# Hanly vs Karacter

The clearest difference is monetization model: Hanly at free against Karacter's free with in-app purchases. Hanly also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.7) and ratings volume (401 vs 19). Karacter's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hanly sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month and Karacter sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hanly holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hanly has 401 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 99% and 100% positive.

Hanly ships an update every 2 weeks, Karacter weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hanly | Karacter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (401 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanly/id6741442324/reviews)** | [4.7 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/karacter-chinese-widgets/id6747664971/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **401** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | 99.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 241 MB | 127 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Artur Gorokh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1794204266) | [Eloan Tourtelier](https://appshunter.io/developer/1822243551) |

## What reviewers say

### Hanly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanly/id6741442324)

Learn thousands of Chinese characters efficiently by understanding their structure and origin. This app uses visual breakdowns, engaging stories, and interactive elements to build an intuitive grasp of characters and aid memorization. It focuses on frequently used vocabulary and offers a structured learning progression.

**Highlights:** Character etymology and mnemonics, Interactive component exploration, Structured learning progression, Spaced repetition system, Extensive character dictionary, Stroke order animations

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hanly Premium | $5.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and efficient way to learn characters
- 🚀 Effective learning method that builds on prior knowledge
- 💡 Helpful mnemonics and stories to aid memorization
- 👍 Customizable learning pace and progress tracking
- 🚀 Comprehensive coverage of characters and components

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Some AI-generated illustrations could be improved
- 💡 Addition of writing practice and example sentences would be helpful

**Reported bugs**

- No known major bugs reported

**Requested features**

- Addition of writing practice for characters
- Inclusion of example sentences for each character
- Expansion of content to cover more advanced vocabulary


### Karacter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/karacter-chinese-widgets/id6747664971)

Learn Mandarin Chinese with an offline dictionary, handwriting recognition, and AI-powered explanations. Track your progress with HSK 3.0 integration and visualize stroke order animations.

**Highlights:** 100% offline dictionary, Handwriting and character search, AI-powered word explanations, Animated stroke order guides, HSK 3.0 proficiency tags, Daily revision widgets

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Karacter | $3.99 | per month |
| Yearly Karacter | $24.99 | per year |
| AI features refill | $0.99 | one-time |
| Karacter lifetime | $130.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hanly free?

Hanly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Karacter free?

Karacter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hanly or Karacter?

Hanly is rated higher. Hanly averages 4.9 out of 5 from 401 ratings, while Karacter averages 4.7 from 19 ratings.

### Do Hanly or Karacter have ads?

Neither Hanly nor Karacter shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hanly or Karacter?

Hanly ships an update every 2 weeks, and Karacter weekly. Most recently, Hanly was updated on October 22, 2026 and Karacter on October 12, 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.*