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Head-to-head · Handwriting Practice Apps

Hanzi Writer vs Chinese Stroke Order

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Hanzi Writer #1 in Handwriting Practice Apps 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Hanzi Writer
Chinese Stroke Order #8 in Handwriting Practice Apps 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit site

Hanzi Writer leads on 0 checks, Chinese Stroke Order on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreHanzi Writer · 9.4/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresHanzi Writer · 3 of 3

Hanzi Writer scores higher on our rubric for handwriting practice apps: 9.4 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #8.

Hanzi Writer is the better fit for chinese learners wanting an all-rounder. Chinese Stroke Order is the better fit for chinese learners wanting broad device coverage.

  • Hanzi Writer fits best

    Chinese learners wanting an all-rounder

  • Chinese Stroke Order fits best

    Chinese learners wanting broad device coverage

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Side by side

Feature Hanzi Writer 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Chinese Stroke Order 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.5
Ranking #1 in Handwriting Practice Apps #8 in Handwriting Practice Apps
Best for Chinese learners wanting an all-rounder Chinese learners wanting broad device coverage
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price — —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Mobile Mobile
Platforms iOS, Android, macOS iOS, Android, macOS
Support Email Email
Built for Solo, Small business Solo, Small business
Features Hanzi Writer 3/3 · Chinese Stroke Order 0/3
Pen-control exercises ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Custom word practice ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Progress tracking ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Writing modes Not checked yet Not checked yet
Age levels All_ages Not checked yet
Supported platforms ios, android, macos ios, android, macos
Our review
Pros
  • Real-time stroke-order validation and correction
  • HSK 1–9 courses with spaced-repetition review
  • Offline practice, OCR, worksheets, and Anki import
  • Animated stroke-order lookup for more than 20,000 characters
  • Handwriting practice includes correctness checking
  • Available on iOS, Android, and macOS
Cons
  • Progress synchronization is available through Pro features
  • The listed integration is limited to Anki
  • Its focus is written Chinese rather than broader language study
  • Paid pricing differs by distribution channel and region
  • Monthly, annual, and lifetime plans list the same benefits
  • The focus is Chinese characters rather than general handwriting
Our verdict

Hanzi Writer is a handwriting-practice app for learners of written Chinese. It combines animated stroke-order guidance with real-time correction, HSK 1–9 courses, spaced-repetition review, on-device OCR, an offline dictionary, custom…

Read the review →

Chinese Stroke Order is a Chinese learning app for students, teachers, families, and language learners. Its core tools cover animated stroke-order lookup for more than 20,000 Chinese characters, handwriting practice with correctness…

Read the review →
  1. Hanzi WriterHandwriting Practice Apps 9.4Free plan
  2. Chinese Stroke OrderHandwriting Practice Apps 8.5Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Hanzi Writer — where it wins

    • Real-time stroke-order validation and correction
    • HSK 1–9 courses with spaced-repetition review
    • Offline practice, OCR, worksheets, and Anki import

    Where it doesn't

    • Progress synchronization is available through Pro features
    • The listed integration is limited to Anki
    • Its focus is written Chinese rather than broader language study

  • Chinese Stroke Order — where it wins

    • Animated stroke-order lookup for more than 20,000 characters
    • Handwriting practice includes correctness checking
    • Available on iOS, Android, and macOS

    Where it doesn't

    • Paid pricing differs by distribution channel and region
    • Monthly, annual, and lifetime plans list the same benefits
    • The focus is Chinese characters rather than general handwriting
  • Hanzi Writer9.4/10 · Free plan

    An all-round Chinese handwriting app with structured courses, review tools, and offline practice.

    Visit Hanzi WriterFull verdict →
  • Chinese Stroke Order8.5/10 · Free plan

    A broad Chinese learning toolkit for stroke order, handwriting, pronunciation, and text recognition.

    Visit siteFull verdict →

More comparisons

All handwriting practice apps comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update