Reviews

8 Best Apps to Watch Chinese Drama for Free & Paid

by Tim Blue on Sep 26, 2024

Best Apps to Watch Chinese Drama for Free

Are you looking for the best app to watch Chinese dramas? 

Whether it is on your smart TV or smartphone, there are a bunch of apps that you can download where you can watch Chinese dramas in high definition.

I have tested 15 different apps that are available on the Google Play Store, Apple’s App Store and other third-party sites and have found these 8 apps that I think you may be interested in.

Most of these apps are free to download but there are a couple of them which require you to subscribe on a monthly basis to watch some of your favorite Chinese dramas.

Here are the top 8 best apps to watch Chinese dramas like Ashes of Love, Love O2O and even Nirvana in Fire.

Best Apps to Watch Chinese Dramas Free/Paid
Snaptube Free to Download
Rakuten Viki: Asian Dramas and Movies $4.99/month
Viu: Korean & Asian Content $2.50/month
TrueID Free to Download
YouTube $3.99/month
Netflix $9.99/month
iQIYI $6.99/month
MangoTV $1.99/month
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzDiDDV565w

Which is the best app to watch Chinese dramas?

There are many apps for iOS and Android that offer HD Asian content such as Chinese dramas and the best app to download onto your smartphone is Rakuten Viki. This app is free to download and comes with loads of content to choose from. You also get options to buy passes/subscriptions that will give you access to additional premium content including no ads and access to Viki exclusive movies and originals from across Asia. All movies/tv shows are available in HD and there’s a wide variety of Japanese and Korean movies available too.

Top Rated Apps to Watch Chinese Dramas on Android and iOS

Chinese Drama App

Snaptube

Snaptube is one of the best Android apps to watch high quality Chinese dramas. This app is free to use and it includes every kind of media content including audio and video to be streamed directly on your smartphone.

With Snaptube you get free access to all content without having to purchase any membership. The app also provides users with access to different online streaming services from a single dashboard and the app is user friendly, so all you have to do is simply key in the search terms and your results will appear on the screen.

Top Rated Dramas to Watch

  • Hospital Ship
  • Lost Love in Time
  • Princess Agents
  • Defendant

Click here to download the app

Rakuten Viki : Asian Dramas and Movies

rakuten chinese dramas

Viki is currently rated as one of the best websites to stream high definition Asian dramas and other content. There is the Rakuten Viki app that you can download on your smartphone and gain access to a vast array of shows that cater to Asian and Chinese drama fans including movies and shows from Japan, Taiwan and Korea.

Since Rakuten Viki has a global reach with users in almost every country, the app now offers subtitles in international languages such as French, German, Italian and English. The video quality and speed at which the dramas load is quite good and even though Viki has a Premium section, it’s not worth opting for as most of the best Chinese dramas are available for free.

Top Rated Dramas to Watch

  • Go Go Squid
  • Falling into your Smile
  • Find Me in Your Memory
  • Encounter

Viu : Korean & Asian Content

viu chinese tv shows

Viu is one of the best apps to download if you want to watch content from any region within Asia. It includes movies, dramas and tv shows from China, Japan, India, Korea, Thailand and more and the best thing about this app is that Viu offers a well laid out interface with subtitles in a variety of languages.

This app is free to download on the Google Play store and though it offers a decent selection of movies and Chinese dramas to choose from, there are a few issues that still need to be addressed by the developers to make the app even more user friendly.

Top Rated Dramas to Watch

  • Police University
  • On the Woman
  • Doom at Your Service
  • The Veil

TrueID 

TrueID is available on the Play Store for free and is a well developed entertainment hu where you can find specially curated movies and tv shows to watch. There’s a lovely collection of Anime, English, Chinese, Thai and even Korean movies available to stream for free.

Think of it as a complete media hub because it not only offers movies in high definition but also provides you with the updated news and you can also make use of the skill building and memory building games that come included within the app.

Top Rated Dramas to Watch

  • Remember Me
  • Novoland: Pearl Eclipse
  • Reset

YouTube

tencent chinese dramas

YouTube is practically already on every Android smartphone by default and it so happens to be one of the best apps to use if you want to stream or download offline Asian and Chinese dramas. You can find loads of full-length episodes to watch on YouTube and if you want premium content then you can purchase a membership and avail an ad free experience.

The one good thing about YouTube is that simply searching for terms like Chinese Dramas or Asian drama + subtitles will bring up an extremely long list of free to watch shows and movies. It’s also a great place to watch movies and C-dramas from different channels and producers in high definition.

Top Rated C-Drama Channels to Watch

  • Tencent Video
  • MangoTV Drama
  • YoYo English
  • Zhongju Dubo

Netflix

Chinese dramas on netflix

While Netflix might be more inclined towards Hollywood and European movies, it does have a fair selection of Chinese dramas in both English dub and original Mandarin. Most of the new movies to release are available on Netflix to watch, but you will have to purchase a subscription to avail their services.

It’s rated as one of the most affordable streaming platforms for smartphones and you can get a monthly subscription for as low as $9.99. This is the basic subscription plan available on smartphones and you will be able to download movies and tv shows to watch offline at a later time.

Top Rated Dramas to Watch

  • Eternal Love
  • Handsome Siblings
  • The King’s Avatar
  • Ashes of Love

iQIYI

iqiyi chinese  tv drama app

iQII is a free to use app that’s available on the Play Store and has an extensive collection of Asian dramas and Anime shows to watch anywhere and at any time. The app offers multilingual subtitles and you will be able to find nothing but high quality content and videos on the app.

The app has undergone a couple of changes with their last update and the playback loading time has been shortened a lot and the cast feature is finally bug free. The app is available for your TV as well so feel free to download it as I'm pretty sure you won’t search for another app for Chinese dramas after using iQII for some time

Top Rated Dramas to Watch

  • The FerryMan
  • The Lost Tomb
  • Dinner Mate
  • Royal Secret Agent

MangoTV

mango tv chinese app for watching chinese shows

If you want an Android app that’s free to use and provides full-length Chinese drama episodes and movies that you don’t have to download then check out MangoTV on the Play Store. The app is free to download and there is some free content to watch as well, but if you want the best that MangoTV has to offer then you will have to purchase one of their premium plans.

One of the best things about this app is that you can find a lot of English subbed Chinese dramas, anime and even movies to watch. The free account does not require any registration and you will only have to sign up if you want access to premium content.

Top Rated Dramas to Watch

  • My Dear Brothers
  • Under the Power
  • Unforgettable Love
  • Love Advanced Customizations

How to use an app to watch Chinese dramas?

Using an app to stream content on your smartphone is relatively easy and there’s nothing complicated about it. The steps are quite simple and most of the apps follow the same layout and functionality. Let’s take a look at the top rated app for Chinese dramas - Rakuten Viki as an example.

  • Download the app from the Play Store
  • Create an Account 
rakuten viki watch chinese content
  • Select your Genre
  • Filter the Region
rakuten chinese shows
  • Choose your Program/Movie
  • Sit back and enjoy!

App to Download Chinese Dramas - Is there any?

If you are looking for apps where you can download the Chinese drama and not stream, then it's a bit of a disappointment, most of these Chinese drama apps that are free or even paid, don't let you download the content offline even through the application. This is to ensure that they can serve ads on a regular basis to their viewers and that's how they keep it free.

FAQ’s

Can I watch Chinese Dramas for free on my smartphone or TV?

Yes, there are many apps that are available which provide full-length Chinese Drama shows and movies for free. 

Can I download Chinese dramas on my phone?

This depends on the app you have downloaded and whether they permit downloads or not. There are a couple of great smartphone apps out there like Viu, Snaptube and even Netflix that let you download movies and episodes for offline viewing.

Do I need VPN to watch Chinese dramas?

You don’t require a  VPN to watch Chinese dramas on the apps mentioned above. However, if you do want to watch Chinese movies and tv shows that are geo-locked to China, then you can use a VPN service to unlock that content.

Also Read:

Best Web Browsers in China

Best Chinese Smartphones