Overview

Hanzi Writer is a Chinese handwriting app for learners who want structured courses alongside practice with characters and words they choose. Its stroke-level correction and offline review make it a strong fit for study on the go; look elsewhere if you need a clearly priced subscription before committing to Pro.

Key features

Detailed writing feedback and review

As learners write, the app checks stroke order and direction, starting point, shape, and proportion. That level of feedback is more useful for correcting how a character is formed than practice that focuses only on copying a finished example. Pen-control exercises, custom word practice, and progress tracking extend practice beyond assigned lessons.

An Anki-compatible spaced repetition system schedules reviews based on Again, Hard, Good, or Easy ratings. Learners can also import .apkg and .colpkg decks and turn their contents into handwriting exercises. This is a practical bridge for people with existing Anki materials, although it makes most sense to users who want handwriting practice rather than simply reviewing cards.

Curricula, OCR, and offline use

Hanzi Writer covers more than 7,450 characters and supports HSK 1–9, YCT 1–4, AP Chinese, iGCSE Chinese, and Singapore Primary School across 24 volumes. Those options suit both exam-oriented learners and school study, while 16 interface languages broaden its reach beyond Chinese-language users. Customizable A4 PDF worksheets include pinyin, stroke guides, and tracing grids, making it possible to carry practice beyond the app.

Core writing practice, stroke animations, SRS review, and OCR work offline or on-device. OCR uses Google ML Kit, and camera images are not uploaded or cloud processed. This combination is a meaningful privacy and connectivity advantage for handwriting practice, though the AI topic generator is a separate cloud feature: it sends user-entered descriptions to Google Gemini through Firebase Vertex AI. Those inputs are not used to train Google AI models.

Sync and account controls

Pro cloud sync uses encrypted cloud backup, with TLS encryption in transit and encryption at rest where applicable. Users can delete their account and associated data in the app or by email; processing takes up to 30 days. Subscriptions are handled by Apple App Store or Google Play, and cancellations take effect at the end of the billing period.

Pricing

The Free plan costs 0.00 USD per free and includes core writing practice features. It is the sensible starting point for learners focused on the core practice tools rather than unlimited daily use, AI topics, or syncing progress across devices.

Pro monthly and Pro annual both include unlimited daily practice, AI-generated custom topics, cloud sync, and an ad-free experience. Both have custom pricing, with the billed price displayed in the app. Check that price before subscribing; no comparison between the monthly and annual cost is possible without it. Payments run through the relevant app store, and cancellation stops renewal at the end of the current billing period.

Platforms

Hanzi Writer supports Android, iOS, and macOS. Its offline writing, review, and OCR features are useful where connectivity is limited, while Pro sync addresses continuity across devices.

Who it's for

Choose Hanzi Writer if you are learning Chinese characters through a curriculum, want precise stroke feedback, or already have Anki decks you would like to use for handwriting practice. It also suits learners who value on-device OCR and offline study. It is a weaker fit if subscription cost must be clear before installing or if your priority is handwriting practice for scripts other than Chinese.

Pros and cons

Pros: Stroke correction covers order, direction, starting point, shape, and proportion, making feedback more specific than simple tracing.
Pros: Broad curricula, more than 7,450 characters, custom practice, and Anki deck import support several routes into study.
Pros: Core practice and OCR work offline or on-device, and camera images are not uploaded or cloud processed.
Cons: Pro prices are displayed in the app rather than provided as fixed prices here, making the cost harder to assess before subscribing.
Cons: AI topic generation sends entered descriptions to Google Gemini through Firebase Vertex AI, so it is not an on-device feature.

Alternatives

For a broader set of options, browse Handwriting Practice Apps. Choose iTrace instead for handwriting warm-ups, three letters, and one interactive scene free, with premium features unlocked for 3.99 USD per once. Kanji Dojo is another option if you want a free app across more platforms and an open-source project whose repository lists GNU GPL version 3 or later.

Writing Wizard is aimed at letter practice: its free app leaves remaining letters and custom words to an in-app purchase or subscription. Pick Handwriting Repeater if you want free sentence practice without subscription fees, an account, or limits on sentences and repetitions. Kitsunewa Writing Practice is a cross-platform alternative with free writing practice and other tools; its Pro plan is 4.08 USD per month, billed at $49 yearly.

LetterSchool offers a free start with five letters in uppercase and lowercase, five shapes, and three CVC flashcards. Letterpaths is a free alternative whose project describes it as a headless TypeScript library for generating handwriting geometry. Cursive Practice is an iOS option for uppercase and lowercase, words, sentences, quotes, and numbers, with ads on its free plan and a 0.99 USD per once ad-removal purchase.

Verdict

Hanzi Writer is the right choice for Chinese learners who want detailed stroke correction, curriculum-based study, and offline SRS practice in one app. Its standout advantage is the combination of writing feedback with Anki import and broad course coverage; its main reason to look elsewhere is that Pro’s price is only displayed in the app.

	Hanzi Writer	Zishu
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	Free
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, iOS, macOS	iOS
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Age levels	all_ages	all_ages
Pen-control exercises	Yes	Yes
Custom word practice	Yes	Yes
Progress tracking	Yes	Yes
Supported platforms	ios, android, macos	ios

Hanzi Writer vs Zishu

Hanzi Writer

Zishu