Comparison

Mathesis vs Hanzi Helper

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

Head to head
About

Mathesis

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Mathesis transforms curiosity into knowledge. Pick a topic you love — Space, Ancient Egypt, History, Quantum Physics, AI — and dive deep with: BITE-SIZED LESSONS Learn in 2-3 minute lessons with beautiful visuals. Complex topics made simple and memorable. SMART FLASHCARDS Spaced repetition ensures you remember what you learn. Review exactly when you need to. CHALLENGING QUIZZES Test your knowledge with carefully crafted questions. Instant feedback and explanations. VISUAL TIMELINES See history unfold chronologically. Tap events for details. TOPICS AVAILABLE: Solar System Space Exploration Ancient Egypt Ancient Rome World War I World War II Physics Chemistry Biology Quantum Physics Economy Art History Psychology Color Theory Botany Cosmology Engineering Artificial Intelligence Computer Science Business Fundamentals Mathematics Geography Archaeology Zoology Agriculture Philosophy -More coming soon! WHY MATHESIS? 100% Offline — Learn anywhere, no internet needed No Accounts — Open and start immediately No Subscriptions No Ads — Ever Privacy First — Your data stays on your device Multilingual — English, 简体中文, 繁體中文, Español Perfect for: Curious minds who want to learn something new Students looking for engaging study tools History and science enthusiasts Trivia lovers who want deeper understanding The name "Mathesis" comes from the ancient Greek μάθησις, meaning "the act of learning." That's exactly what this app is about — not just consuming facts, but truly understanding topics you care about. Start your learning journey today.

About

Hanzi Helper

Features
Read full description

Hanzi Helper lets you add pinyin transcription to just the difficult words in any Chinese text, so that you can focus on fluency and comprehension without the distraction or temptation of pinyin above every word. The user experience is simple and built for speed: Add a text, and start reading. Touch a word to toggle pinyin. Words with pinyin are added to a word list that can be studied, tested or exported. Save as many texts as you like: Sort, search, tag, star and filter texts so you can easily find and study them. There are many ways to add a text to Hanzi Helper: - Copy Chinese text from any app and paste it into Hanzi Helper - Paste a URL — Hanzi Helper will extract the text content - Scan an image or photo to add text via optical character recognition (OCR) - Use Hanzi Helper's share sheet from your browser or another app Voice features: - Listen to a voice read the text aloud, with karaoke-style highlighting of phrases - Toggle between speaking modes: continuous mode or single step mode Word study features: - Detailed dictionary definitions, with pronunciation, context sentences, and component character definitions - Test your recognition of difficult words by cycling through a text's selected words until all words are mastered - Word difficulty tags show the newest HSK 3.0 bands (1-6 and 7+) - See HSK word distributions for a text; bulk-add pinyin for any level - Toggle pinyin and tone mark visibility independently to test your learning - Choose your pinyin and tone mark colors: Switch between monochrome, character tones or HSK word level - Auto-add pinyin to new texts for words from a specific HSK level and up Additional features: - Per-paragraph translation into English - Switch between Simplified and Traditional Chinese characters - Switch between Apple's Chinese system font (PingFang) or Apple's downloadable Songti (serif) and Kaiti (standard script) fonts - Export and import texts for backup, to sync with other devices, or to share texts with others

Screenshots

Mathesis4 screens
Hanzi Helper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hanzi Helper at every 3 days against Mathesis's every 2 months. Mathesis's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mathesis ships an update every 2 months, Hanzi Helper every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Mathesis versus Hanzi Helper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMathesisHanzi Helper
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAiofeffect LLCStefan Geens

In-app purchases

None

Mathesis

No in-app purchases

None

Hanzi Helper

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mathesis free?
Mathesis is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hanzi Helper free?
Hanzi Helper is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Mathesis or Hanzi Helper have ads?
Neither Mathesis nor Hanzi Helper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mathesis or Hanzi Helper?
Mathesis ships an update every 2 months, and Hanzi Helper every 3 days. Most recently, Mathesis was updated on October 16, 2026 and Hanzi Helper on October 5, 2026.

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