GraphChinese vs Busuu for learning Chinese
Busuu's Complete Chinese course runs from A1 to B2, and by Busuu's own mapping B2 corresponds to HSK 5. Its App Store prices come in several offer variants, so we do not quote one yearly figure. GraphChinese is $49 once for lifetime access and runs from HSK 0 to HSK 6 on 829 topics, each mapped to an HSK level.
Which should you choose?
- Choose GraphChinese if you are working toward an HSK level, want a route that reaches HSK 6, and want 829 topics served in the order they depend on each other, with stroke-order writing, reviews that bring back what you are losing, and 102 narrated graded readings.
- Choose Busuu if you want feedback on your writing and speaking from native speakers, a CEFR label on your progress, or one subscription that also covers other languages.
- Switching is not worth it if Busuu already has you studying most days, the community feedback keeps you speaking, and HSK 5 or below is far enough for you. A habit that works is worth more than a longer map.
Busuu is a general language app that teaches Chinese through a CEFR-labelled course, with a separate travel course and a characters course. Its stand-out feature is the community: native speakers comment on your exercises. GraphChinese teaches only Mandarin, as one course from HSK 0 to HSK 6 that orders every topic by what it depends on.
Busuu and GraphChinese side by side
| Busuu | GraphChinese | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US App Store IAPs include Monthly Premium $23.49 (also $9.99/$6.99 variants), 12 Months Premium $138.99 (also $70.00), 12 Months Premium Plus $139.99, Annual $79.99; variants indicate offers/tests (source, checked Oct 2026, archived) | $49 once, yours for life |
| Free tier | 'A lot of the features are free, but you will need a subscription in order to get access to all features.' (source, checked Oct 2026) | 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 | App Store lists a '14 Day Trial - Premium Plus' product at $89.99 (source, checked Oct 2026) | Not for you? Email and we refund it (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Levels | '210+ lessons in the Complete Chinese course (A1-B2)'; also a Chinese for Travel course and a Chinese Characters course (source, checked Oct 2026); Busuu maps HSK 1=A1, HSK 2=A2, HSK 3=A2+, HSK 4=B1, HSK 5=B2 (article dated May 26, 2026); by its own mapping the B2 course corresponds to HSK 5 (source, checked Oct 2026, archived) | 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) |
| Characters and writing | Separate Chinese Characters course for reading and writing (source, checked Oct 2026) | Stroke-order writing practice, on by default for learners who start from zero and switchable for everyone else (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Speaking | Feedback on exercises from native speakers in the community; an 'AI review tool' for vocabulary (source, checked Oct 2026) | Speaking practice built on the comment + question method; there is no live tutor or person to speak with (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Platforms | iOS, Android and web (source, checked Oct 2026) | Runs in the browser on phone and desktop; there is no app to install (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Also | Help centre lists Chinese certificates at A1 only (seen via search index; page returned 403 to direct fetch; may be out of date given the 2026 placement article says courses up to B2 include certificates) (per help.busuu.com, checked Oct 2026) | 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) |
Same learner, 12 and 24 months
| 12 months | 24 months | |
|---|---|---|
| Busuu | Not computable: no documented price with both an amount and a billing period | Not computable: no documented price with both an amount and a billing period |
| 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 Busuu does well
- A real course with a stated range. '210+ lessons in the Complete Chinese course (A1-B2)'; also a Chinese for Travel course and a Chinese Characters course (source, checked Oct 2026).
- It tells you how its levels line up with the HSK. Busuu maps HSK 1=A1, HSK 2=A2, HSK 3=A2+, HSK 4=B1, HSK 5=B2 (article dated May 26, 2026); by its own mapping the B2 course corresponds to HSK 5 (source, checked Oct 2026).
- People, not only software, look at your work. Feedback on exercises from native speakers in the community; an 'AI review tool' for vocabulary (source, checked Oct 2026).
- Characters get their own track. Separate Chinese Characters course for reading and writing (source, checked Oct 2026).
- It runs on every device. iOS, Android and web (source, checked Oct 2026).
Where Busuu does not help
- It stops before HSK 6. By Busuu's own mapping its top course, B2, corresponds to HSK 5. If you need HSK 6, the course does not take you there.
- The price is hard to pin down. US App Store IAPs include Monthly Premium $23.49 (also $9.99/$6.99 variants), 12 Months Premium $138.99 (also $70.00), 12 Months Premium Plus $139.99, Annual $79.99; variants indicate offers/tests (source, checked Oct 2026). With that many variants, we cannot say what a year costs you, so the cost table above leaves it blank rather than guess.
- Certificates for Chinese may be limited. Help centre lists Chinese certificates at A1 only (seen via search index; page returned 403 to direct fetch; may be out of date given the 2026 placement article says courses up to B2 include certificates) (per help.busuu.com, checked Oct 2026). Check before you count on one.
A CEFR course versus a graph
A CEFR course moves everyone through the same units in the same order. That is simple to follow, but it cannot tell when a new unit leans on something you never learned properly.
A knowledge graph makes the dependency explicit: every one of the 829 topics lists what it rests on, the course serves it after those, and reviews bring back the topics that are fading before they get in the way of what is ahead.
You can jump ahead or claim a topic you already know, and reviews then check the claim. One caveat: most HSK 6 vocabulary topics are alphabetical slices of the word list rather than a dependency order.
What GraphChinese does not have is a community of native speakers correcting you; there is no live tutor or person to speak with.
If you are switching from Busuu
- Take the free placement test and start at your level.
- Keep using Busuu's free features if you like them. Native-speaker feedback sits well beside a structured course.
- Take the free placement test first. It starts you at your frontier, so the A1 and A2 material you already know does not have to be repeated.
- Bring Anki decks if you have them: GraphChinese imports
.apkgfiles with their audio and images. Review history does not come across, so those cards start fresh.
Frequently asked questions
Is Busuu or GraphChinese better for learning Chinese?
Busuu is a general language app with a Chinese course from A1 to B2 and feedback from native speakers in its community. '210+ lessons in the Complete Chinese course (A1-B2)'; also a Chinese for Travel course and a Chinese Characters course (source, checked Oct 2026). GraphChinese is a course from HSK 0 to HSK 6 built on a dependency graph of 829 topics, with stroke-order writing, 102 narrated readings, course reviews on a mastery-review schedule and FSRS for flashcard decks. If you want people to correct your speaking, Busuu fits. If an ordered route to HSK 6 is the goal, GraphChinese fits better.
How much does Busuu cost?
Its App Store listing shows several plans and offers. US App Store IAPs include Monthly Premium $23.49 (also $9.99/$6.99 variants), 12 Months Premium $138.99 (also $70.00), 12 Months Premium Plus $139.99, Annual $79.99; variants indicate offers/tests (source, checked Oct 2026). App Store lists a '14 Day Trial - Premium Plus' product at $89.99 (source, checked Oct 2026). 'A lot of the features are free, but you will need a subscription in order to get access to all features.' (source, checked Oct 2026). GraphChinese is $49 once for lifetime access.
Does Busuu prepare you for the HSK?
Busuu publishes its own mapping from CEFR to HSK. Busuu maps HSK 1=A1, HSK 2=A2, HSK 3=A2+, HSK 4=B1, HSK 5=B2 (article dated May 26, 2026); by its own mapping the B2 course corresponds to HSK 5 (source, checked Oct 2026). So by its own account the course reaches about HSK 5. GraphChinese maps every topic to an HSK level and runs from HSK 0 to HSK 6.
Can a beginner start Chinese with GraphChinese instead?
Yes. The course assumes no Chinese, starts at HSK 0 with the tones and pinyin, and continues through HSK 6. Before paying you can try the interactive demo on the home page, take the free placement test, and use the dictionary, the grammar reference and the HSK word lists without an account.
How this comparison was made
Written by Carson, who makes GraphChinese, the product being compared. 9 facts about Busuu, checked 15 October 2026: 8 from Busuu’s own pages and store listings, 1 from third parties and labelled as such. Archived copies of price pages are linked where we have them. The sheet behind this page is public at /data/compare/busuu.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