Comparison

Hanly vs Menzi

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

Menzi

This app focuses on active language production, evaluating your sentences for comprehension and accuracy. It tracks mastery across meaning, reading, listening, and speaking, integrating grammar patterns and personalized content generation. Practice includes AI tutoring, transcription, and immersive stories.

Highlights
  • Active sentence composition evaluation
  • Four axes of word mastery (meaning, reading, listening, speaking)
  • Structured grammar pattern library
  • Personalized content generation from user vocabulary
  • AI tutor with real-time feedback
  • Speech transcription practice
  • Immersive stories with read-along playback
  • Detailed analytics on word mastery and learning rate
Features
Read full description

Learn Mandarin. Make it yours. Knowing a word is only half the job. Menzi is built for the other half: using it. Everything you learn becomes something you can use. Learn a new word, and Menzi helps you put it into sentences, recognize it in conversation, hear it, speak it, and eventually use it on your own. As you improve, your practice grows with you. A language that grows with you. Imagine learning Mandarin in a world where everything is just within reach. The stories you read, the conversations you practice, and the sentences you hear are built around the vocabulary you already know. Every new word expands what’s possible. What felt impossible yesterday becomes familiar tomorrow. More than memorization. Recognizing a word isn’t the same as knowing how to use it. Menzi develops your reading, listening, speaking, and understanding independently, so you’re always working on what needs the most attention. Practice starts with guidance and gradually gives you more freedom. Eventually, you’re creating your own sentences, with an AI tutor helping you improve. Grammar that becomes second nature. Learn grammar by using it, not just reading about it. Menzi introduces patterns through real sentences, gives you opportunities to practice them, and brings them back when you need reinforcement. Your Mandarin, your pace. Menzi brings your vocabulary, grammar, practice, and progress together into one connected learning experience. - Personalized stories with narrated, read-along audio - AI conversations and real-world role-play - Adaptive vocabulary and grammar practice - Independent progress tracking across four language skills - Speaking practice with pronunciation and tone feedback - A daily learning plan that fits your schedule - Simplified or traditional Chinese, with optional zhuyin - Anki deck imports and the full HSK 3.0 dictionary Whether you’re learning your first hundred words or working toward fluency, Menzi meets you where you are—and grows with you. Stop collecting words. Start using Mandarin. Coming soon: a guided curriculum for complete beginners. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.terrosdigital.com/privacy

Screenshots

Hanly4 screens
Menzi4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Menzi at every 3 days against Hanly's every 2 weeks. Hanly's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium) and ratings volume (413 vs 12). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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 Menzi sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 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 Menzi. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hanly has 413 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 99% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hanly ships an update every 2 weeks, Menzi every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Hanly versus Menzi: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHanlyMenzi
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (413 ratings)5.0 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews99.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings413 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size241 MB71 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperArtur GorokhTerros Digital LLC

Customer experience

Hanly

All ratings357 ratings
Positive99.2%
Neutral0.3%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews235 reviews
Positive99.1%
Neutral0.4%
Negative0.4%

Menzi

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
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

Menzi

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Hanly

Subscriptions1
  • Hanly Premium$5.991 Month
2 purchases

Menzi

Subscriptions2
  • Menzi Casual7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Menzi Pro7 Days trial$19.991 Month

Questions

Is Hanly free?
Hanly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Menzi free?
Menzi is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hanly or Menzi?
Menzi is rated higher. Hanly averages 4.9 out of 5 from 413 ratings, while Menzi averages 5.0 from 12 ratings.
Do Hanly or Menzi have ads?
Neither Hanly nor Menzi shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hanly or Menzi?
Hanly ships an update every 2 weeks, and Menzi every 3 days. Most recently, Hanly was updated on November 4, 2026 and Menzi on October 31, 2026.

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