Learn free. Upgrade when it helps.
Simple pricing for serious Chinese character learners
Every current HanziStory lesson stays free. The Founding Beta Pack is a small one-time upgrade for learners who want to organise what they study and practise it more deliberately.
No paywall surprise. The 108 current lessons, pronunciation, stroke order, examples, basic practice, Google sign-in, progress sync, and review schedule remain on the Free plan.
Free
Build your foundation
$0forever
Everything currently available on HanziStory, with no character lesson limit.
- 108 beginner character lessons
- Stories, origins, pinyin, and pronunciation
- Animated stroke order and writing tests
- Example sentences and word building
- Basic spaced-repetition practice
- Google sign-in and progress sync
Start learning free
Available first
Founding Beta Pack
Build your own focused study system
$9.90one-time
Pay once for the current beta tools. This is not a recurring subscription.
- Everything in Free
- Synced custom character study list
- Targeted practice from your saved list
- Personal weekly progress report
- Printable writing worksheets
- Access follows your Google account
Checking your HanziStory account…
Secure checkout is provided by PayPal. HanziStory never receives your card or PayPal password. Purchase is subject to the Terms and Refund Policy.
Plus Annual · Later
More packs and long-term reports
$39per year
A future subscription for learners who want a growing library of deeper study tools.
- Everything in the Beta Pack
- New themed learning packs
- Longer progress history and exports
- Additional worksheet formats
- Early access to new study tools
Tell me when annual Plus is ready
No subscription is started by buying the Founding Beta Pack.
Start smallValidate value before a subscription
The first paid offer is intentionally a $9.90 one-time pack. Monthly and annual billing remain future options until learners show that the tools are useful enough to support ongoing development.
Suggest a paid feature
What becomes paid—and what never does?
Always freeLearning the characters
Core lessons, stories, historical notes, pronunciation, stroke order, examples, basic practice, sign-in, and review sync stay accessible.
Optional betaOrganizing deeper study
The paid pack adds a personal study list, targeted practice, a weekly report, and printable materials. It does not remove anything from Free.
How paid access works
- Sign in with Google so HanziStory knows which account should receive access.
- PayPal creates and confirms the $9.90 USD order on its secure checkout.
- After PayPal reports a completed payment, the Founding Beta entitlement is connected to that Google account.
- Open the home page to use your synced study list, custom practice, weekly report, and worksheet tool.
The server verifies the product, amount, currency, order owner, and completed payment before granting access.
Pricing questions
Will the current lessons stay free?
Yes. No existing lesson or learning feature is being removed or placed behind a new paywall.
What exactly do I receive for $9.90?
You receive the current Founding Beta tools: a synced custom study list, targeted practice, a weekly report, and printable writing worksheets.
Is this a subscription?
No. It is a one-time payment. Future monthly or annual plans are separate products and will never start automatically.
How does paid access follow me?
The entitlement and custom list attach to the same Google account used for learning progress and review sync, so they can follow you across devices.
Keep learning for free
Start with a themed collection, practise five characters, and upgrade only when the additional study tools are useful to you.