Babbel
Taiwan Mandarin is the one to learn if you're moving to Taiwan or have friends and family there, and Babbel doesn't teach it. We read Babbel's site on October 24, 2026, and its 13 courses for English speakers had no Chinese of any kind.
The apps below teach Mandarin as people speak it in Taiwan. Pleco, Du Chinese and other tools for Taiwan Mandarin are in our best apps to learn Taiwan Mandarin. Apps for mainland Mandarin are in Does Babbel Have Chinese?, and Duolingo is checked in Is Taiwan Mandarin on Duolingo?
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Taiwan Mandarin. You learn from Taiwan Mandarin you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Moving to Taichung for work? Poppy, your AI tutor in Bubblegum, can write the talk with your new landlord about the rent.
Bubblegum has no human teacher. Our Taiwan Mandarin comparison links to teachers from Taiwan on italki.
- Poppy uses the words people say in Taiwan, like 捷運 for the subway.
- Read traditional characters with zhuyin over them, or switch to pinyin.
- Before you meet the landlord, rehearse the talk out loud with Poppy in live voice chat.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- A Taiwanese novel you're reading can't become a lesson. Copy a hard paragraph into the chat, and Poppy walks you through it.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Zhuyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
Mobile
ChineseSkill
ChineseSkill teaches with short game lessons that start with the sounds of Mandarin.
- Its Traditional Chinese course teaches Mandarin from Taiwan.
- Its games adjust to how you're doing and set your next steps.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Zhuyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
MobileWeb
StayTW
StayTW was made by a person from Taiwan. In its AI Chat, you pick a place like a bubble tea shop or a clinic, and the AI plays the other person and gently corrects you.
- Three-minute lessons, with six to eight words in each.
- Shadowing gives you a pronunciation score right away.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Zhuyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
MobileWeb
Glossika
Glossika plays Taiwan Mandarin sentences for you to hear and learn, picked for your level after a placement test. You can also skip the test and start from zero.
- Its Taiwan course runs past 5,000 words and reaches C1.
- Traditional characters
MobileWeb
| App | Free? | What's Free |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Free version | The lesson library is free for everyone. Your first custom lesson is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. |
| ChineseSkill | Free version | ChineseSkill has a free version with some lessons and features. ChineseSkill Premium opens the rest of the courses and tools. |
| StayTW | Free version | StayTW gives you free lessons and practice every day. Premium opens everything, and the monthly plan starts with a 7-day free trial. |
| Glossika | Free trial | You can try Glossika free for 7 days without a credit card. After that, you need a subscription. |
Which Taiwan Mandarin app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Taiwan Mandarin, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with StayTW if you want Taiwan words from your first lesson, or ChineseSkill if you'd like games that adjust to how you're doing.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Babbel: home page, "What languages can I learn with Babbel?" (read October 24, 2026)
- Babbel: App Store listing (13 languages plus English, Babbel Speak)
- ChineseSkill: App Store listing (Traditional Chinese – Mandarin from Taiwan course, speech recognition)
- ChineseSkill: terms (free version and Premium)
- StayTW: App Store listing (3-minute lessons, AI Chat, shadowing)
- Glossika: Learn Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan)
- Glossika: home page (7-day free trial)
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 24, 2026 against each app's own pages.
