Comparison

Karacter vs HSK Lockscreen

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

HSK Lockscreen

Features
Read full description

HSK Lockscreen puts one exam word on your iPhone Lock Screen and Home Screen. Open the widget gallery, search “HSK”, and add HSK Word. Each day (or on a schedule you pick) your widget rotates through your chosen words. Choose a rectangular or Home Screen widget to see hanzi, pinyin and a short meaning; compact styles show less detail. Tap a word to open its details. Study offline with HSK 2.0 vocabulary, no account required. Menus are available in English and Simplified Chinese. Meanings are available in English for all levels and Simplified Chinese for HSK 1–3. Purchases and restores require an App Store connection. Free • HSK 1 and HSK 2 lists • Lock Screen widgets: rectangular, inline, circular • Home Screen widgets: small and medium • Browse by level, search, and favorites • Choose the levels to review on your widget Pro — one-time purchase • Unlock HSK 3–6 word lists, meanings, pronunciation, favorites and widgets • Restore purchases using the same Apple Account Build a small review habit with quick vocabulary practice throughout your day.

Screenshots

Karacter4 screens
HSK Lockscreen4 screens

Verdict

The call

Karacter and HSK Lockscreen are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Karacter sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and HSK Lockscreen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Karacter versus HSK Lockscreen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKaracterHSK Lockscreen
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (34 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings34 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size132 MB4 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperEloan Tourtelier磊磊 张

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Karacter

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Karacter$3.991 Month
  • Yearly Karacter$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Karacter lifetime$130.99
1 purchases

HSK Lockscreen

One-time1
  • HSK Lockscreen Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Karacter free?
Karacter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HSK Lockscreen free?
HSK Lockscreen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Karacter or HSK Lockscreen have ads?
Neither Karacter nor HSK Lockscreen shows ads.

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