MCTap vs Hanzi Calligraphy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MCTap
Learn Morse code through an interactive visual and tactile experience. Trace paths on an animated decision tree, hear synchronized audio tones, and practice with timed challenges. Customize your learning environment with various themes and audio settings.
- Interactive visual decision tree
- Tactile dot and dash input
- Synchronized audio tones
- Customizable themes and colors
- Timed Morse code challenges (Hero Mode)
- Adjustable timing and audio settings
Read full descriptionHide full description
MCTap is the Morse code trainer that teaches through touch and sight, not memorization. Instead of staring at a chart, you'll trace paths on a beautiful, animated decision tree that lights up in real time as you key each dot and dash. HOW IT WORKS Press and hold the input surface. A quick tap sends a dot. A longer hold sends a dash. As you build each letter, the Morse tree highlights your path: green for committed segments, cyan for your live input. Release, and the letter auto-commits to your message. It's intuitive, tactile, and closer to real Morse keying than anything else on the App Store. VISUAL MORSE DECISION TREE The heart of MCTap is the Badge Board, a 26-letter Morse tree rendered as an interactive map. Every letter is a node. Every dot or dash is a branch. Watch the tree come alive as you input, making the structure of Morse code click visually in a way flashcards never could. DEMO PLAYBACK Tap the SOS chip to see and hear the world's most famous Morse signal play across the board. Create your own custom word demos (up to 10 saved phrases) and watch each letter animate with synchronized audio tones. It's a powerful way to learn by observation. HERO MODE (PRO) Put your skills to the test. Enter any word or phrase, pick a difficulty from Beginner to Expert, and face a timed letter-by-letter Morse challenge. Each letter has a deadline. Build streaks for bonus points. Earn letter grades from D to S. Hero Mode uses authentic Farnsworth timing at lower difficulties, ramping up to 25 WPM at Expert, the same progression used by amateur radio operators worldwide. DEEP CUSTOMIZATION (PRO) Tune your experience: - Adjust dot and dash durations (40 to 400 ms / 120 to 1200 ms) - Control gap timing, audio pitch (300 to 1200 Hz), and volume - Choose from 6 curated themes: Classic, Ocean, Ember, Violet, Mint, Midnight - Or create a fully custom color scheme with primary, secondary, and background pickers - Defaults follow the ITU 12 WPM standard so you learn at the global baseline WHAT'S FREE The full Morse trainer, visual decision tree, audio tones, demo playback, and custom word saving are all free forever. No ads. No subscriptions. MCTAP PRO: ONE TIME PURCHASE Unlock everything with a single lifetime purchase: - Hero Mode: timed challenges with scoring and grades - 5 premium themes plus full custom color control - Advanced timing and audio settings - All future Pro features included Whether you're a curious beginner, a ham radio enthusiast, or just looking for a meditative focus exercise, MCTap makes learning Morse code genuinely enjoyable.
Hanzi Calligraphy
Read full descriptionHide full description
Learn to write Chinese the way it's meant to be written — by hand, one stroke at a time. Hanzi turns Chinese calligraphy into a guided daily practice. Watch each character's stroke-order animation, trace it with a living ink brush that responds to your speed and pressure, then write it from memory. Every stroke is graded on shape, order, count, placement, and direction, so you build real handwriting skill, not just recognition. Climb the mountain path from HSK 1 to HSK 7 — every character a stone set into the trail. • Authentic ink-brush writing with real shodo-style strokes • Stroke-order animations for every character • Guided trace → freewrite → from-memory practice • Instant scoring on shape, stroke count, placement, length, and direction • Words, sentences, and paragraphs, not just single characters • A full dictionary with ~11,000 entries • Pinyin and simplified/traditional support • Earn plum-blossom stars and track your progress Begin free. Unlock every level with Hanzi Master. — SUBSCRIPTION — Hanzi Master unlocks all HSK 1–7 characters, words, sentences, and paragraphs. • Monthly, 3-month, and yearly plans • Payment is charged to your Apple ID at purchase confirmation • Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period • Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings Terms of Use: https://www.hanzi-calligraphy.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.hanzi-calligraphy.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Hanzi Calligraphy at 15.1 against MCTap's 17.6. 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
Both are free to download. MCTap sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Hanzi Calligraphy sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | MCTap | Hanzi Calligraphy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 97 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SwiftSherpas LLC | YVONNE NAA ARDUA ANANG |
In-app purchases
MCTap
- Upgrade App$4.99
Hanzi Calligraphy
- Hanzi Master Monthly$4.991 Month
- Hanzi Master Quarterly$17.993 Months
- Hanzi Master Yearly$54.991 Year









