Baozi vs Duolingo: which one for Chinese and HSK?
The short answer
Duolingo is a general course: short, playful lessons that get you started and keep a streak going, but it isn't built on the HSK word lists. Baozi teaches the HSK lists themselves, all 10,990 words of HSK 1–9, with a review date for every word, a microphone tone check and writing from memory. Preparing for an HSK level: Baozi. A light first taste of Chinese: Duolingo. They also work well side by side.
Choose Duolingo if
- you want a casual, game-like start and a streak to keep;
- you learn several languages in one place;
- you aren't preparing for an HSK exam.
Choose Baozi if
- you're preparing for an HSK level and want to know which words are left;
- you want your tones checked and characters written from memory;
- you'd rather spend five focused minutes on the words you're forgetting.
Side by side
Prices in US dollars as listed on October 17, 2026; they can differ by country and change. opens the page each fact comes from.
What each one teaches
Duolingo's Chinese course is a path of short lessons on everyday phrases; Duolingo says it reaches CEFR B2. HSK isn't its framework, so it won't tell you how much of HSK 3 you know.
Baozi starts from the HSK lists. Each level is split into chapters by topic, and every word comes with pinyin, meaning, audio, stroke order and example sentences, so you always know what's left before your level.
Remembering what you learn
Duolingo brings material back through new lessons, with a mistakes review in Super.
Baozi keeps a memory strength and a next review date for every word. A right answer pushes the next review further away, a mistake brings it back sooner, so each day's round is the words you're about to forget.
Tones and characters
Duolingo has speaking exercises with speech recognition, character lessons and, since October 2026, lessons on character components.
In Baozi you say a syllable or a word and see your voice's pitch drawn against the right tone. Every character has its stroke order, and you write words from memory, stroke by stroke.
Price
Duolingo's whole course is free with ads and a limit on mistakes; Super and Max remove them, and their prices are shown in the app.
Baozi is free for flashcards, daily reviews and word audio, without limits; quizzes, sentences and writing have free rounds every day. Pro removes the limits for $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year.
Questions
Is Duolingo enough to pass HSK?
Duolingo doesn't follow the HSK word lists or say which HSK words it covers, and it has no HSK practice tests. You'll learn real Chinese with it, but for an exam you'll want the level's word list and practice in the exam's format.
Can I use Duolingo and Baozi together?
Yes: Duolingo for phrases and the daily habit, Baozi for the HSK words of your level, their tones and their characters.
Which one costs less?
Both start free. Baozi Pro is $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year. Duolingo shows Super and Max prices in its app, and they vary by country.