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In-Depth Reviews And Recommendations - Without The BS

Rocket Chinese Review – Improved But Other Courses Are Better

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Quick Review
Summary: In the past, Rocket Chinese was among the worst online language courses I tried. Fortunately, they’ve made massive improvements to their course and have improved a lot of their weaknesses. That said, I still wouldn’t recommend using it as I think there are better online Chinese courses.

Quality
Pretty detailed lessons with lots of practice opportunities.
Thoroughness
Covers most parts of the language but some of it isn’t done particularly well.
Value
Your money wold be better spent elsewhere.
I Like
The audio lessons balance explanations of the language with getting students to engage.

Lots of opportunities to practice what you’ve learned.

I Don’t Like
The exercises get extremely repetitive and don’t always focus on the most important information.

Other courses do a better job of teaching Chinese.

Sometimes the lessons don’t seem to be very well planned out.

Price: Rocket Chinese costs $99.95 for level 1, $249.90 for levels 2 and 3, $259.90 for levels 1, 2, and 3.

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Alternatives

This post details the best online Chinese courses I’ve found.

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Chinese Zero to Hero! Review – A Structured and Affordable Online Course

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Quick Review
Summary: I like Chinese Zero to Hero! a lot. Their courses cover HSK1-6 of the HSK Standard Course textbooks. While it’s not in-depth enough to be the only resource you use, few courses are. It’s a great option for those looking to add structure into their independent study routine or are preparing for the HSK tests. It isn’t meant to be a replacement for a textbook, but those with textbook phobia would really benefit from this course.

Quality 
The videos are very well made while limiting the amount of English and using appropriate vocabulary.
Thoroughness 
You’ll need to use other resources for additional practice.
Value 
The Ultimate Bundle is absurdly good value.
I Like
It’s perfect for someone like me that likes to study using lots of different resources but wants to add some structure.

The videos are well-made with clear explanations. They don’t rely too heavily on pinyin or English.

Great value at a low price.

Covers everything from HSK1 to HSK6.

I Don’t Like
If you don’t use other resources with this course, you’ll struggle to get enough practice.

 Works best used alongside the HSK Standard Course textbooks and not as a standalone course.

Price: There are several different options to buy the courses. You can choose the ultimate bundle which gives you access to everything for $219. The HSK 1 – HSK 4 bundle costs $134 and the HSK 5 – HSK 6 & Path to Fluency bundle costs $109.

You can also purchase each HSK level individually. HSK 1 & HSK 2 cost $29 each, HSK 3 costs $36, and HSK 4, 5, & 6 cost $64 each. As each HSK level is made up of a few smaller parts, those smaller parts can also be purchased separately.

Use the promo code “ALR10” to save 10% off any course at Chinese Zero to Hero!

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Alternatives:

ChineseFor.Us and Yoyo Chinese are two other popular online Chinese courses.

Complementary Resources:

ChinesePod would be a great complement to Chinese Zero to Hero! because it’ll provide lots of listening practice to reinforce the vocabulary and grammar points you’ll learn in this course.

The Chairman’s Bao or Du Chinese – Both of these apps provide articles you can use for reading and listening practice. They’re organized by difficulty level, making it easy to find interesting content that fits your interests.

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Memrise Review – Useful But Don’t Overuse It

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Quick Review
Summary: Memrise is one of the most popular language learning apps around. It’s basically a gamified flashcard app. It’s a good way to help build vocabulary and beginner students would benefit the most from it. While it can be very useful, it’s important to not try to use it as your main tool for learning a new language.

Quality
The app is extremely well designed, but courses are user-made, so quality can vary.
Thoroughness
There are courses covering tons of topics, but you’ll need to use additional resources.
Value
Free and very useful. Awesome!
I Like
It uses spaced-repetition software making it easy to learn new words and review them periodically.
It’s a bit more fun than traditional flashcard apps.
There are tons of different courses to choose from.
I Don’t Like
 I personally prefer other flashcard apps that are less gamified (Anki or Pleco for Mandarin).
It should be used with other resources, not in isolation.

Price: It’s free. The Premium Plan costs $9 per month or $59 per year.

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italki Review – The Good, The Bad, & The Just Alright

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Quick Review
Summary: italki is the most flexible and affordable place to find a tutor for the language you’re learning. They have a huge number of teachers offering classes to students of over 100 different languages. As a learner, you’ll be able to find a tutor that best fits your learning style, schedule, and personality. Teachers are able to set their own prices and make their own schedule.

Teacher Quality 
You’ll find everyone from long-time professionals to brand new teachers.
Platform 
The overall platform has tons of useful features but also some room for improvement.
Value 
Huge number of teachers, low prices, and flexible scheduling.
I Like…
There are large numbers of teachers available even for less common languages.

You can find skilled teachers even at low prices.

The flexibility to schedule lessons whenever convenient. The huge number of teachers guarantees you’ll find someone to fit your schedule.

The extra features like answers, notebook, and language partners makes it easy to ask questions, get your writing checked, and find a free language exchange partner.

I Don’t Like…
You have to load money onto your account before paying for a class. You can’t simply pay one class at a time without buying credits first.

You may need to try several tutors before finding one that fits your learning and personality style.

It’s easy to not take classes as often as you should.

Price: The prices vary by teacher and language with some being as low as $4 and others as high as $60 per hour. Most will fall somewhere near the $10 per hour range.

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How To Learn Mandarin Online – My Advice For Getting Started

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Start learning Chinese with this resource guide.

How should I start learning Chinese?

Most people start studying Chinese with whatever resource they happen to stumble upon. It’s hard to know what you should focus on and where to find quality materials. This post will help give you a clearer path forward.

The beginning may feel like a daunting, exciting and confusing place to be. But don’t worry, everybody started where you are now. There are tons of courses, apps, and websites out there that will make learning Chinese much easier.

This isn’t a long-term study plan. It’s a guide to take you from knowing absolutely nothing or very little and get you up to the lower intermediate level.

For some, this may only take a couple of months. Others will lose motivation and never get beyond this stage. Before we begin, you’ll need to think about a few questions.

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