Comparison

Hanly vs Recabulary

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

Head to head
About

Hanly

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
Read full description

Chinese characters are not just random shapes - learn 1000 characters in months by understanding their structure and origin! Through visual breakdowns and engaging stories, Hanly helps you develop an intuitive grasp of Chinese characters and to efficiently remember them. Hanly starts with simple components and quickly builds up to complex characters, while focusing on the most frequently used vocabulary. CARDS THAT MAKE CHARACTERS COME ALIVE Etymology, memorable illustrations, mnemonics: we will provide the most helpful information to get a character to come alive in your imagination and stick in your memory for good. INTUITIVE INTERACTIVE UI Play with characters like they’re Lego blocks! Explore radicals, components, compound words, and character relationships - all just one click away! CAREFULLY OPTIMIZED LEARNING PROGRESSION Start with simple building blocks and naturally progress to complex characters. Our carefully designed levels introduce the most frequent characters early while maintaining coherent, meaningful themes. EXTENSIVE CHARACTER DICTIONARY & SEARCH Search by character, pinyin or meaning to find: - Character meanings and pronunciations - Usage in compound words and characters - Frequency and HSK level - Radical forms - Stroke order animations - Character evolution history SPACED REPETITION ENGINE INTEGRATED WITH THE UI Built-in spaced repetition helps you review characters at the perfect time, with review schedule optimized for how well you know a given character. Character progress is deeply integrated with the UI, so that you can spot the characters you are learning on any page. AND MANY MORE FEATURES! - Detailed learning statistics - Character etymology stories & fun facts - Explore characters & radicals sorted by their frequency - Personal note-taking system - Easily mark characters you already know Terms of use: https://www.hanlyapp.com/terms-of-use Privacy policy: https://www.hanlyapp.com/privacy-policy Contact us: We’d love to hear from your feedback about Hanly! Please send us an email with your thoughts and suggestions at tutu@hanlyapp.com

About

Recabulary

Master new languages with smart flashcards and authentic native speaker audio. This app uses spaced repetition to help you retain vocabulary efficiently, with word lists based on real-world frequency and exam frameworks. Learn Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, German, Turkish, and English with customizable learning algorithms.

Highlights
  • Native speaker audio recordings
  • Spaced repetition algorithm
  • Frequency-based word lists
  • Adjustable learning algorithm
  • Progress tracking statistics
  • Multiple language support
Features
Read full description

Learn languages with smart flashcards and real native audio. Every single recording in Recabulary is spoken by a human native speaker. No AI voices, because we prefer to listen to real humans. Recabulary is built on memory science. A spaced repetition algorithm schedules every review right before you would forget, so vocabulary moves into long-term memory with the least possible effort. Our word lists come from real-world frequency data and major exam frameworks like JLPT and HSK, so you always study words that actually matter. One deck per language, designed to be the only flashcard deck you will ever need. We are two friends and language enthusiasts who built the app we always wanted but never found. It isn't perfect yet, but with your feedback we will get there. LEARN JAPANESE, CHINESE, SPANISH, GERMAN, TURKISH & ENGLISH Study Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, German, Turkish, or English today. Korean is coming very soon, and you can vote in the app on which languages we add next. REAL NATIVE AUDIO, NO AI VOICES Every word and every example sentence is recorded by a real native speaker, and some languages let you choose between several voices. Not a single recording in the app is AI generated. Learn authentic pronunciation, accent, and speech rhythm from day one. LEARN FOR FREE Recabulary is free to download and free to use. Every core study feature is available without payment, because we do not believe in paywalling the things that matter. Recabulary Premium is nice to have, but you never need it to reach your learning goals. SPACED REPETITION THAT WORKS Built on spaced repetition and active recall, two of the most researched techniques for long-term vocabulary retention. Each flashcard returns at the moment reviewing it helps most, so you stop wasting time on words you already know. AN ALGORITHM YOU CAN ADJUST Most apps hide their algorithm. We let you tune ours. Adjust review intervals and fine-tune the spaced repetition settings until the app fits how you learn, or simply keep our recommended defaults. THE RIGHT WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER We build every vocabulary list in three stages. We compare multiple frequency lists to find the words you are most likely to encounter in real life. We cross-reference exam vocabulary such as JLPT, HSK, and equivalent frameworks, so our decks work for everyday learners and exam takers alike. Then we refine everything by hand with language teachers and our community, because some words matter to beginners long before frequency data would suggest them. We keep expanding every deck, with the goal of covering all the vocabulary you need for complete fluency. FOR BEGINNERS AND ADVANCED LEARNERS Start from the alphabet or jump straight into advanced vocabulary. Recabulary meets you where you are. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Few things motivate like visible progress. Every study session feeds into clear statistics that show your retention and vocabulary growth over time. Download Recabulary for free and learn your first ten words today. Privacy Policy: https://www.recabulary.com/privacy-policy/ Terms and Conditions: https://www.recabulary.com/terms-and-conditions/

Screenshots

Hanly4 screens
Recabulary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Hanly at none against Recabulary's shown. Hanly also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (357 vs 6). Recabulary's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases 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. Hanly sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month and Recabulary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Hanly against 5.0 for Recabulary. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hanly has 357 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hanly ships an update every 2 weeks, Recabulary every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Hanly versus Recabulary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHanlyRecabulary
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (357 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews99.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings357 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size241 MB47 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperArtur GorokhSpaceive

Customer experience

Hanly

All ratings357 ratings
Positive99.2%
Neutral0.3%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews229 reviews
Positive99.1%
Neutral0.4%
Negative0.4%

Recabulary

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Hanly

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • No known major bugs reported

Requested features

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

Recabulary

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Hanly

Subscriptions1
  • Hanly Premium$5.991 Month
3 purchases

Recabulary

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$5.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$84.99

Questions

Is Hanly free?
Hanly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Recabulary free?
Recabulary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hanly or Recabulary?
Recabulary is rated higher. Hanly averages 4.9 out of 5 from 357 ratings, while Recabulary averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Hanly or Recabulary have ads?
Recabulary shows ads; Hanly does not.
Which is updated more often, Hanly or Recabulary?
Hanly ships an update every 2 weeks, and Recabulary every 5 days. Most recently, Hanly was updated on October 17, 2026 and Recabulary on October 13, 2026.

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