Comparison

Karacter vs Hanzi 300

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

Head to head
About

Karacter

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
Read full description

Practice Chinese without opening the app! (for free) With lock-screen widgets, read a new Chinese word every time you open your phone. HSK 1 to 9, 190,000+ words, strokes drawing, pronunciations, and Pleco definitions. The app also has home-screen widgets and daily notifications to review even more words. No accounts, no signups, no adds, no tracking. Primary features: 1. An offline official dictionary: no internet nor VPN, study without distractions. 2. Homescreen and lockscren daily widgets to learn words when unlocking your phone. 2. Characters handwriting and search: find words by drawing them, or searching via Pinyin, English, or Chinese. 3. AI-powered explanations that deconstructs complex phrases and explains usage, history and meanings of words. Key Highlights: Animated Stroke Order: Visualize exactly how to write every character with step-by-step animations. HSK 3.0 Integration: Clear proficiency tags to help you track your progress for the latest HSK standards. Minimalist Design: A clean, modern interface focused on clarity and ease of use.

About

Hanzi 300

Read full description

Learn your first 300 everyday Chinese characters and make them easier to recognize, write, and remember. Hanzi Bamboo is a beginner-friendly way to learn Simplified Chinese characters through visual memory hooks, clear English meanings, pinyin, stroke order, and hands-on writing practice. Start with 30 characters free. Unlock the complete 300-character course with a one-time purchase — no subscription. REMEMBER, NOT JUST REPEAT Each character comes with a memorable visual hook that connects its shape to its meaning, helping you understand and recall it instead of relying on repetition alone. EACH CHARACTER INCLUDES • Pinyin and clear English meanings • Character structure and component guidance • Animated stroke order • Hands-on Chinese writing practice • Useful example words with pronunciation BUILD YOUR FIRST 300 HANZI Progress through 15 beginner-friendly levels built around useful, everyday Chinese characters. Start with simple, visual characters, then gradually learn new ones through familiar shapes and components you’ve already seen. LEARN A LITTLE EACH DAY Set a focused daily learning goal, review characters you’ve already learned, and watch your bamboo grow as you make progress. Whether you’re beginning Mandarin Chinese or simply curious about how Chinese writing works, Hanzi Bamboo gives you a clear path to understanding and remembering your first Chinese characters. 30 characters free. 300 characters total. One-time purchase. No subscription.

Screenshots

Karacter4 screens
Hanzi 3004 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Karacter at Free against Hanzi 300's $1.99. Hanzi 300's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Karacter is free to download; Hanzi 300 costs $1.99 up front. Karacter sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Hanzi 300 asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Karacter ships an update weekly, Hanzi 300 every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Karacter versus Hanzi 300: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKaracterHanzi 300
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.7 (33 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings33 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEloan Tourtelier慧霞 侯

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Karacter

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Karacter$3.991 Month
  • Yearly Karacter$24.991 Year
One-time2
  • AI features refill$0.99
  • Karacter lifetime$130.99
None

Hanzi 300

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Karacter free?
Karacter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hanzi 300 free?
Hanzi 300 costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Karacter or Hanzi 300 have ads?
Neither Karacter nor Hanzi 300 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Karacter or Hanzi 300?
Karacter ships an update weekly, and Hanzi 300 every 3 days. Most recently, Karacter was updated on October 25, 2026 and Hanzi 300 on October 29, 2026.

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