No app does everything. The honest picks by job: Hanzijo for HSK vocabulary + characters with SRS, HelloChinese for gamified beginner lessons, Pleco as the dictionary everyone needs, DuChinese for graded reading, Anki for DIY flashcard power users, italki for speaking. Duolingo? A habit-builder, not a Chinese course. Most learners do best with a stack of two or three.
Yes, we make one of these apps — so let’s earn your trust the only way that works: by being specific about what each tool does well, including our competitors, and where each falls short, including us. Chinese has distinct sub-skills (characters, tones, listening, reading, speaking), no app covers all of them, and the “best app” question is really a “best stack” question.
The comparison at a glance
| App | Best for | Price | Weak spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanzijo | HSK 1–9 vocabulary & hanzi with SRS + mnemonics | Free | Not a speaking tutor |
| HelloChinese | Gamified beginner course (HSK 1–4) | Freemium | Content thins out past intermediate |
| Duolingo | Daily-habit building | Freemium | Weak characters & tones coverage |
| Pleco | Dictionary + OCR lookups | Free core, paid add-ons | Not a course at all |
| Anki | Fully custom SRS flashcards | Free (iOS app paid) | Setup burden; no content included |
| DuChinese | Graded reading by HSK level | Freemium | Reading only |
| italki | 1-on-1 speaking with tutors | Pay per lesson | Costs real money per hour |
Hanzijo — the vocabulary & character engine
Our lane is the biggest single workload in Chinese: the thousands of words and characters between you and fluency. Hanzijo covers the complete HSK 1–9 path with native audio, color-coded tones, an exclusive mnemonic for every character, stroke-order animations, and an SRS engine that schedules each review right before you’d forget. Home-screen and lock-screen widgets turn idle phone moments into review reps. It’s free.
Where it’s not enough: Hanzijo won’t converse with you. Pair it with listening input and, when you’re ready, a tutor.
HelloChinese — the best beginner course
Purpose-built for Mandarin (unlike Duolingo), with solid tone drills, speech recognition, and a friendly gamified path through roughly HSK 1–4. If you want to be led by the hand from zero, it’s excellent. Limits: intermediate learners exhaust the content, and its review system is shallower than a dedicated SRS.
Duolingo — the habit machine
Credit where due: nothing builds a daily streak like Duolingo. But its Chinese course under-teaches the two things that make Chinese Chinese — characters and tones get minimal explanation, and matching sentence tiles stops working as a method past beginner level. Fine as a warm-up act; don’t make it the show.
Pleco — the dictionary (get it regardless)
Not a course — the dictionary. Handwriting input, camera OCR, audio, example sentences. Every Chinese learner ends up with Pleco installed; the free version is genuinely enough.
Anki — maximum control, maximum friction
The power tool of spaced repetition: any card format, any content, decades of proof. The catch is you become your own course designer — finding decks, fixing audio, tuning intervals. If tinkering energizes you, wonderful. If it drains you, use an app with the content and scheduling built in (that’s exactly the gap Hanzijo fills).
DuChinese — reading that meets you at your level
Short stories graded from newbie to advanced, with tap-to-define words and synced audio. Reading is how vocabulary compounds, and graded readers bridge the gap to native content brilliantly. Pair it with your SRS app: meet a word in a story, lock it in with flashcards.
italki — where speaking actually happens
Apps don’t fix your spoken Mandarin; humans do. italki connects you with tutors from ~$5–10/hour for community tutors. Two 30-minute sessions a week, started early, prevents the classic “can read, can’t speak” trap. Budget alternative: language-exchange partners (free, less structured).
The right stack for your level
Recommended combinations
- Complete beginner: HelloChinese or Hanzijo’s guided path + Pleco. Focus: pronunciation, first 300 words.
- HSK 2–3: Hanzijo (SRS vocabulary) + DuChinese (reading) + Pleco. Add a weekly italki session.
- HSK 4 and up: Hanzijo for the long vocabulary climb + native podcasts/shows + regular tutoring. Apps become support, input becomes the engine.
Start with the part every stack needs
Whatever combination you choose, the vocabulary engine is non-negotiable — and that’s what Hanzijo does best: the full HSK 1–9 word list with native audio, exclusive mnemonics, SRS scheduling and widgets. Free, no credit card.
Download Hanzijo — FreeFrequently asked questions
Is Duolingo enough to learn Chinese?
No. It builds a habit and some vocabulary recognition, but leaves characters, tones and real listening underdeveloped. Treat it as a supplement at most.
What’s the best completely free setup?
Hanzijo (free) + Pleco’s free dictionary + free podcasts/YouTube for listening + a language-exchange partner for speaking. Zero dollars, full coverage.
Do I need a tutor from day one?
Not day one — but earlier than most people think. Around the 300–500 word mark (2–3 months in), speaking practice starts paying compound interest. Waiting until you feel “ready” usually means waiting years.
How is Hanzijo different from HelloChinese?
HelloChinese is a guided beginner course that ends around HSK 4. Hanzijo is a vocabulary and character system that runs the whole distance — HSK 1 through 9 — built around SRS and mnemonics. Many learners use both: HelloChinese for lessons, Hanzijo for making the vocabulary permanent.