Comparison

Hanzi Workshop vs OptimalChinese

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

Head to head
About

Hanzi Workshop

Features
Read full description

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/

About

OptimalChinese

Features
Read full description

Every sentence you study is built from the words you already know, plus exactly one new notion. That is the whole idea: nothing you read is above your level, so you understand it the first time — and you remember it. EVERY SENTENCE IS ONE STEP UP When a new word or rule comes up, the example around it is assembled from vocabulary you have already learned. One unknown per sentence, never five. NEVER FORGET Every word and every rule is scheduled with FSRS-6, the modern spaced-repetition algorithm, and comes back at the last useful moment — so a notion learned once is not learned three times. NEVER CONFUSE Look anything up and see how it is built: the characters a word is made of, the words it combines into, its measure words, and the siblings that are easy to mix up. Link two confusable entries and they are taught apart. FOR EACH ASPECT Reading, listening and writing are different skills, so each gets its own card and its own schedule. A word you can read but not hear keeps coming back in your ears until you can. CUSTOMIZE YOUR PATH Follow HSK 1–5 lesson by lesson, or pick from hundreds of themes and learn the vocabulary of what you actually talk about. Tell the app where you are and it plans the rest. IMPORT WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE Bring in an Anki deck or a Pleco export, or start from your HSK level in one screen. What you already know is merged with what the app teaches, instead of starting you from zero. YOUR CLASSES, IN THE APP Share a private space with your teacher. Anything either of you saves during a lesson — a word, a phrase, a correction — is waiting in your reviews afterwards. AN AI TUTOR THAT KNOWS YOUR LEVEL Ask why a sentence works the way it does, and get an answer written for the vocabulary you actually have. ALSO • Native audio on every word, sentence and example • Dictation using your iPhone's own speech recognition • A dictionary that searches on the device, instantly • Your own cards and phrases, alongside the built-in ones • Dark mode, haptics, and a layout made for one hand SUBSCRIPTION OptimalChinese Pro unlocks everything: $12.99 per month or $79.99 per year, after a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when the free trial ends, and the subscription renews automatically unless it is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.optimalchinese.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.optimalchinese.com/privacy

Screenshots

Hanzi Workshop3 screens
OptimalChinese4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hanzi Workshop at none against OptimalChinese's 2. OptimalChinese's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). On price 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. OptimalChinese sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Hanzi Workshop asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences Ā· 1 level
Hanzi Workshop versus OptimalChinese: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHanzi WorkshopOptimalChinese
PriceFreeFree
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB12 MB
Age rating4+12+
Developer天华 刘Lucas Costagliola

In-app purchases

None

Hanzi Workshop

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

OptimalChinese

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

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

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