Side-by-side comparison · Updated 2026

Jersey Zhongwen vs Yoyo Chinese

Yangyang is a great native-speaker teacher. Andy teaches as someone who learned it the hard way.

Feature-by-feature

Feature
Jersey Zhongwen
Yoyo Chinese
Price (lifetime)
$88 one-time
$299 one-time
Price (subscription)
No subscription
$11.99/month full / $8.99/month video-only
Instructor
Andy Cahill — non-native, learned Chinese as an adult
Yangyang Cheng — native speaker, founded Yoyo in 2012
Classroom credential
Certified U.S. K-12 public-school teacher, 10 years
Professional Mandarin teacher (not K-12 certified)
Classroom-validated outcomes
Students pass the NJ Seal of Biliteracy
No state-assessed outcome claimed
Video lessons
104 modules
1,000+ videos across graded courses
Speaking practice
AI partner with tone checking
Flashcards + listening drills
Traditional + Simplified
Universal 繁/簡 toggle in every module
Simplified primary
In-app games
18
Flashcards + quizzes

Yoyo Chinese pricing and features verified 2026-04-21 from their public site.

The real difference

Yoyo Chinese is run by Yangyang Cheng — a native speaker and an experienced, respected teacher. If you want a native-speaker-led program, she's one of the best in the category. Jersey Zhongwen is the opposite profile: Andy learned Chinese as a full-grown adult, then spent ten years teaching it to American students who were in exactly the spot you're in now. Native speakers and non-native teachers teach differently. Pick the one whose struggle matches yours.

Pick Yoyo Chinese if

You specifically want a native-speaker instructor, you like Yoyo's conversational approach, and you're comfortable with a subscription.

Pick Jersey Zhongwen if

You want an adult-learner who got stuck in the same places you will, you want classroom-tested K-12 curriculum, and you'd rather pay $88 once than $299 once.

“His efforts led me to passing the New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy exam in Chinese.”
— WenJie, former student