Wanyu vs Pleco
Pleco and Wanyu aren't rivals — they're complements: a dictionary and a study app do different jobs. Pleco is probably the best Chinese dictionary that has ever existed on a phone; Wanyu is a free study app doing something else entirely. This comparison ends where few dare to: recommending both.
What each one is
Pleco is the definitive dictionary: instant search by hanzi, pinyin or English, OCR (point the camera at a text and it reads it), handwriting input, and a unique ecosystem of professional dictionaries you buy once. The basics are free; the paid bundles (about $30 basic, $60 professional, one time) add — among other things — the flashcards and the document reader.
Wanyu is a study app: the complete, curated HSK 3.0 library with audio, FSRS spaced repetition out of the box, paste-any-text import, a tap-to-look-up reader, grammar and chengyu. It doesn't try to be your reference dictionary — for that, honestly, there's Pleco.
Where Pleco wins, no contest
- As a dictionary, it's not close: depth, senses, corpus examples, specialist dictionaries.
- OCR and handwriting: pointing your camera at a menu, or drawing a character you can't read.
- If you'll only ever have one Chinese look-up app, make it Pleco.
Where Wanyu does a different job
- Daily study, solved: FSRS decides what you review today (what is FSRS) over a library that's already built, with hand-curated English and Spanish glosses and audio on every word and sentence. Pleco's flashcards are powerful, but they're a system you assemble and tune yourself.
- Two gloss languages: Pleco lives in English. In Wanyu every card carries an English and a Spanish gloss, hand-curated, and the interface speaks both.
- A syllabus that comes from your life: paste song lyrics or an article and it becomes a deck with glosses — and what you tap in the reader gets saved for review.
- Grammar and chengyu included: 371 points and 400 idioms, free inside the app.
| Pleco | Wanyu | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The reference dictionary | A study app with a curated library |
| Model | Free + pay-once bundles (≈$30–60) | Free (everything, no in-app purchases) |
| Spaced repetition | Flashcards (paid add-on), configured by you | FSRS out of the box, zero setup |
| OCR & handwriting | Yes — its trump card | No |
| Spanish glosses | No (interface and dictionaries in English) | Yes, curated — alongside English |
| Subscription / ads / accounts | No / No / No | No / No / No |
The combination that actually works
Many serious learners will end up with both, and rightly so: Pleco to look things up in depth, Wanyu to study every day. Neither rents itself to you: Pleco charges once for its bundles, Wanyu is free — and they don't step on each other. If you must start with one: to build vocabulary and read with a net, Wanyu; to decode the unknown in depth, Pleco.
Frequently asked questions
Does Wanyu replace Pleco?
It doesn't try to: as a reference dictionary, Pleco is better — depth, OCR, handwriting input. Wanyu solves a different job: daily study with FSRS on a curated HSK library.
Can I use Pleco and Wanyu together?
Yes, and they combine well: Pleco to decipher the unknown in depth, Wanyu to build vocabulary and read with a safety net. Neither rents itself to you: Pleco charges once, Wanyu is free.
Does Pleco have Spanish glosses?
No: its interface and dictionaries live in English. In Wanyu every card carries a hand-curated gloss in both Spanish and English, and you show or hide each language as you like.
Facts checked in July 2026; prices change — the source is Pleco's own site. More head to head: vs Anki · vs Du Chinese · vs Chinesimple.