Comparison

Hourly Hanzi 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

Hourly Hanzi

Learn Mandarin vocabulary throughout your day with lock screen and home screen widgets. Practice words with interactive exercises, pronunciation audio, and personalized flashcards. Supports HSK and TOCFL levels, with offline access and iCloud sync.

Highlights
  • Lock screen and home screen widgets
  • Scheduled word reminders
  • Pinyin, meaning, and pronunciation audio
  • HSK and TOCFL vocabulary levels
  • Personalized flashcards and smart review
  • Handwriting practice
  • Offline access and iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

Learn Chinese from your Lock Screen. Hourly Hanzi brings Mandarin vocabulary into the moments you already spend on your phone, then helps you practice what you see. A NEW WORD, THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY Add a Lock Screen or Home Screen widget and choose scheduled word reminders. Set your own pace and quiet hours, then open any word to explore its pinyin, meaning, example sentences and pronunciation audio. FROM FIRST TONES TO HSK & TOCFL Start with pinyin and the four tones in Foundations. Practice listening, build pinyin and use the tone trainer to see your voice's pitch. Take a placement test or choose vocabulary from HSK 1–9 or TOCFL Novice 1–Level 5. TURN FAMILIAR WORDS INTO WORDS YOU KNOW • Save difficult words to your personal flashcards. • Build recall with smart review and short quizzes. • Practice handwriting and explore character breakdowns. • Study grammar through sentences and answer explanations. • Follow your collection, learning history and progress. Keep learning with offline access and private iCloud sync. No ads. Add a widget and make Chinese part of your daily routine. AVAILABLE IN 10 LANGUAGES The app, word meanings and lessons are in: English, Español, Português (Brasil), Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, Filipino, हिन्दी, العربية, 한국어, 日本語 Try Hourly Hanzi free for 7 days. Paid access is required after the trial. Choose your interface language in Settings. End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://hourlylearning.com/language/terms Privacy Policy: https://hourlylearning.com/language/privacy Questions or suggestions? Email support@radish.software.

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

Hourly Hanzi4 screens
HSK Lockscreen4 screens

Verdict

The call

Hourly Hanzi 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. Hourly Hanzi sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days 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
Hourly Hanzi versus HSK Lockscreen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHourly HanziHSK Lockscreen
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (68 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings68 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size554 MB4 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperRadish Retail, LLC磊磊 张

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Hourly Hanzi

Subscriptions5
  • Hourly Hanzi Pro$6.997 Days
  • Hourly Hanzi Pro - 30 Days$7.991 Month
  • Hourly Hanzi Pro7 Days trial$7.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Hourly Hanzi Pro2 variants$34.991 Year
  • Hourly Hanzi Pro7 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time2
  • Hourly Hanzi Pro - 30 Days$4.99
  • Lifetime$99.00
1 purchases

HSK Lockscreen

One-time1
  • HSK Lockscreen Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Hourly Hanzi free?
Hourly Hanzi 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 Hourly Hanzi or HSK Lockscreen have ads?
Neither Hourly Hanzi nor HSK Lockscreen shows ads.

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