Comparison

ほたるの vs Chineschar

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

Head to head
About

ほたるの

Features
Read full description

いつもご愛顧いただきありがとうございます。 この度、アプリを始めさせていただきましたので、ぜひご利用ください! * 店舗情報 店舗の情報がすぐ確認できます。電話もアイコンをタップで使用できます! * メニュー 気になるメニューや価格をアプリから簡単にご確認いただけます。 * 最新情報 店舗のお知らせ、イベントなど、最新情報が届きます。 * アクセス 店舗のマップが表示され、地図アプリとも連携しているので、初めてのご来店の時も簡単に見つける事が出来ます。 (アプリの機能は予告なく変更となる場合があります)

About

Chineschar

Master Chinese characters with animated stroke order, writing practice, pronunciation, and meanings. Includes classic literature and HSK vocabulary. Customize your learning plan and practice offline.

Highlights
  • Animated stroke order and writing guides
  • Pronunciation and meaning details
  • Built-in classic literature and HSK vocabulary
  • Powerful search for characters and pinyin
  • Customizable learning plans and settings
  • Offline access
Read full description

This is a comprehensive, simple, and fun Chinese character learning software that can help you recognize Chinese characters and master their stroke order, writing methods, pronunciation, structure, radicals, meanings, and words. It uses animations to vividly teach you how to write beautiful and standardized Chinese characters. You can also directly write or copy characters within the software, which is the best way to practice. It also comes with classic Chinese literature such as the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and the Thousand Character Classic, as well as HSK vocabulary for Chinese language proficiency tests. You can customize your learning plan and start learning Chinese characters as soon as you open the software. This software also has a powerful search function that supports direct searching for Chinese characters and pinyin,, allowing you to quickly find the characters you want. The software also supports collecting characters, organizing them into categories for easy review. You can also customize settings such as stroke animation speed, sound effects, handwriting line width, and character background to suit your preferences. Features: Comprehensive functions: stroke animations, pinyin, radicals, structure, meanings, Chinese language, phrases, idioms, and traditional Chinese characters are all covered. Animations and handwriting: animations are vivid and handwriting and copying help you learn Chinese characters faster. Built-in courses: classic Chinese literature and poetry, HSK vocabulary are all included. You can start learning as soon as you open the software, and click on any character to see its details. Powerful search: supports searching for Chinese characters, pinyin, homophones, traditional characters, and image recognition. Categorized collection: collect and organize characters to build your knowledge system. Customizable settings to suit your preferences. Free: no need to spend money, no in-app purchases. Offline: can be used without an internet connection. Do you want to learn Chinese? Do you want to learn how to write Chinese characters? Try this software now! Download it for free and have a great helper for learning Chinese characters

Screenshots

ほたるの3 screens
Chineschar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ほたるの at none against Chineschar's 1. Chineschar's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 19 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Chineschar sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ほたるの asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ほたるの ships an update every 19 months, Chineschar monthly. The most recent releases landed on February 24, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 5 level
ほたるの versus Chineschar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterほたるのChineschar
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB200 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPIGGY Inc.(Japan)浩 张

In-app purchases

None

ほたるの

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chineschar

One-time1
  • Permanent Member$14.99

Questions

Is ほたるの free?
ほたるの is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chineschar free?
Chineschar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ほたるの or Chineschar have ads?
Neither ほたるの nor Chineschar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ほたるの or Chineschar?
ほたるの ships an update every 19 months, and Chineschar monthly. Most recently, ほたるの was updated on February 24, 2026 and Chineschar on September 19, 2026.

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