MDBG Chinese Dictionary vs Van Dale Online

MDBG Chinese Dictionary combines Chinese-English and English-Chinese lookup with tools for reading and practicing Chinese. The online dictionary searches by Chinese, Mandarin pinyin, or English definitions, including wildcard queries. Character entries can show radical and stroke counts, several Chinese pronunciation and writing systems, and code details. Text lookup adds pinyin and English definitions to passages inline or in popups. Free online study tools include flashcards, quizzes, Chinese text input, written Chinese tools, vocabulary web feeds, and a character quiz. MDBG also offers Chinese Reader editions and a macOS dictionary. The macOS dictionary works offline; Chinese Reader for Windows can scan selected text, look up and pronounce Chinese, translate text, and work offline. Its automatic translation uses Google and Microsoft services. The macOS trial has no time limit but covers HSK levels 1–4, approximately 3,000 entries; the full version has over 120,000 entries. The word dictionary is based on CC-CEDICT, whose downloadable data is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. Plans include a 14-day Chinese Reader Preview trial and several free editions.

Van Dale Online provides access to online dictionaries for professionals, secondary and higher education, and NT2 learners. A search checks all available sources together, with further searching available within results. Van Dale says it continues to add words and improve definitions, translations, expressions and example sentences. The professional workspace brings dictionaries in major European languages and professional reference sources onto one screen. The school edition covers Dutch, English, French, German and Spanish, with spelling, meanings, translations, examples, idioms and grammatical explanations. Its school environment has no distracting advertisements and is described as a safe learning environment. The service runs on web, iOS and Android. The mobile app requires a Van Dale Online account and an internet connection; it does not let users download dictionaries. An account can be used on one mobile device at a time, although it can be installed on multiple devices. Eligible students and staff at participating Dutch higher education institutions can sign in through SURFconext without registering. Plans include a school licence at €3 a year and professional dictionary subscriptions at €19.80 a month or €198 a year.