# Hanzi vs WriteChinese

The clearest difference is rating: WriteChinese at 4.5 against Hanzi's 2.5. WriteChinese also leads on ratings volume (21 vs 2). Hanzi's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 25%) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. WriteChinese sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Hanzi asks for nothing beyond the download.

WriteChinese holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WriteChinese has 21 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Hanzi's written reviews are positive against 25% of WriteChinese's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Hanzi ships an update every 2 days, WriteChinese every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hanzi | WriteChinese |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanzi/id1360748032/reviews) | **[4.5 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writechinese-learn-to-write/id1510206953/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **21** |
| Positive reviews | **66.7% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1 MB | 353 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Richard Gomes](https://appshunter.io/developer/1360748031) | [Shanghai Dazhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1470341377) |

## What reviewers say

### Hanzi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanzi/id1360748032)

Learn to write and type Chinese characters with animated stroke order guides. This free version offers 80 basic characters and phrases, with a full version planned for HSK levels 1-6.

**Highlights:** Animated stroke order guides, Learn to write basic characters, Practice typing Chinese text, Includes common phrases, Free version with 80 characters

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### WriteChinese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writechinese-learn-to-write/id1510206953)

Learn the correct stroke order for Chinese characters with animated guides and pronunciation. Supports text recognition, offline lookup, and practice writing with error correction. Ideal for students and learners of Chinese.

**Highlights:** Stroke order lookup and animation, Pinyin annotation and voice pronunciation, Text recognition for input, Offline dictionary, Writing practice with error alerts, Simplified and traditional Chinese support

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hanzi free?

Hanzi is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is WriteChinese free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Hanzi or WriteChinese?

WriteChinese is rated higher. Hanzi averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while WriteChinese averages 4.5 from 21 ratings.

### Do Hanzi or WriteChinese have ads?

Neither Hanzi nor WriteChinese shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hanzi or WriteChinese?

Hanzi ships an update every 2 days, and WriteChinese every 7 months. Most recently, Hanzi was updated on June 1, 2026 and WriteChinese on September 7, 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.*