PolyScript vs HanziBen
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PolyScript
Master writing in nearly 80 languages with interactive lessons and instant feedback. Customize your learning experience with various modes and a vast language library. Ideal for beginners and those looking to refine their script skills.
- Learn letters or words
- Instant accuracy feedback
- Native speaker pronunciation
- Vast library of languages
- Customizable learning modes
- Light/dark mode options
Read full descriptionHide full description
Unlock the World of Writing with Poly Effortlessly learn to write in nearly 80 languages! Poly is your personalized guide to mastering foreign scripts. Whether you're a complete beginner or looking to refine your skills, our app makes learning fun and engaging. Key Features Interactive Learning Modes: - Learn letters or entire words: Master the basics with letter mode or build vocabulary with word mode. - Instant feedback: Write characters and receive instant feedback on your accuracy. Easily identify and correct any mistakes. - Clear pronunciation: Listen to native speaker pronunciations and adjust the speaking voice to your preference. Customize Your Experience: - Explore a vast library of languages, from common to rare. - Learn in your preferred language for a seamless experience. - Hide or show translations to suit your learning style. - Choose between light and dark mode for comfortable learning. Perfect for students, polyglots, calligraphers, or just wanting to improve your handwriting or enjoy the relaxing effects of writing with fingertip or stylus on your device. Including Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Assamese, Bangla, Basque, Belarusian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cantonese, Catalan, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Icelandic, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Kazakh, Khmer, Kannada, Korean, Lao, Latvian, Latin, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malayalam, Marathi, Malay, Maori, Nepali, Norwegian, Odia, Persian, Punjabi, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Romanian, Sanskrit, Scottish Gaelic, Serbian, Sinhala, Slovenian, Spanish, Sundanese, Swahili, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Hungarian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Welsh, Xhosa Download Poly today and embark on your journey of writing mastery! Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
HanziBen
Read full descriptionHide full description
Write Chinese characters by hand, then flip the card: Composition shows the parts, History shows seal script to regular script. HSK 3.0 Writing and Vocab, Radical Ben (100 radical families), Hanzi Ben, and your own My Hanzi list. Stroke order, etymology, offline. No account, no ads, no subscription. Pay once for Pro. HanziBen — Learn Chinese by writing, not by tapping. Other Chinese apps make you guess. You tap multiple choice. You match flashcards. You feel like you're learning — until you pick up a pen and your hand has no idea what to do. HanziBen flips that around. You write every character with your finger, stroke by stroke, on a generous practice canvas with elegant guides. That single change — moving from passive recognition to active production — is what turns short-term memory into permanent knowledge. The science is well established: motor memory cements characters in a way tapping never will. Why HanziBen is different - Handwriting-first, always. The canvas isn't a feature — it's the whole point. Every card is a chance to actually write the character. Stroke order, a faint Ghost guide, and on-device Check are built in. - Five curricula, one app. Hanzi Ben starts as a beginner path (pronouns, particles, then family, time, and everyday life) and continues through Society & World, Abstract & Advanced, and Mastery. Radical Ben teaches 100 radical families: the component first, then the characters that use it. HSK 3.0 Writing, HSK 3.0 Vocab, and your own My Hanzi list. Switch any time — progress is tracked separately in each. - Quick Access. 100 basic radicals (free) and the Survival Kit: 159 high-frequency connecting words (before, after, because, however…) grouped by what they do in a sentence. - My Hanzi — your own list. Type English, Pinyin, or characters (space-separated compounds work too). The app builds a practice list and shows unmatched words so you know what to retry. - Find any character - Type Pinyin, type English, use your voice, or — when you don't even know the reading — just draw the character and let the app find it. Recent searches keep your last lookups one tap away. - Flip the card, not a wiki. Composition shows how the character is built. History shows Seal Script, simplification, and frequency. Every card also has a short, hand-curated mnemonic, stroke count, and a mini dictionary — so each character becomes a small story instead of a random shape. - Built-in progress, streaks and milestones. See what you've mastered, what needs review, and keep your daily writing streak alive. Blindspots filters a deck down to what you haven't learned yet. - Made to live with. Paper-and-ink aesthetic, beautiful Chinese typography, light and dark themes, and five interface languages: English, 中文, Deutsch, Español, Français. - Your progress, your data. Everything lives on your device. Export a full backup to a JSON file any time, restore it on a new phone. No account required. Free version — generous, not crippled Try HanziBen with the first 2 chapters of every curriculum, the 100-card Radicals deck, and a 10-character My Hanzi list. No timers, no ads, no nagging — a real chance to feel how the app works before you decide. Pro — one-time purchase, no subscription Unlock every chapter of every curriculum, an unlimited My Hanzi list, and full lifetime access. Pay once. Own it. Who HanziBen is for Beginners who want to start the right way — by writing from day one. Intermediate learners who recognise characters but can't reproduce them. HSK candidates who need the writing component locked in. Heritage learners reconnecting with the script. Anyone who has ever closed a flashcard app feeling like they didn't really learn anything. If you've tried "the big ones" and walked away frustrated that you still can't write 你好 without looking it up — HanziBen is built for you. Start writing today. The first stroke is always the hardest. After that, it gets surprisingly addictive. 汉字本 — your Hanzi Notebook.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: PolyScript at 4 against HanziBen's 2. PolyScript also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. PolyScript sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month and HanziBen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PolyScript ships an update every 10 days, HanziBen every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PolyScript | HanziBen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 135 MB | 142 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Samuel Michael | Benjamin SZABO |
In-app purchases
PolyScript
- PolyScript Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
HanziBen
- Hanzi Ben Pro$9.99









