8 Best Free Chinese Learning Apps in 2026

Quick Pick: All 8 Free Chinese Apps Compared

Before we dive into the detailed reviews, here is a side-by-side snapshot of every app on this list. Use this table to quickly identify which apps match your needs, then scroll down for the full breakdown.

What "Free" Really Means for Chinese Learning Apps

Before we review each app, it is worth understanding the different ways an app can be "free." The word gets used loosely in app marketing, and the reality ranges from genuinely zero-cost to "free to download but you will hit a paywall within a week." Knowing the model upfront saves frustration later.

Fully free (ad-supported): Apps like Duolingo let you access all core learning content without ever paying. The trade-off is advertisements between lessons and occasional prompts to upgrade to a premium plan. You can ignore the ads and learn indefinitely. This is the most common model for large consumer apps.

Freemium: Apps like HelloChinese and Chinese Skill give you a meaningful amount of content for free, then lock advanced features, higher levels, or premium content behind a subscription. The free tier is genuinely useful for beginners but has clear ceilings. You will eventually need to pay or switch tools to keep progressing.

Free trial: Apps like HSKLord give you full, unrestricted access for a limited time (30 days in HSKLord's case). During the trial, you get exactly the same experience as a paying subscriber. This model lets you evaluate the full product before committing. If you study intensively during the trial, you can learn a lot of vocabulary before deciding whether to subscribe.

Truly free / open-source: Tools like Anki (on desktop and Android) and HanziCraft are genuinely free with no paywalls, no ads, and no time limits. These tend to be community-driven or passion projects. They are often powerful but may require more technical setup or lack the polished UX of commercial apps.

#1 HSKLord — Best Free Trial for HSK Vocabulary

Free tier: 30-day full-access trial, no credit card required.

HSKLord is a web-based Chinese vocabulary platform built specifically for learners preparing for the HSK exam. It ships with every word from HSK 1 through HSK 6, plus the updated HSK 3.0 vocabulary lists. You sign up, pick your level, and start reviewing immediately. There are no decks to configure, no community content of variable quality to sort through, and no plugins to install.

The spaced repetition algorithm is tuned specifically for Chinese vocabulary. It accounts for the visual similarity between characters, tonal distinctions in pinyin, and the way vocabulary builds across HSK levels. Every card includes simplified characters, pinyin with tone marks, English translations, and built-in audio pronunciation. The progress dashboard shows your mastery percentage for each HSK level, so you always know exactly where you stand.

If you are not sure which HSK level to start at, HSKLord includes a placement test that identifies your current level in about five minutes. And the study calculator estimates how long it will take you to reach your target HSK level based on your available study time.

The 30-day free trial gives you full access to everything. That is enough time to learn 150 to 300 words if you study daily, which is roughly equivalent to finishing HSK 1 or making serious progress into HSK 2. After the trial, HSKLord requires a subscription. It is not the cheapest option on this list (several apps are fully free), but for dedicated HSK preparation, the structured content and progress tracking save real time compared to cobbling together free alternatives.

Best for: Learners who are specifically studying for the HSK exam and want a curated, ready-to-use vocabulary system with zero setup time. Also ideal if you want to evaluate a premium tool without risk before committing.

#2 Duolingo — Best Fully Free Option

Free tier: Fully free with ads. Optional Super subscription removes ads and adds some features.

Duolingo is the most popular language learning app in the world, and its Chinese course is available entirely for free. The app uses a gamified approach with streaks, experience points, leaderboards, and bite-sized lessons that take about five minutes each. It is designed to be addictive in the best sense of the word, making it genuinely easy to build a daily study habit.

The Chinese course covers pronunciation (pinyin), character recognition, basic grammar, vocabulary, and listening comprehension. Lessons introduce new words in context through sentence construction exercises, multiple choice questions, and audio matching. The progression is structured from complete beginner through intermediate, loosely covering vocabulary that overlaps with HSK 1 through HSK 3.

The main drawback of Duolingo for Chinese is pace. The progression is intentionally slow, designed for learners spending 5 to 15 minutes per day. If you want to move quickly through HSK vocabulary, you will find Duolingo frustrating. It also does not follow the official HSK word lists, so if you are specifically preparing for the exam, you will have gaps. Character writing practice is minimal, and the app does not teach stroke order at all.

Best for: Absolute beginners who want a low-pressure, no-cost way to start learning Chinese. Excellent for building a daily habit. Works best when combined with a dedicated vocabulary app and dictionary.

#3 HelloChinese — Best Free Course for Beginners

Free tier: Free access to beginner content. Premium subscription unlocks all levels and features.

HelloChinese is often described as "Duolingo but designed specifically for Chinese," and that reputation is well-earned. The app was built from the ground up for Mandarin learners, which means it handles tones, character writing, and Chinese-specific grammar patterns far better than general-purpose language apps. The free tier includes a substantial beginner course that covers pronunciation fundamentals, basic vocabulary, simple sentence patterns, and an introduction to character writing with stroke order animations.

The lessons are structured and progressive, building logically from pinyin foundations through increasingly complex vocabulary and grammar. HelloChinese uses speech recognition for pronunciation practice, which gives you feedback on your tones — something most free apps skip entirely. The interface is clean and modern, with cultural notes woven into the lessons that help you understand not just what words mean but when and how to use them.

The limitation is the paywall. While the free content is genuinely useful for beginners, you will hit locked lessons fairly quickly if you study regularly. The premium subscription unlocks intermediate and advanced content, additional grammar explanations, and extra practice modes. If you enjoy HelloChinese's teaching style and plan to go beyond basic Chinese, the premium subscription is practically necessary. For a deeper comparison, see our HSKLord vs HelloChinese breakdown.

Best for: Beginners who want a structured, Chinese-specific learning experience with tone practice and character writing. The free tier is a great way to test if the teaching style works for you.

#4 Pleco — Best Free Chinese Dictionary

Free tier: Full dictionary access. Flashcards, OCR, and additional dictionaries are paid add-ons.

Pleco is the gold standard Chinese dictionary app, and it has been for over a decade. Every serious Chinese learner installs Pleco at some point. The free version includes the CC-CEDICT dictionary (one of the most comprehensive Chinese-English dictionaries available), character stroke order diagrams, audio pronunciation for all entries, and powerful search that works with pinyin, characters, and English. You can look up a word by typing pinyin with or without tone numbers, paste in Chinese text, or draw a character by hand.

What makes Pleco exceptional is the depth of information for each entry. You get multiple definitions ranked by frequency, example sentences, character decomposition showing radicals and components, related words, and usage notes. For a free tool, the amount of data available is remarkable. It functions as a dictionary, a character reference, a pronunciation guide, and a quick grammar reference all in one. For a more detailed comparison, read our HSKLord vs Pleco analysis.

Pleco's paid add-ons include an SRS flashcard system, optical character recognition (point your camera at Chinese text to look up words instantly), additional dictionaries, and a document reader. These are one-time purchases rather than subscriptions, which is refreshing. But even without any add-ons, the free dictionary alone makes Pleco an essential tool for anyone learning Chinese.

Best for: Every Chinese learner, period. Pleco is not a study app in the traditional sense — it is a reference tool — but it is the single most useful free Chinese tool on any platform. Install it on day one and use it alongside whatever study app you choose.

#5 Anki — Best Free Flashcard Platform

Free tier: Free on desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux) and Android. $24.99 on iOS. Free web version with limited features.

Anki is the most powerful spaced repetition flashcard tool available, and it is free on most platforms. It is not designed specifically for Chinese — it works for any subject — but the Chinese learning community has built an enormous ecosystem of shared decks, templates, and add-ons that make Anki a formidable Chinese study tool. Community-shared HSK decks cover all levels with characters, pinyin, English translations, and often audio. For a deep dive into using Anki for Chinese, see our HSKLord vs Anki comparison.

The strength of Anki is its flexibility. You can create cards with any combination of fields, customize the review algorithm, install add-ons for features like audio generation or character animations, and build a study system tailored exactly to your needs. If you want cards that show a character on the front and pinyin plus English on the back, you can do that. If you want cloze deletion sentences, audio-only cards, or image-based mnemonics, Anki supports all of it.

The downside is significant: Anki has a steep learning curve. Setting up an effective Chinese study system in Anki can take hours. Finding reliable HSK decks requires research (quality varies wildly across community-shared content). Configuring card templates, adjusting SRS intervals, and installing the right add-ons is a project in itself. Many beginners spend their first week configuring Anki rather than actually studying Chinese. The iOS app costs $24.99, which is a one-time purchase but still a barrier for learners specifically looking for free tools.

Best for: Technically inclined learners who want maximum control over their study system and are willing to invest time in setup. Excellent for intermediate and advanced learners who need custom content beyond standard HSK vocabulary.

#6 TOFU Learn — Best Free Simple Flashcards

Free tier: Free flashcard access with core vocabulary content.

If Anki feels too complex, TOFU Learn offers a simpler alternative. TOFU Learn is a streamlined flashcard app for Chinese that uses spaced repetition without requiring any configuration. You select a vocabulary list (HSK 1 through HSK 6 lists are included), and start reviewing. The interface is clean and distraction-free, with character, pinyin, and English displayed in a straightforward card format.

TOFU Learn works well for what it does: simple vocabulary drilling with spaced repetition. You flip cards, rate your recall, and the algorithm schedules your next review. There are no gamification mechanics, no social features, and no complex settings to adjust. It is a flashcard app that gets out of your way and lets you focus on memorizing Chinese words.

The limitation is scope. TOFU Learn is a vocabulary drilling tool and nothing more. It does not teach grammar, provide listening exercises, explain character composition, or offer any structured learning path. The content library is limited compared to more established platforms. It is best used as a supplement alongside a more comprehensive learning app or course.

Best for: Learners who want simple, no-frills flashcard practice without the setup complexity of Anki. Good as a secondary tool for vocabulary reinforcement.

#7 Chinese Skill — Best Free Grammar App

Free tier: Free with ads. Premium subscription removes ads and unlocks additional content.

Chinese Skill occupies a similar space to Duolingo and HelloChinese: it is a gamified, lesson-based app that teaches vocabulary and grammar through interactive exercises. Where Chinese Skill differentiates itself is in its grammar coverage. The app includes more explicit grammar explanations than Duolingo, with dedicated lessons on Chinese sentence structures, measure words, aspect particles, and other grammar points that trip up English speakers.

The free version gives you access to a substantial amount of content across beginner and lower-intermediate levels. Lessons cover vocabulary, grammar patterns, character recognition, and sentence construction. The exercises are varied — matching, fill-in-the-blank, translation, listening comprehension — and the app does a decent job of reinforcing new material through repetition.

The main drawbacks are the ads and content limitations. The free version is heavily ad-supported, with video ads appearing between lessons and banner ads during study sessions. This breaks the flow of studying and can be genuinely annoying during focused practice sessions. The upper-level content (roughly HSK 4 and above) requires a premium subscription, so free users will eventually hit a ceiling. The production quality is also a step below HelloChinese and Duolingo in terms of interface design and audio quality.

Best for: Learners who want more grammar explanation than Duolingo provides and do not mind ads. A solid free option for beginners who learn best through structured lessons with explicit grammar teaching.

#8 HanziCraft — Best Free Character Tool

Free tier: Fully free. No premium tier, no ads, no account required.

HanziCraft is a web-based tool that does one thing exceptionally well: it breaks Chinese characters down into their component parts. Enter any Chinese character and HanziCraft shows you the radical, the individual components, the stroke count, the stroke order, frequency ranking, and related characters that share the same components. This is invaluable for understanding how characters are constructed and for developing the pattern recognition skills that make learning new characters faster over time.

Understanding character composition is one of the most underrated skills in Chinese learning. When you can look at an unfamiliar character and recognize its radical (which often hints at meaning) and its phonetic component (which often hints at pronunciation), you can make educated guesses about characters you have never formally studied. HanziCraft makes this kind of analysis accessible and visual, which is why many teachers recommend it alongside whatever primary study app you are using.

HanziCraft is not a study tool in the active sense. It does not quiz you, it does not use spaced repetition, and it does not track your progress. It is a reference tool — you look up characters when you encounter them, study the decomposition, and then return to your primary study method. Think of it as the character equivalent of a good dictionary: an essential reference that complements your active learning tools.

Best for: Any Chinese learner who wants to understand how characters are built. Especially useful for visual learners and anyone preparing for HSK 3 and above, where character recognition becomes increasingly important.

How to Build a Free Chinese Learning Stack

No single free app covers everything you need to learn Chinese effectively. The smart approach is to combine two or three free tools that complement each other's strengths. Here is a practical free stack that covers all the bases:

For structured lessons: Start with either Duolingo or HelloChinese as your daily lesson app. Both are free for beginners, and both provide the guided instruction that helps you learn grammar patterns, sentence structure, and pronunciation in context. Duolingo is better if you want something fully free with no paywalls. HelloChinese is better if you want Chinese-specific features like tone practice and stroke order, even though you will eventually hit locked content.

For your dictionary: Install Pleco immediately. You will use it constantly, from day one through advanced fluency. Every time you encounter an unfamiliar character or word — in your study app, in a video, on a menu, in a text message — Pleco is where you look it up. There is no better free Chinese dictionary, and it is a tool you will use for years.

For vocabulary drilling: Use Anki (free on desktop and Android) or TOFU Learn for dedicated flashcard practice. Your lesson app introduces new words in context, but dedicated flashcard review with spaced repetition is what drives those words into long-term memory. If you are comfortable with a learning curve, Anki is more powerful. If you want something simple that just works, TOFU Learn is easier to start with.

For character study: Use HanziCraft as a reference when you encounter complex characters. Understanding the components and radicals of characters you are learning helps you remember them better and makes learning future characters faster. Spending even two minutes per character on HanziCraft pays dividends as your character knowledge grows.

A daily routine might look like this: 10 minutes of Duolingo or HelloChinese lessons, 15 minutes of Anki or TOFU Learn flashcard reviews, and Pleco and HanziCraft lookups as needed throughout the day. That is 25 minutes of active study per day using entirely free tools. According to our study calculator, that pace can get you to HSK 2 level within about four to six months.

When to Invest in a Paid App

Free tools can take you surprisingly far in Chinese learning, but there are specific situations where investing in a paid app saves time, reduces frustration, and accelerates your progress. Recognizing these inflection points helps you spend money wisely rather than defaulting to either "everything must be free" or "expensive must be better."

When you are preparing for a specific HSK exam: Free tools do not follow the official HSK vocabulary lists closely. If you are registering for HSK 3, HSK 4, or higher and need to ensure you know every word on the test, a dedicated HSK app like HSKLord with verified, level-tagged vocabulary is worth the investment. You cannot afford to discover gaps on test day because your free app used a different word list. For HSK 3.0 test dates in 2026, making sure your vocabulary aligns with the latest standards is essential.

When setup time is costing you study time: If you are spending more time configuring Anki decks, searching for reliable community content, and troubleshooting add-ons than actually studying Chinese, the setup cost of free tools has exceeded their value. A paid app with curated, ready-to-use content pays for itself in recovered study hours. This is especially true for beginners who do not yet know enough Chinese to evaluate the quality of community-created content.

When you need progress tracking and accountability: Free apps generally offer minimal or no progress tracking. If you are motivated by seeing your mastery percentage increase, tracking how many words you have learned per week, or knowing exactly which words need review, a paid app with built-in analytics can significantly boost your consistency. For learners studying for the HSK passing score, knowing your level readiness before test day is genuinely valuable.

When ads break your focus: If you find that ads in Duolingo or Chinese Skill interrupt your concentration and make study sessions less effective, upgrading to an ad-free experience (or switching to an ad-free paid app) is a legitimate investment in your learning quality. Interrupted focus during spaced repetition reviews genuinely reduces retention. Check our best HSK apps for 2026 roundup for ad-free options across different price points.

When you hit the freemium ceiling: If you have been using HelloChinese or Chinese Skill and you are running into locked content at intermediate levels, that is a natural point to either upgrade that app or switch to a tool with broader free access. Review what you actually need at that point — you might find that a different paid app covers your current needs better than upgrading the one you started with. For learners interested in understanding the full HSK framework, our Chinese proficiency levels guide explains what each stage involves.

The bottom line: start with free tools, learn what works for your study style, and upgrade strategically when a specific limitation is clearly holding you back. Most learners do not need to spend money in their first month. But most learners who get serious about Chinese eventually find that one or two paid tools are worth the investment. A good first step is to try HSKLord's 30-day free trial alongside your free tools — if it saves you time and keeps you more consistent, the subscription pays for itself.

Frequently Asked Questions