For HSK preparation, Baozi covers the most in one place: every word of HSK 1–9 with daily review, a tone check, writing from memory and HSK practice tests. The other apps each do one thing well and pair with it: HelloChinese or SuperChinese for a guided course, Pleco for looking words up, Skritter for handwriting, Du Chinese for reading, Anki for flashcards you build yourself, Hack Chinese for reviewing any word list. Duolingo is an easy start, but it isn't built around HSK.
Our pick for HSK
包
Top pick for HSK preparation
Baozi
HSK vocabulary, tones and writing in one place
All 10,990 words of HSK 1–9 in chapters by topic, each with audio, stroke order and example sentences. Every word has its own review date, you can check your tones with the microphone, write characters from memory and take HSK practice tests. Baozi is ours, so weigh this pick accordingly.
Free
Unlimited flashcards, daily reviews and word audio; 2 quiz rounds a day
Paid plan
Pro: $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year
HSK levels
HSK 1–9: 10,990 words of the 2021 standard, in chapters by topic
Pronunciation feedback
Yes: say a syllable or word into the microphone and see your pitch against the right tone
Writing characters
Stroke order for every character; write from memory, stroke by stroke
HSK practice tests
Free HSK 1 practice test; chapter exams, HSK 2–6 practice papers and essay marking in Pro
Other apps, and what they are good for
Each of these does one thing well and works next to Baozi. Under each: what it lacks for HSK preparation.
H
HelloChinese
Good for a complete beginner course
Lessons from zero with speaking, listening and handwriting, and courses based on HSK levels. Good if you want someone to lead you through grammar and dialogues.
For HSK: Which HSK levels it covers isn't stated, and no HSK practice tests are listed.
Price and features
Free
Part of the course is free
Paid plan
Premium: $11.99 a month or $69.99 a year (US)
HSK levels
Courses "based on HSK levels"; which levels is not stated
Pronunciation feedback
Speech recognition that corrects pronunciation
Writing characters
Handwriting practice
HSK practice tests
Not listed
S
SuperChinese
Good for speaking practice with feedback
A course built around real-life topics with a pronunciation score for every character, and an AI tutor in its top plan. It calls itself not an exam drill.
For HSK: The main course stops around HSK 5, and exam practice is in a separate app.
Price and features
Free
Some lessons and limited pronunciation scores
Paid plan
Plus: $11.99 a month, $69.99 a year or $139.99 once
HSK levels
Main course "equivalent to HSK 1–5"; HSK 1–9 words in a separate section
Pronunciation feedback
Pronunciation score for each character, with tone feedback
Writing characters
Not clearly offered
HSK practice tests
None in the app ("not an exam drill"); a separate app for that
P
Pleco
Good for looking words up
The dictionary most learners keep; free to use, with one-off paid add-ons for flashcards, stroke order and text recognition.
For HSK: A dictionary, not a course: review, flashcards and stroke order are paid add-ons.
Price and features
Free
The dictionary, handwriting input, 500 stroke-order diagrams
Paid plan
One-off add-ons, no subscription: bundles from $24.99, flashcards $9.99
HSK levels
HSK word lists for its flashcards, HSK 3.0 included
Pronunciation feedback
Tone drills in flashcards; no speech check
Writing characters
Stroke-order animations (paid) and handwriting input
HSK practice tests
None
A
Anki
Good for free flashcards you control
A flashcard program with a very adjustable scheduler. HSK comes from decks other people share, so what you get depends on the deck.
For HSK: You find and check an HSK deck yourself; no tone check or writing built in.
Price and features
Free
Free on computers, on Android and on the web (AnkiWeb)
Paid plan
$24.99 once for the iPhone and iPad app
HSK levels
Shared decks, e.g. one for HSK 3.0 levels 1–9 with 11,042 notes
Pronunciation feedback
None built in; audio only if the deck has it
Writing characters
None built in; some decks add stroke drawing
HSK practice tests
None
H
Hack Chinese
Good for reviewing any word list
A focused vocabulary trainer: choose HSK 2.0 or 3.0 lists, textbook or frequency lists and review them. No handwriting or speech checks.
For HSK: No free plan after the trial, no handwriting, no speech check, no practice tests.
Price and features
Free
21-day free trial, no card
Paid plan
$18 a month, or $12 a month billed yearly
HSK levels
HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0 lists, plus textbook and frequency lists
Pronunciation feedback
Audio and tone colours; no speech check
Writing characters
No handwriting practice (its FAQ says so)
HSK practice tests
None
S
Skritter
Good for writing characters by hand
Handwriting graded stroke by stroke, with decks for HSK 1–6 and HSK 3.0 levels 1–9.
For HSK: Writing first: no speech check and no HSK practice tests.
Price and features
Free
7-day trial; a few decks free
Paid plan
$14.99 a month or $99.99 a year
HSK levels
Decks for HSK 1–6 and HSK 3.0 levels 1–9
Pronunciation feedback
You draw the tone mark; no speech check
Writing characters
Its core: handwriting graded stroke by stroke
HSK practice tests
None
D
Du Chinese
Good for reading practice
Short graded stories with native audio; HSK labels on its own six levels.
For HSK: Reading first: not built on HSK lists, and no practice tests.
Price and features
Free
Some free lessons
Paid plan
$14.99 a month or $119.99 a year
HSK levels
Its own six levels, with HSK labels (HSK 3.0 labels from October 2026)
Pronunciation feedback
Native audio and tone colours; no speech check
Writing characters
Stroke-order animations
HSK practice tests
None; HSK reading practice through stories
D
Duolingo
Good for a light first taste of Chinese
Short game-like lessons and streaks. The course isn't built on HSK lists and has no HSK practice tests.
For HSK: Not built on HSK lists, and no HSK practice tests.
Price and features
Free
The whole course, with ads and a limit on mistakes
Paid plan
Super and Max subscriptions, 1-week free trial; prices are shown in the app
HSK levels
Not built on HSK lists; the Chinese course reaches CEFR B2
Pronunciation feedback
Speaking exercises with speech recognition
Writing characters
Character lessons; character components added in October 2026
HSK practice tests
None for HSK
Prices in US dollars as listed on October 17, 2026; they can differ by country and change. opens the page each fact comes from.
How we compared
We read each app's own website, pricing page and store listing on October 17, 2026. Every fact about another app links to the page it comes from; where a page didn't say, we wrote so rather than guess. Prices are US prices in dollars and change by country.
Baozi is our app. We've tried to say plainly where the others do better.
What to look for in an HSK app
Which word list it follows: the old HSK 2.0, the 2021 standard or the new HSK 3.0 exam syllabus. The counts differ a lot: HSK 1 is 150 words in the old exam, 500 in the 2021 standard and 300 in the new syllabus.
Whether it brings back the words you're forgetting, so time goes to the words that need it. Whether it checks your tones out loud, not only by ear. Whether it makes you write characters, since the higher HSK levels include writing. And whether you can practise in the exam's own format before the day.
Questions
What is the best free app for HSK?
Anki is free with shared HSK decks (except on iPhone and iPad), and Pleco's dictionary is free. Baozi's free plan includes unlimited flashcards, daily reviews and audio for every word of HSK 1–9, plus a few quiz, sentence and writing rounds each day.
Which of these apps have HSK practice tests?
Among these eight, Baozi is the only one whose own pages list HSK practice tests: a free HSK 1 test on hsk.cards and practice papers for HSK 2–6 in Pro. SuperChinese points to a separate app for exam practice.
Should I learn the HSK 2.0, 2021 or HSK 3.0 word list?
Learn the list your exam uses. Baozi teaches the 2021 standard (500 words at HSK 1), which contains most of the new syllabus' words; Hack Chinese and Skritter let you choose HSK 3.0 lists.