Comparison

Skritter vs Modu

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Skritter

Master Mandarin characters through interactive writing practice. Learn meanings, readings, and tones with curated decks for all levels, from beginner to advanced.

Highlights
  • Interactive character writing practice
  • Learn character meaning, reading, and tone
  • Topic-based and difficulty-level decks
  • HSK 1-9 study decks
  • Stroke order guidance
  • Review mode
Features
Read full description

Remember every Chinese character you learn. Most apps ask you to recognize characters. Skritter asks you to write them, because writing is one of the fastest ways to make a character stick. When you write a character, you recall every part of it, so the next time you see it, you really know it. Self-studying or taking classes? Learn Mandarin with HSK, TOCFL and textbook vocab, in simplified or traditional characters. WRITE TO REMEMBER Recall each character stroke by stroke, with instant feedback on your handwriting and stroke order. Prefer to focus on readings and meanings? You can turn writing off any time. SPACED REPETITION THAT FITS YOUR DAY Our spaced repetition system (SRS) brings each word back just before you forget it, so you practice what is slipping and skip what you know. Daily reminders keep the habit going, and a few minutes a day adds up to thousands of characters over time. HSK, TOCFL AND YOUR TEXTBOOK - HSK 3.0 levels 1 to 3, with more levels added as they are released - Every HSK 2.0 level - TOCFL decks - Most popular Chinese textbook series, chapter by chapter, so you can study this week's words tonight 700+ DECKS AND GUIDED COURSES - The Skritter Character Course: learn how characters work and master 150 high-use characters - 100 Common Radicals: see how characters are built - Chinese Stroke Order: eight simple rules for balanced, readable handwriting - Hundreds more topics, with new video lessons added regularly - Or build your own word list in seconds. YOUR SCRIPT, YOUR WAY Study traditional or simplified characters, or both, with pinyin or zhuyin (bopomofo). THREE WRITING MODES Start with guided strokes and hints, move to freehand, then write whole characters from memory and grade yourself. SKRITTER PREMIUM - Personalized SRS reviews - Instant handwriting and stroke order feedback - HSK, TOCFL, textbook lists and 700+ official decks - Example sentences, tone practice and tips from expert teachers - Web, mobile and offline support - One subscription covers both Skritter Chinese and Skritter Japanese Privacy Policy: https://skritter.com/legal Terms of Use: https://docs.skritter.com/article/133-terms-of-use

About

Modu

Features
Read full description

Read Chinese stories, understand unfamiliar words, and build vocabulary from what you read. Modu combines graded reading, a tap-to-lookup dictionary, and spaced-repetition review in one app. Choose a graded story or import your own EPUB and TXT books. Tap unfamiliar words for pinyin and meanings, save vocabulary in context, and review it later. READ WHAT INTERESTS YOU • Explore a library of graded retellings of public-domain stories. • Import EPUB and TXT books to read with built-in learning tools. • Generate AI stories based on your selected topic and level, with vocabulary you are due to review. • Follow RSS feeds. Available article text depends on the source; some feeds provide summaries only. UNDERSTAND AS YOU READ • Tap words for pinyin, meanings, and measure words. • Use AI explanations to explore a word in the context of a sentence. • Translate sentences and paragraphs into English on your device, or read with a bilingual chapter view. • Listen to text with read-aloud tools. REMEMBER WORDS IN CONTEXT • Save vocabulary from your reading and review it with spaced-repetition flashcards. • Mark words as known to focus highlighting on unfamiliar vocabulary. • Track your reading and vocabulary progress, and export your vocabulary. OFFLINE READING AND YOUR ACCOUNT Read and save books on your device as a guest, without creating an account. Books already on your device and core reading tools work offline. On-device translation requires an initial language-model download. AI features and natural online voices require an internet connection. Sign in to back up your vocabulary. Modu Plus also syncs reading progress and other learning data across devices. Imported book files remain on your device; import the same books on another device to continue reading there. FREE + MODU PLUS Free features include reading, dictionary lookup, on-device translation, bilingual reading, vocabulary review, book imports, RSS, the story library, and basic read-aloud. Limited AI explanations and story generation are included. Modu Plus adds higher AI usage allowances, natural multi-voice read-aloud, and additional learning-data sync. AI and natural-voice usage limits apply. See the in-app purchase screen for available plans and current allowances. Start with a story, and build your Chinese one reading session at a time. Terms of Use (EULA): https://modu-ai-proxy.zhouxuehan101.workers.dev/terms Privacy Policy: https://modu-ai-proxy.zhouxuehan101.workers.dev/privacy

Screenshots

Skritter4 screens
Modu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Modu at none against Skritter's 10. Modu also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Skritter sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Modu asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Skritter ships an update every 5 weeks, Modu weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Skritter versus Modu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkritterModu
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (827 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews82.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings827 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB123 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInkren, Inc.雪寒 周

Bugs and requests

Skritter

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Subscription issues and unauthorized charges
  • App freezing and crashing
  • Syncing problems across devices
  • Inconsistent character recognition

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow creating custom decks and word lists
  • Add Cantonese support
  • Improve landscape mode on iPad
  • Provide more detailed performance tracking
  • Add ability to focus on specific problem characters

Modu

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Skritter

Subscriptions8
  • Skritter Premium (1 month)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Skritter Premium (1 month)7 Days trial2 variants$14.991 Month
  • Skritter Premium (1 month)14 Days trial$14.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Skritter Premium (6 month)7 Days trial$59.996 Months
  • Skritter Premium (6 month)7 Days trial$69.996 Months
  • Skritter Premium (1 year)7 Days trial2 variants$99.991 Year
  • Skritter Premium (1 year)14 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Skritter Premium (1 year)7 Days trial$119.991 Year
None

Modu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Skritter free?
Skritter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Modu free?
Modu is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Skritter or Modu have ads?
Neither Skritter nor Modu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Skritter or Modu?
Skritter ships an update every 5 weeks, and Modu weekly. Most recently, Skritter was updated on November 12, 2026 and Modu on November 5, 2026.

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