# HSK1 Learn Chinese Chinesimple — user reviews

> 136 indexed App Store user reviews of HSK1 Learn Chinese Chinesimple by KHANJI SCHOOL DIGITAL FACTORY SOCIEDAD LIMITADA, rated 4.80/5 from 360 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hsk1-learn-chinese-chinesimple/id1495963573/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hsk1-learn-chinese-chinesimple/id1495963573.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 319 · 4★ 28 · 3★ 6 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 5

## What do users think of HSK1 Learn Chinese Chinesimple?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 📚 Comprehensive vocabulary learning with 4,000+ flashcards
- 🎮 Diverse interactive games and exercises
- 🎯 Well-structured HSK level-based curriculum
- 🗣️ Pronunciation practice with voice recognition
- ✍️ Hanzi writing practice with stroke order
- 📖 Extensive dictionary with example sentences
- 🎨 User-friendly and intuitive interface design
- 🌍 Multiple language support for learners
- 📱 Works offline functionality
- ⭐ One-time purchase option (no subscription required)
- 🔤 Both simplified and traditional character options
- 📊 Progress tracking and HSK certification
- 💬 Responsive customer support team

**Cons**

- 💰 Expensive pricing model (£99.99/$100+ for single level)
- 🔐 Majority of content locked behind paywall (70%+)
- 📱 Separate apps required for each HSK level
- 🔄 No synchronization across multiple devices
- ❌ Subscription only grants access to one HSK app
- 🎮 Limited free games and story content
- 📋 Cannot edit or merge vocabulary lists
- ⚠️ Frequent app crashes and bugs
- 🖱️ Excessive pop-up tutorials and help windows
- 🎯 Inconsistent word difficulty levels within HSK 1
- ✏️ Poor handwriting recognition in writing exercises
- 🔗 Cross-app dictionary links inaccessible without separate subscription

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes during HSK exams and story games
- Flashcard exercises crash at high completion percentages
- Missing strokes in hanzi writing pattern recognition
- Handwriting recognition fails to detect drawn strokes
- Story game sections fail to open or function
- Saved vocabulary lists disappear unexpectedly
- Excessive crashes after recent updates
- Low contrast quiz options affecting visibility
- Inconsistent word counting feature across platforms
- Incorrect HSK level words appearing in wrong level sections
- Audio playback issues for word pronunciation
- App incompatibility with iPad despite claims

**Most requested features**

- Single unified app for all HSK levels instead of separate apps
- Cross-device synchronization of progress and vocabulary lists
- Import/export functionality for vocabulary lists
- Ability to edit and merge vocabulary lists
- Free lessons or reduced paywall restrictions
- Lower pricing for individual levels or bundle discounts
- Automatic progression system for lessons
- Reduction of tutorial pop-ups
- Ad-supported free content option
- Cross-platform access with single subscription
- Memory-based hanzi writing practice (without visible strokes)

## Newest reviews (16 of 136)

### 4/5 — Super aber auch verbesserungsfähig

*2026-08-16*

Bislang die beste HSK1 App für mich. Allerdings:
- warum ist das Schreiben von Zeichen nicht optional, wenn es nicht Teil der Prüfung ist?
- Weil in den Texten zum Hör- und Leseverständnis Wörter aus höheren HSK und ganz fremde Wörter enthalten sind, ist ein Hörverständnis für Lernende unmöglich. 
- ab ca. Lernmodul 20 steigt der Aufwand plötzlich auf gefühlt das 4 fache an. Das ist etwas frustrierend.

**Developer response:** Vielen Dank für diese ausführliche und sehr hilfreiche Bewertung! 🐯 Dass Chinesimple bislang die beste HSK1-App für Sie ist, freut uns riesig. Auf Ihre drei Punkte möchten wir gern genauer eingehen:

Pinyin ist eine fantastische Hilfe, um Aussprache und Töne zu lernen, aber kein chinesisches Schriftsystem. Deshalb empfehlen wir, von Anfang an auch mit dem Schreiben zu beginnen. Strichfolge und Zeichenaufbau helfen dabei, Hanzi schneller zu erkennen, besser zu unterscheiden und langfristig zu behalten, selbst wenn handschriftliches Schreiben nicht direkt Teil der HSK-Prüfung ist.

In Hör- und Lesetexten können gelegentlich Wörter aus höheren HSK-Stufen oder außerhalb der offiziellen Listen vorkommen. Sie sorgen für einen natürlicheren Kontext und müssen nicht sofort aktiv gelernt werden. Sie können in den Texten auf jedes Wort tippen, um Bedeutung, HSK-Stufe, Aussprache und Audio direkt anzuzeigen. So lassen sich auch unbekannte Wörter verstehen, ohne den Text verlassen zu müssen.

Ab den späteren Modulen werden mehr bereits gelernte Inhalte miteinander kombiniert und intensiver gefestigt. Der Aufwand steigt deshalb etwas an, ein plötzlicher Sprung auf das gefühlt Vierfache soll jedoch nicht frustrierend wirken. Ihr konkretes Feedback hilft uns sehr, Lernkurve und Umfang dieser Module erneut zu prüfen.

Vielen Dank, dass Sie sich die Zeit für diese konstruktiven Hinweise genommen haben. Wir hoffen, Chinesimple mit den kommenden Verbesserungen auch noch den fünften Stern verdienen zu lassen! 📚 加油!

### 3/5 — Trop vite en caractères chinois

*2026-08-04*

On devrait pouvoir avoir l’option de toujours afficher le pinyin, on passe aux caractères chinois beaucoup trop vite.

**Developer response:** Merci pour votre retour, Pierre. Le pinyin reste disponible dans l’ensemble du contenu de l’application : mots, phrases, textes et leçons. Dans les jeux, lorsqu’il n’est pas affiché directement, vous pouvez généralement utiliser le bouton d’aide pour le faire apparaître, sauf dans les exercices conçus spécifiquement pour tester la reconnaissance des caractères.

Le pinyin est une aide phonétique à la prononciation, mais ce n’est pas le système d’écriture utilisé en chinois. Il est donc important de l’apprendre en parallèle des hanzi, même si leur introduction doit évidemment rester progressive.

Si vous débutez de zéro, nous vous recommandons de suivre le cours guidé. Il explique précisément cette transition et introduit les caractères très progressivement : jusqu’au module 2, le travail porte principalement sur le pinyin, avec seulement quelques hanzi présentés pour vous habituer à les voir, sans vous demander de les mémoriser immédiatement.

Si le pinyin n’apparaît pas à un endroit précis ou si vous souhaitez une explication supplémentaire, écrivez-nous à hello@khanjischool.com. Notre équipe d’assistance sera ravie de vous guider dans l’utilisation de l’application et de répondre à vos questions sur le contenu 🐯

### 4/5 — Money diggers

*2026-07-14, version 12.5.2*

This app is great and all,but what I don’t like is that to even go to level 4 you have to pay money and to learn Chinese most things should be free

### 4/5 — nice and graded

*2026-06-20, version 12.5.0*

good for learning, i like that it gives you the next exercise/thing to do so im not looking for the next exercise.  you can choose traditional characters but some of the material still appears in simplified.   all in all a useful and enjoyable ap

### 3/5 — Parece muito legal

*2026-05-02*

O app e o curso parecem bom … mas o desespero por vender, atrapalha o processo de conhecimento da ferramenta, minha sugestão, libere por 3 dias, grátis sem necessidade de cartão de crédito… isso quem não quer inserir cartão antes de conhecer, vai poder se encantar com seu produto.

**Developer response:** Olá,

Obrigado pelo comentário e também pela sugestão.

No nosso caso, a app funciona com um modelo freemium. Ou seja, em vez de oferecer apenas um teste de alguns dias, disponibilizamos uma parte gratuita sem limite de uso, para que cada pessoa possa conhecer a ferramenta com calma e perceber se ela realmente se encaixa no que procura para estudar chinês.

Na versão gratuita, é possível usar todo o dicionário, aceder a todas as frases, consultar alguns textos e utilizar 5 jogos sem limite. Além disso, também é possível experimentar as lições e o curso, já que a parte inicial está aberta.

A ideia é justamente dar acesso real ao produto, e não apenas uma amostra pequena, para que a decisão seja mais informada e sem pressa.

De qualquer forma, agradecemos muito a sua sugestão. Este tipo de feedback ajuda-nos a continuar a melhorar a experiência.

Cumprimentos

### 5/5 — Mandarin helping skills

*2026-02-02, version 11.20.0*

This app is great for learning and helping with reading skills.

### 5/5 — chinesehsk1

*2026-02-02, version 11.20.0*

muy buena la app, compre la version Pro y vale realmente la pena, me ayuda mucho a estudiar🫶🏼

### 4/5 — เกมโคตรสนุก

*2025-12-20, version 11.10.1*

สนุกมากแต่แค่เรื่องหนึ่งเสียเงิน!

### 3/5 — Muy pocas herramientas gratuitas

*2025-12-19, version 11.10.1*

Hace algunos meses el diccionario y algunos juegos estaban disponibles gratuitamente, ahora hay muy pocas herramientas disponibles pagando, hay varias aplicaciones dependiendo los niveles pero no se paga por utilizar todas, se paga por individual, siendo así el costo es muy elevado

### 5/5 — Great app

*2025-11-26, version 11.10.1*

Great app

### 5/5 — Good app

*2025-11-23, version 11.10.1*

Really good app, i love how easy it is to start learning Chinese

### 5/5 — so goodddd

*2025-10-21, version 11.9.5*

i am more proficient in speaking mandarin after i learned to use this application !

### 5/5 — Excelente app

*2025-10-13, version 11.9.1*

Realmente me gusta que dentro de la misma app tiene muchas funciones o áreas de estudio, el diccionario me ayuda para cuando no sé pronunciar una palabra, para practicar pronunciación también, me gusta que los juegos son sencillos y siendo una persona muy visual me ayuda bastante

### 3/5 — Buena

*2025-09-28, version 11.8.45*

La aplicación está muy completa, sin embargo, la mayoría del contenido está restringido para la versión de paga, un 70% fácilmente
Se vuelve molesto no poder acceder a tanto contenido. De ahí en fuera excelente

### 5/5 — Really good!

*2025-08-19, version 11.8.11*

I loved the app, and I love that even the free users who don’t pay still have a pretty good experience! Sure, it could be better when you pay however there are a lot of features for freebies (like me)  , which I think offers a lot more features then other Chinese apps (for a dictionary, etc) since this economy is so greedy. The app itself has some cool stuff, you can play some games, listen to story’s (even tho there’s only 3 for free) and not to mention there’s still a whole dictionary! However I would love if the creators maybe made some lessons free? I don’t know how the lessons are so why would I buy them?

### 4/5 — Good comprehensive app for learning Mandarin by HSK level.

*2025-07-23*

I liked this app enough I subscribed to the pro version which gives you access to the hanzi handwriting practice and a few other study games I haven’t tried yet. This is the only place in the whole app where there are some glitches, namely missing strokes in the pattern you’re supposed to follow and sometimes the app fails to recognize when you’ve drawn a stroke already. That being said, the rest of the app is great and just got an update to match the new HSK leveling. The developers are working to complete the additional vocabulary and it’s a well made app for all ages mid elementary school to adult literacy levels. If the hand writing section was improved it would be beyond 5 stars and the best mandarin app I’ve downloaded. Looking forward to working up through the levels!

**Developer response:** Thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed review! 🥹 It truly means a lot to us that you not only enjoy the app but also decided to go PRO and dive deeper into your Mandarin journey with Chinesimple 💪🐯

You're absolutely right — the handwriting practice is one of the most complex features, and although we’ve improved it over time, we’re still actively working on making stroke recognition and pattern guidance more accurate and responsive. Your feedback about missing strokes and recognition issues is super valuable, and we’ve added it to our roadmap for the next updates. 🙌

We’re also thrilled you noticed the HSK3.0 update and that the app is helping learners of all ages — that’s exactly our mission! We’ll keep expanding the vocabulary, improving the games, and making the learning experience even more fun and effective.

Thanks again for your kind words and for being part of the Khanji School community. Keep climbing those HSK levels — we’ll be here cheering you on every step of the way! 🚀📘

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Gets worse and worse

*2026-07-28*

Sorry, I really used to love this app series but it is getting worse and worse. The app regularly crashes during the HSK exam and you have to start all over again. Then more an more popups are coming and interrupting your focus. The constant offer to switch from HSK 2 to 3 and back without having HSK 3 ready is annoying and confusing what to study now. There is no more clear learning path anymore towards the HSK exam anymore which makes this app quite useless unless you just want to play around. Plus, if you produce videos then please do it with someone that is either native Chinese or at least native English and does not have the stronges Spanish accent in all languages.

**Developer response:** We’re sorry the recent experience has been so frustrating, especially if the app is crashing during an exam. That should not happen. Please contact us at hello@khanjischool.com with more details about the exam, game or action that causes the crash, so we can reproduce and fix it.

We also understand the frustration around the pop-ups and the HSK version selector. HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0 2026 are separate official vocabulary lists during the current transition, but the choice should not make the learning path feel confusing. We will review how we explain this in the app and how often these notices appear.

The guided learning route is available in “My Course”, while the videos are short optional summaries of the written lessons rather than essential new content. We appreciate the direct feedback about their presentation too, and will share it with the team.

### 1/5 — Très déçu

*2026-02-03*

Je suis très déçu du changement de cette application, il y a encore quelques mois beaucoup de fonctionnalités étaient gratuite comme la consultation des phrases quand on apprend un mot, tout est maintenant dans l’option « Pro ». Bravo à l’équipe qui gère l’application, maintenant les jeunes étudiants qui n’avaient pas les moyens de payer des cours physique doivent payer la fonctionnalité Pro, quelle honte…

**Developer response:** Nous sommes vraiment désolés que ce changement vous déçoive. Nous comprenons la frustration quand des fonctions autrefois gratuites passent en PRO. Pour être transparents, le plan PRO permet de financer le développement et de maintenir l’app, l’audio, les mises à jour et le support. Sans les abonnés PRO, il n’y aurait tout simplement ni nouvelles fonctionnalités ni même d’app gratuite. Cela dit, nous gardons toujours du contenu accessible gratuitement et nous continuons à améliorer l’expérience pour tous. Merci d’avoir pris le temps de donner votre avis.

### 1/5 — No estoy satisfecho

*2025-07-12, version 11.8.3*

Se supone que es de HSK 1 y aparecen palabras de HSK 2, 3 y 4

### 1/5 — Subscription only buys access to one of the apps

*2025-07-05*

If you subscribe, be aware it only gets you access to that specific app, not the other HSK level apps from this company. A lot of the Hanzi dictionary entries contain links to articles in the HSK2+ apps but despite paying a subscription I can’t read these articles. 

If I were buying a whole course outright I could understand paywalling this information but multiple monthly subscriptions?

**Developer response:** Hi there,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I’m sorry for any confusion around our subscription model 😊

Our apps are each focused on one HSK level so that you can concentrate fully on that stage—just like buying one textbook at a time. When you subscribe to, say, HSK 1, you get every lesson and game for that level. Once you feel ready, you can cancel HSK 1 and subscribe to HSK 2—no need to juggle multiple subscriptions at the same time.

Even after you move on, you’ll never lose access to earlier vocabulary: all our word games and review exercises let you practice words from previous levels, so you don’t need to maintain those older subscriptions.

As for the in-dictionary links to HSK 2+ articles, those are meant to show you how a word can be used at higher levels—but you only unlock full lessons for a level once you subscribe to its app. This helps us keep each app streamlined and focused on its own curriculum.

We hope this clarifies things—happy to hear any other feedback you have as you continue on your Chinese-learning journey!

— The Khanji School Team 🐯

### 1/5 — Rubbish

*2025-07-01, version 11.8.0*

Rubbish I wanted to use the flash cards but it would not let me

### 1/5 — Вылетает🥺

*2025-05-19*

Вылетела, когда хотела пройти тест на hsk, да и в принципе постоянно вылетает😢

**Developer response:** Привет! 😊 С тех пор мы выпустили много обновлений — каждый месяц добавляем не только новый контент, но и улучшаем стабильность приложения, особенно на iOS. Мы действительно вложили много сил, чтобы сейчас всё работало без вылетов и ошибок 🛠️🐯

Очень хотим узнать — стало ли приложение работать лучше у вас? Если теперь всё в порядке, нам будет безумно приятно, если вы сможете пересмотреть свою оценку. А если всё ещё есть проблемы — обязательно напишите нам на hello@khanjischool.com
, мы вам поможем! 💙

Спасибо, что учитесь с нами. 加油! 💪📚

### 1/5 — Not user friendly

*2024-09-22, version 10.0.5*

Every game or activity requires a manual click on the “Next” button to proceed to the next step which proves to lengthen the process and slow things down. Please get rid of the “Next” button! I prefer to provide an answer then get directed straight to the next step!

### 1/5 — Платное

*2024-07-29*

Приложение платное, проходишь несколько уроков (даже не уроков, а размазни по типу: «Что такое китайский язык»), а дальше - деньги. С такими моментами даже к HSK 1 здесь подготовиться нельзя 🚫

**Developer response:** Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately, due to international sanctions, purchases on the App Store are currently disabled in your country. We're sorry for the inconvenience, but this is beyond our control. We appreciate your understanding and hope the situation improves in the future.

### 1/5 — So frustrating .

*2024-07-16, version 9.9.99*

No matter how much I use this app it always makes it too hard to unlock the flash cards so I’m giving up on it. They need to make the flash cards more available.

### 2/5 — Nice graphics, lots of sample sentences, BUT serious limitations to be useful

*2024-12-13*

The UI is beautiful implemented, there are lots of sample sentences and a multitude of games, quizzes and other learning exercises to reinforce the learning process, 

BUT (and these ‘buts’ made me really regret that I bought a lifetime license so quickly):
- there is no possibility to import/ export vocabulary lists, so even if you have created lists or received them from somebody else, you have to manually create them again in this app
- vocabulary lists cannot even be edited and/ or merged (so be careful how you structure your vocabulary lists); 
- there is a different app for each of the 6 HSK levels; even though the dictionary that is included in each app gives you access to the full list from all 6 levels, each app allows you only to create vocabulary lists from those entries that correspond to that HSK level; this is insofar a major drawback as the app inherently could be a general purpose app for learning Chinese characters and vocabulary, but as it is currently implemented this potential is not realized
- ABOVE ALL: there is no synchronization whatsoever, which means that you really have to restrict yourself to using the app solely on one device, even though the iPad version with its larger screen estate would lend itself to learning while on the sofa, whereas the iPhone version while you are on the move on the bus/ train/ plane etc.; but this is not possible unless you want to use different devices to learn different lists at different places without ever knowing if you have already mastered a word on another device; best advice: keep only one installed app and delete all other instances

All these drawbacks are enough reason for me to keep looking further, maybe using Skritter, and writing off the 100 EUR as a failed investment

**Developer response:** Hi TianBlade,

We remember your feedback well, and just wanted to share some exciting updates, because many of the concerns you raised have been addressed in the past few months 💪🐯

Let’s go point by point:

• Synchronization between devices — This was a big one, and it's now live! Since March, the app includes a user account system that syncs both your learning progress and your PRO subscription between all your devices. That means you can now learn on your iPhone while commuting and continue exactly where you left off on your iPad on the sofa. Seamless, just like you wanted.

• iPad experience — We heard you loud and clear. A couple of months ago we also rolled out full UI adaptation for large screens, so the app now looks and works beautifully on iPad. Not only that, but we’ve added accessibility options like system-based text sizing, so you can make everything easier on the eyes if needed — and fully enjoy that big screen.

• Custom lists with multi-level support — Another game-changer: now you can create multi-level lists, meaning you can mix vocabulary from any HSK level in a single list. This unlocks a whole new level of flexibility — especially because you can now use those lists directly in the games. Whether you're studying in HSK3 and want to review HSK1 words or build your own thematic sets, it’s now all possible.

• Word games with Review Mode — Speaking of levels: even if you're in a higher-level app (say HSK5), you can now activate Review Mode to play with words from lower levels. You no longer need to switch apps just to revisit earlier vocab.

You’ll find all the latest updates in the “What’s New” section inside the app (Home menu > Side panel). We’re updating the app every single month, and the pace isn’t slowing down — more new features and polish are coming very soon.

So: if you still have the app installed, we’d love for you to take a fresh look and see if it works better for your learning style now. And if it does, we’d be super grateful if you consider updating your review. Your voice genuinely helps others discover whether the app fits their needs 🙌

Thanks again for pushing us to do better — and for being part of Chinesimple.

Warm regards,
The Khanji School Team

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — ..

*2026-09-09*

Guud😉

**Developer response:** Thank you! 😉🐯 “Guud” sounds pretty good to us! We’re happy you’re enjoying Chinesimple and hope every lesson makes Chinese a little clearer, more familiar and more fun. Keep discovering new words and hanzi! 加油!

### 5/5 — Excelente

*2026-09-08*

Melhor app de aprendizado de chinês!! Sem dúvida 🫶🏻

**Developer response:** Muito obrigado, Ítalo! 🫶🏻🐯 Ser considerado, sem dúvida, o melhor app para aprender chinês é um elogio enorme e nos deixa felizes demais.

Há mais de dez anos trabalhamos para transformar vocabulário, pronúncia, gramática, hanzi e prática em uma experiência completa, clara e divertida. Saber que todo esse carinho chega até você nos dá ainda mais energia para continuar criando conteúdo e melhorando o Chinesimple.

Obrigado por aprender com a gente e por compartilhar uma avaliação tão incrível. Que venham muitos novos hanzi e conquistas na sua jornada com o mandarim! 加油!

### 5/5 — Super App!

*2026-08-29*

Super App!

**Developer response:** Vielen Dank, Roberto! 🐯 Wir freuen uns riesig, dass Ihnen Chinesimple so gut gefällt. Wir hoffen, die App begleitet Sie weiterhin beim Entdecken neuer Wörter, beim Trainieren der Aussprache und beim Meistern chinesischer Schriftzeichen. Viel Freude und Erfolg beim Chinesischlernen! 加油!

### 5/5 — Großartig

*2026-07-17*

Großartig ist die APP und der Service. Ein großer Wortschatz gekoppelt mit abwechslungsreichen Übungen und sehr vielem Darstellungsmöglichkeiten. Zwei Stunden Chinesisch Lernen täglich vergehen wie im Flug. Die Rückmeldung der Service-Abteilung erfolgte unmittelbar nach dem Versand der Frage, bemerkenswert .

**Developer response:** Vielen lieben Dank für dein wunderbares Feedback! 🐯 Es freut uns riesig zu hören, dass du so motiviert lernst und die App dich dabei unterstützt – zwei Stunden täglich, wow! Wir legen großen Wert auf abwechslungsreiche Inhalte und schnellen Support, daher bedeutet uns deine Rückmeldung sehr viel. Weiterhin viel Erfolg und Freude beim Chinesischlernen – wir sind an deiner Seite! 📚✨

### 5/5 — Great app

*2026-06-23*

Stick with this one, along with others it’s definitely useful

**Developer response:** Thank you so much! 🐯 We’re glad Chinesimple is useful as part of your Chinese learning routine. Keep practicing step by step, and we’ll keep improving the app to support your progress. 加油!

### 5/5 — Stuff

*2026-06-19, version 12.5.0*

Learn it just like any other language. That’s all it is. A word sound added to your vocabulary

### 5/5 — Best place to start

*2026-06-03, version 12.1.0*

This app is SO good. I tried to used duolingo for years (mixed with podcasts and youtube) and stayed at the same level the whole time. Chinesimple really feels like you're STUDYING. I've learned so much and have found character recognition so much easier and quicker through using this app.

### 5/5 — It helps

*2026-03-25, version 12.0.7*

I love this app ! I did not remember all the words but it helps me a lot!

### 5/5 — Just amazing!

*2026-03-24, version 12.0.3*

An amazing app! I have been practicing daily using this app and I can feel my Vocabulary improving! Really great app im planning to subscribe if I reach HSK 3 one day. Keep up the good work!

### 5/5 — I LOVE ITT!!!

*2026-02-11, version 11.21.0*

It helps you learn vocab and build sentence frames for the future that you would actually used in conversations, and fluency.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-12.*