Comparison

Hanguljo vs Hanzi Workshop

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

Head to head
About

Hanguljo

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Free to start. Learn Korean from the Hangul alphabet to TOPIK level 6: lessons, vocabulary, grammar points and particles, all arranged by TOPIK level. Review each word right before you forget it, practice speaking with conversations at every level, and train your ear with dictation lessons from real Korean videos. A CLEAR PATH FROM HANGUL TO TOPIK 6 Start with the Foundations: the 19 consonants and 21 vowels of Hangul, the pronunciation rules (batchim, linking and sound changes) and stroke order. Then follow the lessons level by level. Each lesson brings a short set of new words, and many lessons also add a grammar point with explanations, examples and the mistakes to avoid. A short quiz closes every lesson: choose the meaning, fill in the particle, conjugate the verb and put the sentence in order. WORDS THAT STAY WITH YOU Every word comes with its romanization, its Hangul letters, examples and audio. Sino-Korean words also show their Hanja. Reviews follow spaced repetition (SRS), so each word comes back right before you are likely to forget it. The "Before you forget" list uses the app's AI model to pick the items you are most likely to be losing, and lets you review them at once. WRITE KOREAN BY HAND On the vocabulary cards of each lesson, tap Practice writing to trace each syllable stroke by stroke or to write the word from memory. In Search, tap the pen to write a word or a whole sentence by hand and look it up. CONVERSATIONS AND LISTENING Conversations from TOPIK 1 to TOPIK 6 cover situations such as meeting people, getting around, work, health and culture. Listen line by line, then say each line into the microphone. The dictation lessons, arranged by level, use clips from real Korean videos: you listen to each sentence and put its phrases in the right order. Words, examples and conversations use synthesized Korean voices. LEARN FROM WHAT YOU SEE AND WATCH Scan Korean text from a photo of a sign, a menu or a page, and the app splits it into words and grammar points, with a short quiz on the text. Paste a link to a YouTube video with Korean subtitles to study the words and grammar of each line while the video plays. In grammar and particle examples, tap a word to see its meaning, or tap a colored particle or ending to see its grammar point. WIDGETS Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets show the words you are learning, and a quiz widget on the Home Screen asks you short questions, so every glance at your phone becomes a quick review. MORE Statistics and study streaks, favorites, a clean design and full Dark Mode. FREE AND PREMIUM Free users can start one new lesson a day. Inside a lesson, a short rewarded ad opens the next part, except in the first lesson of each level. Premium removes the daily limits and the ads, and unlocks every premium features. One Premium also unlocks Hanzijo (Chinese) and Kanjijo (Japanese) when you sign in with the same account. Premium is offered as monthly and yearly auto-renewable subscriptions, and as a one-time Lifetime purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless you turn off auto-renewal at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for the renewal within the 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use (EULA): https://hanguljo.com/eula Privacy Policy: https://hanguljo.com/privacy

About

Hanzi Workshop

Features
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Discover how Chinese characters are built, not just how they look. Hanzi Workshop turns radicals and character components into a hands-on discovery game. Drag familiar parts onto the fusion board, test combinations, hear Mandarin pronunciation, and reveal new characters through visual logic. LEARN IN THREE STAGES • Picture: connect early characters with the images that inspired them • Logic: combine meanings to discover compound characters • Sound: learn how semantic and phonetic components work together DESIGNED FOR BEGINNERS • Guided first lesson with an animated hand • Clear English meanings and pinyin • Mandarin pronunciation and audio clues • Optional hints when you need an extra step • A recipe book that records discoveries • 50 handcrafted levels The first five levels are free. Hanzi Workshop Pro is an auto-renewing monthly subscription that unlocks levels 6–50, the complete recipe book, and removes ads. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when the purchase is confirmed. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. You can manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.submox.com/hanzi-workshop/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Hanguljo4 screens
Hanzi Workshop3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hanzi Workshop at none against Hanguljo's 3. Hanguljo's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Hanguljo sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Hanzi Workshop asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
Hanguljo versus Hanzi Workshop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHanguljoHanzi Workshop
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 days—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size157 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVy Vo天华 刘

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Hanguljo

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$5.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$149.99
None

Hanzi Workshop

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hanguljo free?
Hanguljo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hanzi Workshop free?
Hanzi Workshop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Hanguljo or Hanzi Workshop have ads?
Hanzi Workshop shows ads; Hanguljo does not.

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