# HelloChinese vs Chinese Characters 汉字

The clearest difference is ratings volume: HelloChinese at 24K against Chinese Characters 汉字's 294. HelloChinese also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 75%) and chart position (#59 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HelloChinese sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month and Chinese Characters 汉字 sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

HelloChinese holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HelloChinese has 24K ratings behind it against 294, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of HelloChinese's written reviews are positive against 75% of Chinese Characters 汉字's.

HelloChinese ships an update weekly, Chinese Characters 汉字 every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HelloChinese | Chinese Characters 汉字 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (24K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hellochinese-learn-chinese/id1001507516/reviews)** | [4.7 (294 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-characters/id1437589680/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **24K** | 294 |
| Positive reviews | **94.8% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#59** | — |
| Size | 98 MB | 123 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HelloChinese Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1001507515) | [YOYASOFT LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/325345561) |

## What reviewers say

### HelloChinese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hellochinese-learn-chinese/id1001507516)

**Currently charting:** #59 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

This app offers a fun and effective way to learn Mandarin Chinese from beginner to conversational levels. It combines game-based lessons, stories, videos, and speech recognition to help you master pronunciation, characters, and practical conversations while exploring Chinese culture.

**Highlights:** Game-based learning, Graded stories, Immersive lessons, Video lessons, Speech recognition, Character handwriting, HSK level courses

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HelloChinese Premium | $11.99 | per month |
| HelloChinese Premium+ | $16.99 | per month |
| HelloChinese Premium+ | $19.99 | per month |
| HelloChinese Premium | $25.99 | per 3 months |
| HelloChinese Premium | $48.99 | per year |
| HelloChinese Premium+ | $62.99 | per 6 months |
| HelloChinese Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| HelloChinese Premium+ | $89.99 | per 6 months |
| HelloChinese Premium+ | $104.99 | per year |
| HelloChinese Premium+ | $149.99 | per year |
| 300 coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| 750 coins | $9.99 | one-time |
| 1650 coins | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to learn
- 👍 Engaging and fun
- 👍 Helpful for beginners
- 👍 Good for pronunciation practice
- 👍 Useful for learning Chinese characters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent speech recognition
- 🐛 Audio quality issues in some videos
- 💰 Paywall limits access to full content
- 💰 Premium subscription is expensive

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional login issues
- Inconsistent performance on older devices

**Requested features**

- More advanced lessons beyond HSK3
- Option to toggle pinyin on a per-word basis
- Improved review system with more customization
- Addition of traditional Chinese characters
- More real-life conversation practice


### Chinese Characters 汉字

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-characters/id1437589680)

Learn to read and write thousands of Chinese characters with detailed instructions. Access free dictionaries, OCR translation, and Pinyin annotations for news articles. Covers HSK and AP Chinese exam requirements.

**Highlights:** Writing instructions for 3000+ characters, HSK and AP Chinese exam coverage, Free OCR for Chinese text translation, Free English-Chinese and Chinese-English dictionaries, Pinyin annotation for news articles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MDBG Dictionary | Free | one-time |
| English-Chinese Dictionary | Free | one-time |
| Advanced Chinese Characters | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HelloChinese free?

HelloChinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Chinese Characters 汉字 free?

Chinese Characters 汉字 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, HelloChinese or Chinese Characters 汉字?

HelloChinese is rated higher. HelloChinese averages 4.9 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while Chinese Characters 汉字 averages 4.7 from 294 ratings.

### Do HelloChinese or Chinese Characters 汉字 have ads?

Neither HelloChinese nor Chinese Characters 汉字 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HelloChinese or Chinese Characters 汉字?

HelloChinese ships an update weekly, and Chinese Characters 汉字 every 10 days. Most recently, HelloChinese was updated on November 1, 2026 and Chinese Characters 汉字 on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*