Free, offline-first Mandarin reader

ReadDeck

A LingQ-style Mandarin reader with FSRS flashcards. Read real Chinese, tap words to mark them known, and review them at the perfect moment. No subscription, no account, no tracking.

No subscription, no paywall. Every feature is free today.

9:41ReadDeck
Lesson 1 of 3
守株待兔
从前,宋国有个农民。每天,他都在田里辛苦地工作。
从前宋国有个农民
12 words to review
Long-press to toggle
How it works

Read, tap, remember

ReadDeck turns every sentence into a vocabulary opportunity. Three steps cover the loop from reading to long-term memory.

1

Read a story

Open a story from the library or import your own .txt file. Every word is a tap target, color-coded by your learning status.

2

Tap and toggle

Tap a word to see its definition and hear it. Long-press to mark it Known or flip it back to Learning. The status colors update instantly.

3

Review with FSRS

Every word you mark feeds into a daily FSRS review deck. The scheduler shows you each word at the exact moment you are about to forget it.

Core features

Built for serious Mandarin reading

Four pillars that make ReadDeck feel less like a flashcard app and more like a reading habit.

Per-word tap targets

Each Chinese character in every sentence is a tap target. Tap to see the definition, pinyin, and hear the pronunciation in context. Status is color-coded: blue for new, yellow for learning, ink for known.

FSRS flashcards

FSRS 3.0 scheduling, the same spaced-repetition algorithm powering the open-source Anki community. Reviews adapt to your personal forgetting curve, so you spend less time on words you already know.

Bottom-curtain flashcards

A pull-up review sheet lives inside the reader. Swipe up from the bottom of any story to drill the words from that exact passage, in context. No context-switching, no separate app.

Offline-first

All lessons, words, and reviews live on your device. No internet required, no account to create, no analytics, no telemetry. Your reading history never leaves your phone.

Inside the app

Designed for focused reading

A clean reading surface that puts the words first. No streaks, no gem counts, no guilt timers.

9:41Reader
Lesson 2 of 3
拔苗助长
古时候有个农夫
他每天去田里看禾苗
觉得禾苗长得太慢
Tap a wordLong-press to mark

Reader with color-coded words

9:43Review
Daily review
8 cards remaining
辛苦
xīn kǔ
Show answer
Again
Hard
Good
Easy

FSRS review session

9:45Library
Library
Folk tales
守株待兔
Completed - 24 words
拔苗助长
In progress - 12/30 words
乌鸦喝水
Not started
+ Import .txt3 stories

Library with progress checklist

Why ReadDeck

Like LingQ, but better and free

Free, not freemium

Every feature is free today. No tiered paywall, no locked lessons, no audio you have to subscribe to hear. The full library and the full review deck are included.

Offline by default

ReadDeck works on a plane, on a hike, and on the school run. All data lives in on-device Hive boxes and an SQLite FTS5 search index.

Mandarin only

ReadDeck does one thing and does it well: Mandarin Chinese reading. No multi-language sprawl, no half-built language profiles. Scope is zh-CN, full stop.

Privacy disclosure

ReadDeck stores everything on your device. We do not collect reading history, vocabulary lists, or review logs. The only network call is anonymous crash diagnostics, which you can disable.

  • Reading progress, vocabulary status, and FSRS review history (all on-device, never uploaded)
  • Imported .txt lessons you add yourself (stored locally only)
  • Anonymous crash reports via Sentry (device model, OS version, app version, stack trace)
  • No account, no email, no analytics, no third-party trackers

Read the full privacy policy for details on data retention, deletion requests, and third-party integrations.

Support

Found a bug or have a feature request? Email us and we will respond within two business days.

ReadDeck is currently in MVP. We ship frequent updates based on community feedback.