GraphChinese vs Anki for learning Chinese
The desktop app and AnkiDroid are free (source, checked Oct 2026). AnkiMobile for iPhone and iPad is $24.99 one-time on the US App Store (source, checked Oct 2026). It can schedule with FSRS, and it ships no Chinese curriculum, so you choose the deck and the order. GraphChinese is the course: HSK 0 to HSK 6 as 829 topics served in prerequisite order, with flashcard decks on FSRS and Anki .apkg import, $49 once for lifetime access.
Which should you choose?
- Choose GraphChinese if you want the curriculum decided for you and then checked: 829 topics from the four tones to HSK 6, each served after what it rests on and brought back for review, with stroke-order writing, narrated graded readings and grammar inside the same path. Your Anki decks can come with you.
- Choose Anki if you want to build or curate your own cards, you want free software you control completely, and a class, textbook or plan of your own already decides what you learn next.
- Switching is not worth it if you already have decks you trust, something outside Anki sets your order, and your daily reviews are getting done. A course adds the most when the order is the thing you are unsure of.
Anki is free, endlessly flexible, and as good a spaced-repetition engine as exists. I used it myself for years. What it will not do is tell you what to learn or in what order: you are the curriculum designer. GraphChinese is the course Anki assumes you already have.
Anki and GraphChinese side by side
| Anki | GraphChinese | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | The desktop app and AnkiDroid are free (source, checked Oct 2026, archived); AnkiMobile for iPhone and iPad is $24.99 one-time on the US App Store (source, checked Oct 2026, archived); AnkiWeb synchronization is free (source, checked Oct 2026, archived) | $49 once, yours for life |
| Free tier | The desktop app and AnkiDroid are free; AnkiWeb synchronization is free (source, checked Oct 2026, archived) | A free 28-question HSK placement test, no signup (source, checked Oct 2026); Free without an account: a demo with real lessons, the dictionary, the grammar reference, HSK word lists, free tests and tools (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Trial and refund | — | Not for you? Email and we refund it (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Levels | — | One course from HSK 0 (tones, pinyin, stroke order, radicals) through HSK 6 (source, checked Oct 2026); Most HSK 6 vocabulary topics are cut alphabetically, not by theme or dependency (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| HSK alignment | — | 195 grammar points from HSK 1 to HSK 6, public, each with the pattern, worked examples and the topics it rests on (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Characters and writing | — | Stroke-order writing practice, on by default for learners who start from zero and switchable for everyone else (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Speaking | — | Speaking practice built on the comment + question method; there is no live tutor or person to speak with (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Spaced repetition | FSRS is available as an alternative to the legacy SM-2 algorithm, supported in Anki 23.10+, AnkiMobile 23.10+, AnkiWeb and AnkiDroid 2.17+; it is switched on in deck options (source, checked Oct 2026) | flashcards are scheduled by FSRS; course topics come back on a mastery-review schedule (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Import and export | .apkg packages import decks, notes, note types and cards; since 23.10 the importer can drop or keep learning progress (source, checked Oct 2026) | Imports Anki .apkg decks with their audio and images, scheduled by the same FSRS engine; review history is not carried over (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Content | No built-in Chinese curriculum; shared decks on AnkiWeb, quality varies (source, checked Oct 2026, archived) | 829 topics in prerequisite order; jump ahead or claim one, and reviews check it (source, checked Oct 2026); 102 narrated graded readings, Foundations to HSK 6 (source, checked Oct 2026); 38 built-in flashcard decks (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS (AnkiMobile), Android (AnkiDroid), web (AnkiWeb) (source, checked Oct 2026) | Runs in the browser on phone and desktop; there is no app to install (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Recent change | AnkiMobile 25.09 (Sep 8 2025) updated to match desktop 25.09 (source, checked Oct 2026) | — |
| Also | — | An adaptive placement test starts you at your frontier (source, checked Oct 2026); A free Chinese-English dictionary with 124,727 entries and 66,178 example sentences, no signup (source, checked Oct 2026) |
— means our research sheet has no sourced fact for that row, not that the product lacks it.
Same learner, 12 and 24 months
| 12 months | 24 months | |
|---|---|---|
| Anki | $0: free (source, checked Oct 2026) | $0: free (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| GraphChinese | $49: $49 one-time, US list price, before tax | $49: $49 one-time, US list price, before tax |
US list prices before tax, cheapest published path to that much access.
What Anki does well
- It costs nothing on most devices. The desktop app and AnkiDroid are free (source, checked Oct 2026). AnkiWeb synchronization is free (source, checked Oct 2026). The one paid version is for Apple devices. AnkiMobile for iPhone and iPad is $24.99 one-time on the US App Store (source, checked Oct 2026).
- The scheduling is excellent. FSRS is available as an alternative to the legacy SM-2 algorithm, supported in Anki 23.10+, AnkiMobile 23.10+, AnkiWeb and AnkiDroid 2.17+; it is switched on in deck options (source, checked Oct 2026).
- It runs everywhere you study. Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS (AnkiMobile), Android (AnkiDroid), web (AnkiWeb) (source, checked Oct 2026).
- Cards are whatever you make them, which is why it stays the right home for custom decks: words from your class, a show, a textbook.
- Decks move in and out cleanly. .apkg packages import decks, notes, note types and cards; since 23.10 the importer can drop or keep learning progress (source, checked Oct 2026).
Where Anki runs out
- You are the curriculum designer. Anki reviews whatever deck you give it and has no opinion about what a beginner should learn before an intermediate learner.
- Deck quality is your problem. No built-in Chinese curriculum; shared decks on AnkiWeb, quality varies (source, checked Oct 2026). Nothing in Anki checks a shared deck for wrong pinyin or stale definitions.
- Nothing sequences by dependency. A card can sit in your queue testing a word that leans on grammar you have not met, and Anki has no way to notice.
- A giant deck has no finish line. Ten thousand cards with no sense of mastery is easy to quietly abandon.
- It reviews; it does not teach. Grammar explanations, graded reading and stroke-order writing practice are not part of the app.
Engine versus course
Anki is the engine. GraphChinese is the course around it. All 829 topics, from the four tones through HSK 6 grammar, live in one dependency graph, and the course serves each topic after the topics it rests on, so the next card does not assume something you have not met.
You can jump ahead or claim a topic you already know, and reviews then check the claim. HSK 6 is the exception: most of its vocabulary topics are alphabetical slices of the word list rather than a dependency order.
Characters are written in stroke order, on by default when you start from zero and switchable for everyone else. 102 narrated graded readings sit inside the path, speaking is practised with the comment and question method, flashcard decks are scheduled by FSRS and course topics come back on a mastery-review schedule.
Anki can use FSRS too, so the scheduler is not what you gain by moving. What you gain is the order.
If you are switching from Anki
- Take the free placement test and start at your level.
- Export your decks from Anki as
.apkgfiles. GraphChinese imports them with their audio and images and schedules them with FSRS. Review history does not come across, so imported cards start their schedule fresh. - Keep Anki if you like it for custom decks, such as words from your class or a show. The course and a personal deck do different jobs.
- Pick one place for the same words. Reviewing HSK vocabulary in a shared deck and in the course doubles the work without doubling what you learn.
Frequently asked questions
Is Anki good for learning Chinese?
Yes, once you have a deck worth reviewing. It is free on most devices, open, and its scheduling is excellent. What it does not give you is a curriculum: you still have to find or build a deck, decide the order, and notice on your own when a deck tests characters or grammar you are not ready for.
What is the difference between Anki and GraphChinese?
Anki is a general-purpose spaced-repetition engine: you supply the deck and the order. GraphChinese is a Mandarin course on a dependency graph of 829 topics from HSK 0 to HSK 6, where each word and grammar point is served after the topics it rests on, with stroke-order writing, graded readings and a speaking method. Both schedule flashcards with FSRS. Anki is free software you configure yourself; GraphChinese is $49 once for lifetime access.
Does Anki use FSRS?
FSRS is available as an alternative to the legacy SM-2 algorithm, supported in Anki 23.10+, AnkiMobile 23.10+, AnkiWeb and AnkiDroid 2.17+; it is switched on in deck options (source, checked Oct 2026). GraphChinese schedules its flashcard decks with FSRS as well, so the algorithm is not the difference between them; its course topics come back on a mastery-review schedule.
How much does Anki cost?
The desktop app and AnkiDroid are free (source, checked Oct 2026). AnkiWeb synchronization is free (source, checked Oct 2026). AnkiMobile for iPhone and iPad is $24.99 one-time on the US App Store (source, checked Oct 2026). GraphChinese is $49 once for lifetime access.
Can I import my Anki deck into GraphChinese?
Yes. GraphChinese imports .apkg files exported from Anki, with their audio and images, and schedules them with FSRS. Review history is not carried over, so the cards start their schedule fresh.
How this comparison was made
Written by Carson, who makes GraphChinese, the product being compared. 8 facts about Anki, checked 15 October 2026: all 8 from Anki’s own pages and store listings. Archived copies of price pages are linked where we have them. The sheet behind this page is public at /data/compare/anki.json; tell us if anything is out of date at /contact.
See the whole path instead of reading about it. The demo on the front page runs real lessons from the course, and the placement test, dictionary and grammar reference are free, no signup. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
Try the free demo