# Hanly vs Inkstone

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hanly at 99% against Inkstone's 50%. Hanly also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and ads (none vs shown). Inkstone's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hanly sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month and Inkstone sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hanly holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hanly has 413 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 99% of Hanly's written reviews are positive against 50% of Inkstone's.

Hanly ships an update every 2 weeks, Inkstone every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hanly | Inkstone |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (413 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanly/id6741442324/reviews)** | [4.0 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inkstone-learn-chinese/id6799497723/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **413** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | **99.1% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 241 MB | 177 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Artur Gorokh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1794204266) | [Conder Shou](https://appshunter.io/developer/6799497725) |

## 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


### Inkstone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inkstone-learn-chinese/id6799497723)

Learn Chinese through classic stories and poems. Offers detailed explanations, translations, and audio pronunciations for every word and sentence. Supports offline reading and vocabulary saving.

**Highlights:** Classic Chinese stories and poems, Modern Chinese retellings, Audio narration with pinyin, Tap-to-translate words, Sentence-by-sentence translation, Offline reading support, Vocabulary saving

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Inkstone Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Inkstone Annual | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hanly free?

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

### Is Inkstone free?

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

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

Hanly is rated higher. Hanly averages 4.9 out of 5 from 413 ratings, while Inkstone averages 4.0 from 13 ratings.

### Do Hanly or Inkstone have ads?

Inkstone shows ads; Hanly does not.

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

Hanly ships an update every 2 weeks, and Inkstone every 4 days. Most recently, Hanly was updated on November 4, 2026 and Inkstone on November 6, 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.*