chinese dictionary ever made, and nearly every serious learner has it installed. But a dictionary is something you reach for, not a course that moves you forward. MandarinAI is the study loop that sits alongside it: spaced repetition, native audio, graded reading and stories built from your own deck.
It's worth saying up front: MandarinAI is not trying to replace Pleco's dictionary, and you'll probably keep Pleco installed. The two do different jobs. Pleco is a reference — a superb one, with a free core and paid add-ons for OCR, document reading and a flashcard system. MandarinAI is a guided study engine: it decides what you should review and when, feeds you audio and sentences, and turns the words you're learning into reading. Here's an honest, side-by-side look at where each one earns its place.
Side by side
| Feature | MandarinAI | Pleco |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese-English dictionary | Free word pages with audio & examples | The gold standard — deep, offline, add-on dictionaries |
| Guided spaced-repetition study loop | FSRS on curated HSK lists, out of the box | Flashcard system available as a paid add-on |
| Curated HSK word lists | HSK 2.0 and all HSK 3.0 bands | Build lists from dictionary lookups |
| Native pronunciation audio | Neural audio on words + sentences (Pro) | Audio available (some via paid add-on) |
| Illustrated graded reading in the app | Read graded stories, page by page | Document reader for texts you supply (add-on) |
| AI stories built from your own deck | ~95% words you already know | — |
| OCR — look up characters from a photo | Not a lookup tool | Excellent OCR (paid add-on) — a real strength |
| Works fully offline | Web app; needs a connection | Offline dictionaries — a real strength |
| Pricing model | Free plan · Pro $79/yr or $11.99/mo | Free core; one-time paid add-ons & dictionaries |
| Sign in with Google | Google OAuth or email | Local app; no account needed |
Pleco details were checked against their site in July 2026. Features and pricing can change — see their site for the latest. Pleco's strengths — its offline dictionaries and OCR — are things MandarinAI doesn't try to do, so those rows favor Pleco honestly. The 'info' rows reflect that Pleco offers study features via paid add-ons rather than as a built-in guided course.
Who each one is for
MandarinAI
Pleco
Reference vs course
Pleco is the tool you open when you hit a word you don't know. It answers the question you bring it — instantly, offline, with more depth than any other Chinese dictionary. That's an enormous strength, and it's why it lives on nearly every learner's phone. But a reference is fundamentally reactive: it waits for you to come to it. It won't tell you which 30 words to drill this week, or notice that you're about to forget one you learned a month ago.
MandarinAI is the other half of that. It's a guided study engine: FSRS decides what you review and when, curated HSK lists give you a path, and the app surfaces words right before you'd forget them. Where Pleco is the dictionary you consult, MandarinAI is the coach that keeps you moving — and it still gives you free dictionary-style word pages, with audio and example sentences, when you just want to look something up.
This is why the two coexist so comfortably. Most MandarinAI users keep Pleco for its unbeatable lookups and OCR, and use MandarinAI for the daily loop that actually builds their vocabulary.
The add-on question
Pleco does have a flashcard system, and it's capable — but it arrives as a paid add-on, and it's built to be configured rather than to guide you. You pick your card types, choose a scoring system, import or build your lists from lookups, and manage the schedule yourself. In the classic Pleco spirit, it's powerful and highly tunable, which is great if you like to drive.
MandarinAI takes the opposite stance. The study loop is the product, not an add-on: sign in, choose an HSK list, and FSRS handles scheduling while native audio, example sentences and reading come attached to every word. You don't assemble a study system; you start studying. If you value control and one-time purchases, Pleco's approach may suit you better — but if you want the schedule and the content handled, MandarinAI is built for that.
What each does best
The fairest recommendation isn't 'switch' — it's 'combine.' Pleco's offline dictionaries and OCR are things MandarinAI deliberately doesn't try to replicate; when you need to decode a menu from a photo or dig into a professional dictionary entry, nothing beats it. Keep it for that.
What MandarinAI adds is momentum: a reason to open the app every day and a system that turns lookups into lasting vocabulary. The words you study appear in graded stories and in AI stories tuned so about 95% are words you already know, with audio throughout. Pleco tells you what a word means; MandarinAI makes sure you still know it next month and can read it in a sentence. Together they cover reference and progress — the two halves of learning Chinese.
The verdict
Pleco is irreplaceable as a reference — the best Chinese dictionary there is, with OCR and offline depth MandarinAI doesn't attempt. But a dictionary won't build your vocabulary on its own; it waits for you to come to it. MandarinAI is the guided loop that does the building: FSRS scheduling on curated HSK lists, native audio, example sentences, graded reading and AI stories from your own deck, starting free. The honest answer for most learners isn't to replace Pleco but to pair it with MandarinAI — keep Pleco for lookups and OCR, and let MandarinAI drive the daily study that actually makes the words stick.
Pleco tells you what a word means. MandarinAI makes sure you still know it next month — with spaced repetition, audio and stories built from your own deck. Start free in about five minutes.
No credit card required · Free forever plan · 14-day Pro trial