Stele: Chinese Flashcards
Learn Chinese, simply.
Only for iPhone
Free · Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.
iPhone
Meet Stele: A friendlier flashcard app for Chinese learners. No subscriptions, no accounts, no internet required. Just you, your cards, and proven spaced repetition.
From the developer: This is the learning app I wish I had when I started studying Mandarin. I'll be using this app along with you, and I have every intention to correct any mistakes I've made, and use your feedback to make this the learning app you love to use the most. There's more to come!
A beautifully simple flashcard app for people learning Chinese. No subscriptions. No accounts. No internet required. Just you and the most effective study method in cognitive science: spaced repetition.
Most language apps overwhelm you with features, streaks, leaderboards, and notifications. Stele does one thing, flashcards with spaced repetition, and does it beautifully. Open the app, study your cards, close the app. That's it.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED, NOTHING YOU DON'T
• A complete Chinese-English dictionary with thousands of words and example sentences
• Human-read vocab and an advanced text-to-speech model baked into the app let you hear pronunciation everywhere, without an internet connection.
• Tap any word to drill down: from word to character to component, then back to where you left off
• HSK version 3.0 starter decks, so you can start studying immediately
• Import your existing decks from Anki or CSV in seconds
• Tone coloring, pinyin display modes, traditional and simplified support
BUILD DECKS FROM ENGLISH
Type any English word or phrase, and Stele creates the card for you — Chinese characters, pinyin, and meaning, ready to study. Build a deck of exactly the words & phrases you want to learn, in the time it takes to type them.
REAL VOICES AND NATURAL SPEECH
Stele uses authentic recordings from native Chinese speakers for thousands of common words, paired with an advanced on-device text-to-speech model for natural pronunciation of any sentence. No robotic voices. No streaming audio. Everything plays instantly, even offline.
EVIDENCE-BASED, NOT GAMIFIED
Spaced repetition has decades of cognitive science research behind it. It's the technique used by medical students, language polyglots, and serious learners worldwide. Stele uses FSRS, the modern open-source algorithm that schedules each card based on how well you actually remember it.
FULLY ON-DEVICE. ZERO DATA COLLECTION.
Stele runs entirely on your phone. No cloud sync. No account required. No analytics. No tracking. No ads. The app doesn't even need an internet connection. Your study data belongs to you and stays on your device.
ONE PURCHASE. NO SUBSCRIPTIONS.
Pay once. Own it forever. Free updates. Optional expansion modules will be available later as one-time purchases for users who want them.
WHO STELE IS FOR
Stele is for people learning Chinese who want to focus on the work, not the app. With a simple interface containing the tools you need to succeed, you can focus on learning the language, instead of how to use the tools.
- Added a way to contact support in-app, accessible at the top of the settings page
- Updated TTS voice options
- Removed low-quality example sentences
- Minor UI refinements
The developer, Marcus Sacco, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Marcus Sacco
- Size
- 627.4 MB
- Category
- Education
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 18.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 18.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 2.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
13+
- 13+
- Infrequent
Profanity or Crude Humor
Mature or Suggestive Themes
Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug Use or References
- Copyright
- © 2026 Marcus Sacco
