# Chinese Characters 汉字 vs Learn Simplified Chinese

The clearest difference is monetization model: Chinese Characters 汉字 at free with in-app purchases against Learn Simplified Chinese's subscription. Chinese Characters 汉字 also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 11 months). Learn Simplified Chinese's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chinese Characters 汉字 sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Learn Simplified Chinese sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Learn Simplified Chinese holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chinese Characters 汉字 has 295 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Chinese Characters 汉字 ships an update every 10 days, Learn Simplified Chinese every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chinese Characters 汉字 | Learn Simplified Chinese |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (295 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-characters/id1437589680/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-simplified-chinese/id1546475814/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **295** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 123 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [YOYASOFT LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/325345561) | [Imad Al-Zaidi.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1446309100) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### Learn Simplified Chinese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-simplified-chinese/id1546475814)

Learn to read, write, and pronounce Chinese words and phrases through engaging games. It covers thousands of words and phrases across 100 topics, focusing on real-world situations for practical language acquisition.

**Highlights:** Learn reading, writing, and pronunciation, Thousands of words and phrases, 100 categorized topics, Smart games for skill improvement, Progress tracking for correct/wrong answers, Multilingual interface

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Features | $6.99 | per month |
| Unlock Features | $8.99 | per 6 months |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chinese Characters 汉字 free?

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

### Is Learn Simplified Chinese free?

Learn Simplified Chinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Chinese Characters 汉字 or Learn Simplified Chinese?

Learn Simplified Chinese is rated higher. Chinese Characters 汉字 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 295 ratings, while Learn Simplified Chinese averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Chinese Characters 汉字 or Learn Simplified Chinese have ads?

Learn Simplified Chinese shows ads; Chinese Characters 汉字 does not.

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

Chinese Characters 汉字 ships an update every 10 days, and Learn Simplified Chinese every 11 months. Most recently, Chinese Characters 汉字 was updated on November 2, 2026 and Learn Simplified Chinese on November 3, 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.*