Comparison

Speak Chinese vs Hanzi Widget

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

Head to head
About

Speak Chinese

Master Mandarin Chinese with an AI-powered tutor and comprehensive learning tools. Improve speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills with interactive lessons, audiobooks, and HSK exam preparation. Learn vocabulary and characters efficiently for all skill levels.

Highlights
  • AI speaking tutor with pronunciation feedback
  • 1,000+ bilingual audiobooks
  • HSK exam preparation and mock tests
  • Spaced repetition vocabulary learning
  • Character learning with visual mnemonics
  • Offline study mode
Features
Read full description

Featured on Top Education Charts – The definitive all-in-one Mandarin Chinese learning solution powered by advanced AI technology. Master Mandarin Chinese smarter, faster, and more enjoyably. Whether you’re a total beginner starting from zero or a student preparing for advanced HSK certifications, Speak Chinese provides a fully personalized, guided path to improve your listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Why learners choose Speak Chinese: Real-Life AI Tutor & Pronunciation Scoring • Interactive Roleplay: Simulate everyday conversations, travel scenarios, and workplace dialogue. • Instant Feedback: The AI analyzes your speech, tracks tone accuracy, and delivers real-time fluency scores to help you speak like a native. Full HSK Test Mode & Smart Explanations • Exam Simulation: Practice with mock tests meticulously designed around official HSK levels. • AI-Driven Review: Get instant, in-depth breakdowns for every question so you understand the exact grammar rules behind your scores. Learn Characters via Visual Mnemonics • Creative Illustrations: Remember difficult Chinese characters through vivid visual cues and structural associations. • Radical Breakdowns: Master writing structures with detailed radical analysis and real-time stroke-order animations. Custom Flashcards + Spaced Repetition • Save Vocabulary on the Fly: Build personalized word banks directly from your daily lessons. • Scientific Review: Retain vocabulary long-term with our optimized spaced-repetition flashcard algorithm. Immersive Media & Integrated Dictionary • Graded Reading: Explore an embedded library of books, audiobooks, and video articles. • One-Tap Lookup: Tap any word to instantly view pinyin, English translations, stroke orders, and core grammar tips without leaving the page. The ultimate all-in-one solution that replaces the frustration of juggling between "Pleco + flashcards + vocabulary apps." Perfect for: • Expats and travelers who need practical conversational Mandarin fast. • Students preparing thoroughly for HSK 1–6 examinations. • Busy individuals looking for efficient, hands-free audio practice. Download Speak Chinese today and take your first definitive step toward complete Mandarin fluency!

About

Hanzi Widget

Features
Read full description

Hanzi Widget shows a Chinese word on your Home Screen and Lock Screen. It changes every two minutes. There is no account, no streak and nothing to keep up with. THE WORD LIST All of HSK 2.0 (levels 1 to 6) and HSK 3.0 (levels 1 to 6 and the combined band 7 to 9). You can switch between the two standards. 13,039 entries. Every one has pinyin, an English meaning and an example sentence written for this app. 12,086 of them also carry a Chinese definition from the Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary of the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. You choose which levels are active, and you can switch off individual words you already know. SIMPLIFIED AND TRADITIONAL Both scripts are supported and can be switched at any time. The other form is shown next to the main character. Four fonts are included: a Song, a Kai and two handwriting faces. WIDGETS Home Screen widgets in every size, including the extra large size on iPad. Lock Screen widgets. Zen shows the character on its own. A tap reveals the pinyin and the meaning. Max shows the character in both scripts together with an example sentence. In StandBy, a charging iPhone becomes a character display. Tapping a widget opens that word in the app. 源, THE ORIGIN WIDGET A fourth widget, about where characters come from. It shows one of 169 characters in its oldest attested form, in most cases oracle bone script from the Shang dynasty. A tap moves on to the seal script, and then to the character as it is written today. Each character has one line on what the early form depicts. These 169 were chosen because a documented early form exists for each one. The wording is ours. The substance follows the Multi-function Chinese Character Database of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. SPOKEN SENTENCES Example sentences in the word list can be read aloud, using the Chinese voices already installed on your device. ALSO INCLUDED Four optional sets outside HSK: financial numerals, provincial capitals, province abbreviations and Chinese dynasties. The full word list can be searched and browsed, with meanings and example sentences. The app is free. It has no ads, no subscriptions and no in-app purchases. It works without a network connection, keeps no account, collects nothing and sends nothing. 屏上学字. Characters on your screen.

Screenshots

Speak Chinese4 screens
Hanzi Widget4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hanzi Widget at none against Speak Chinese's 10. Hanzi Widget also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, 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. Speak Chinese sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Hanzi Widget asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Speak Chinese ships an update every 10 days, Hanzi Widget weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Speak Chinese versus Hanzi Widget: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpeak ChineseHanzi Widget
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (287 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings287 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.1 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQuan Pham MinhMoritz Benjamin Goecke

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Speak Chinese

Subscriptions8
  • PlusAI+ 1 Month$14.991 Month
  • Plus+ 3 Months$24.993 Months
  • PlusAI+ 3 Months$29.993 Months
Show 5 more
  • PlusAI+ 6 Months$49.996 Months
  • PlusAI+ 1 Year1 Year trial3 variants$59.991 Year
  • PlusAI+ 1 Year$59.991 Year
  • Plus+ 1 Year$59.991 Year
  • PlusAI+ 1 Year$69.991 Year
None

Hanzi Widget

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Speak Chinese free?
Speak Chinese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hanzi Widget free?
Hanzi Widget is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Speak Chinese or Hanzi Widget have ads?
Speak Chinese shows ads; Hanzi Widget does not.
Which is updated more often, Speak Chinese or Hanzi Widget?
Speak Chinese ships an update every 10 days, and Hanzi Widget weekly. Most recently, Speak Chinese was updated on November 7, 2026 and Hanzi Widget on October 8, 2026.

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