Looking for a HanziHero Alternative? An Honest Comparison (From a Competitor)

HanziHero and Hanzi Express are built the same way. Both take the WaniKani method, which teaches Japanese kanji from their parts upward, and apply it to Chinese: components first, then the characters built from them, then words, with spaced repetition bringing back what you're about to forget. If you're weighing HanziHero vs WaniKani, the short answer is that WaniKani teaches Japanese only, while HanziHero, like Hanzi Express, teaches Chinese. I've written more about that in is there a Chinese version of WaniKani?

I should say up front that I build Hanzi Express. So this is a HanziHero review written by a competitor, and you should read it with that in mind. HanziHero is a good app, and in a couple of areas it's ahead of ours. I'll say where, and where we're stronger.

What HanziHero does best

Sound is taught from the bottom up, alongside shape. You start with components and the parts of pinyin (the initial, the final and the tone), then the full character, then words, all in one ordered list. So you build up how a character sounds the same way you build up how it looks.

It also covers a lot of ground. The main course has over 3,000 characters, chosen and ordered from the HSK guidelines, and there are over a thousand rarer characters to study after that.

It also teaches traditional characters, in a separate course from simplified. If you're learning for Taiwan or Hong Kong, that matters. Reviews run on spaced repetition, as you'd expect from an app built this way.

Where HanziHero might not suit you

What people raise is mostly pace. On HanziHero's own community forum and on the WaniKani forum, some users say it can feel slow, especially for learners who already know characters.

That isn't a flaw in the usual sense. A course that builds everything from components and pinyin parts will start you at the basics. Whether that feels slow or thorough depends on where you're starting from, and the free plan is a cheap way to find out.

How much does HanziHero cost?

As listed on hanzihero.com in October 2026, Pro costs $15 a month, or $10 a month billed annually, which comes to $120 a year. There's also a lifetime plan at $349 one-time, shown as a limited-time offer against a usual $449. All prices are plus local taxes.

The lifetime plan is worth a look. Against the annual price it pays for itself in just under three years, so it makes sense if you're confident you'll still be studying characters by then.

Is there a free version of HanziHero?

Yes, and it doesn't expire. The free plan includes 100 components, 90 characters and over 120 words. That's enough to see whether the order and the pace suit you before you pay anything.

Our free plan is built differently. HanziHero's has more words, ours has more characters: the first three levels of Hanzi Express cover 120 characters to HanziHero's 90, and 130 components to its 100, with no card and no time limit.

Where Hanzi Express is stronger

The structure is close to HanziHero's, so the differences are in the details.

It costs less. Hanzi Express is $8.99 a month or $79.99 a year, against HanziHero's $15 a month or $120 a year. That's about $40 a year less on the annual plan.

Every level ends in real words. It teaches a few components, then the characters built from them, then the words those characters make. A character never comes before its parts, and a word never before its characters, so you're reading real characters and words from the first level. Over 100 levels that adds up to 832 components, 3,002 characters and 9,460 words.

It's built on HSK 3.0. The 100 levels map to HSK 1 through HSK 7-9, and paid subscribers can skip straight to their HSK level instead of starting again at level 1.

Right answers count as right. Reviews cover meaning and pinyin on a 9-stage spaced repetition ladder, and answer checking is AI-assisted, so a correct synonym counts instead of being marked wrong for not matching one exact wording.

Writing is in the same app. Stroke order lessons have you trace each character with a guided animation, then write it from memory, and those reviews run on spaced repetition too. It isn't a full handwriting grader. If handwriting is your main goal, my Skritter alternative comparison covers an app built for exactly that.

There's more around the course, free and without an account: an HSK level test, printable stroke order worksheets, a tool that will add pinyin to any Chinese text, and one that will find a character when you draw it. Teachers can set homework and track their classes with a school account.

Hanzi Express teaches simplified characters today, and traditional characters are coming soon.

If you're learning simplified, the first three levels are free, with no card and no time limit. You can try them now and see how the order feels before you decide anything.

HanziHero vs Hanzi Express, side by side

Focus. HanziHero: sound and character taught together, built up from components and pinyin parts. Hanzi Express: recognizing characters and words, built up from components, with stroke order practice alongside.

Order. HanziHero: components and pinyin parts, then characters, then words, in one ordered list. Hanzi Express: in each of 100 levels following HSK 3.0, a few components, then the characters built from them, then the words those characters make.

Character count. HanziHero: over 3,000 in the main course, chosen and ordered from the HSK guidelines, plus over a thousand rarer characters afterwards. Hanzi Express: 3,002 characters and 9,460 words, from HSK 1 to HSK 7-9.

Traditional characters. HanziHero: yes, as a separate course. Hanzi Express: simplified today, traditional coming soon.

Price. HanziHero: $15 a month, $10 a month billed annually ($120 a year), or $349 lifetime as a limited-time offer (usually $449), all plus local taxes, as listed on hanzihero.com in October 2026. Hanzi Express: $8.99 a month or $79.99 a year.

Free option. HanziHero: a free plan that never expires, with 90 characters, 100 components and 120+ words. Hanzi Express: the first three levels, with 120 characters, 130 components and 61 words, no card and no time limit.

There are more side-by-side pages on our compare page.

Who should pick which

Pick Hanzi Express if you're learning simplified characters and want to pay less: $8.99 a month against $15. It's also the better fit if you already know some characters and want to skip to your HSK level, or if you want stroke order practice and AI-assisted answer checking in one app.

Pick HanziHero if you need traditional characters. Its pinyin-parts approach, the rarer characters after the main course and the lifetime plan are reasons too.

If you're not sure which level you're at, the free HSK level test will give you an estimate. If you want to know how far either app will take you, I've written about how many Chinese characters you need for everyday reading. And if you'd rather build your own system from scratch, there's Anki for learning Chinese as well.

Is HanziHero worth it?

Yes, if you want what it offers on top: traditional characters, the rarer characters after the main course, or a lifetime plan you'll study long enough to pay off. If you're learning simplified characters for HSK, you'd be paying $15 a month where $8.99 would do, and that's the case where an alternative to HanziHero makes more sense.

Our first three levels cover 120 characters to HanziHero's free 90, with no card and no time limit. Start there before you pay anyone.