GraphChinese vs Memrise for learning Chinese
Twelve months of Memrise Pro cost $61.99 on its annual plan. The Memrise pages we checked state no HSK or CEFR end level for Chinese. 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 want a route with a stated finish: 829 topics from the four tones to HSK 6, each mapped to an HSK level and served after what it rests on, with stroke-order writing, grammar taught in order, reviews that bring back what you are losing, and 102 narrated graded readings.
- Choose Memrise if you want to hear real people speak, chat with an AI for practice, or study Traditional Chinese, Cantonese or Hakka, and you are happy to use it next to another main course.
- Switching is not worth it if Memrise is the thing you open every day, its videos keep your listening sharp, and you are not working toward an HSK exam date. A habit that works is worth more than a better map.
Memrise is a general language app built around videos of native speakers, with vocabulary lessons and AI chat partners. It covers more than Mandarin: Traditional Chinese, Cantonese and Hakka are there too.
GraphChinese teaches only Mandarin, as one course from HSK 0 to HSK 6 that orders every topic by what it depends on and maps each one to an HSK level.
Memrise and GraphChinese side by side
| Memrise | GraphChinese | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Pro Monthly: $24.99 (US App Store); Pro 3-Month: $24.99 (US App Store); Pro Annual: $61.99 (US App Store); Pro Lifetime: $329.99 (US App Store); US App Store also lists offer variants at $58.99-$79.99 and a $131.99 Lifetime (source, checked Oct 2026, archived) | $49 once, yours for life |
| Free tier | 'Free Plan' with 'Limited vocab lessons' and ads (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) |
| Levels | No HSK or CEFR end level for Chinese found on vendor pages checked (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) |
| Speaking | 'AI Buddies, your personalised language learning bots'; website: 'Private AI practice' (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) |
| Offline | A user review on the App Store says lessons can be downloaded for offline use (not a vendor claim) (per apps.apple.com, checked Oct 2026) | — |
| Platforms | iOS and Android apps (source, checked Oct 2026) | Runs in the browser on phone and desktop; there is no app to install (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Also | Built around native-speaker videos; offers Chinese (Simplified), Traditional Chinese, Cantonese and Hakka (source, 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) |
— 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Memrise | $61.99: $61.99 per 12 months, US list price, before tax (source, checked Oct 2026) | $123.98: 2 × $61.99 per 12 months = $123.98, US list price, before tax (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 Memrise does well
- You hear real people, not only recordings made for a textbook. Built around native-speaker videos; offers Chinese (Simplified), Traditional Chinese, Cantonese and Hakka (source, checked Oct 2026).
- There is someone to talk to at any hour. 'AI Buddies, your personalised language learning bots'; website: 'Private AI practice' (source, checked Oct 2026).
- You can try it before paying. 'Free Plan' with 'Limited vocab lessons' and ads (source, checked Oct 2026).
- A one-time option exists if you plan to stay for years. Pro Lifetime: $329.99 (US App Store) (source, checked Oct 2026).
Where Memrise does not help
- The finish line is not on the page. No HSK or CEFR end level for Chinese found on vendor pages checked (source, checked Oct 2026). If you are studying for an exam, that is the first thing you need to know.
- No web app listed. iOS and Android apps (source, checked Oct 2026). GraphChinese runs in any browser on phone and desktop, with nothing to install.
- Offline use is not something Memrise itself promises on the pages we read. A user review on the App Store says lessons can be downloaded for offline use (not a vendor claim) (per apps.apple.com, checked Oct 2026).
Videos and vocabulary versus a graph
Hearing real speakers is good for your ear, and Memrise is right to build on it. What a stream of videos and word lessons does not give you is order: a phrase you hear can lean on grammar 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. GraphChinese has no AI chat partner and no live tutor.
If you are switching from Memrise
- Take the free placement test and start at your level.
- Keep the Memrise free plan if you like its videos, so native speakers can stay in your week at no cost.
- Take the free placement test first. It starts you at your frontier, so words you already learned do 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 Memrise or GraphChinese better for learning Chinese?
Memrise is built around native-speaker videos, vocabulary lessons and AI chat. Built around native-speaker videos; offers Chinese (Simplified), Traditional Chinese, Cantonese and Hakka (source, checked Oct 2026). The vendor pages we checked state no HSK or CEFR end level for Chinese. 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. For listening to real people, Memrise is a good extra. If an ordered route to HSK 6 is the goal, the course with a stated finish is the better fit.
How much does Memrise cost?
Its US App Store listing shows these Pro plans. Pro Monthly: $24.99 (US App Store) (source, checked Oct 2026). Pro 3-Month: $24.99 (US App Store) (source, checked Oct 2026). Pro Annual: $61.99 (US App Store) (source, checked Oct 2026). Pro Lifetime: $329.99 (US App Store) (source, checked Oct 2026). US App Store also lists offer variants at $58.99-$79.99 and a $131.99 Lifetime (source, checked Oct 2026). 'Free Plan' with 'Limited vocab lessons' and ads (source, checked Oct 2026). GraphChinese is $49 once for lifetime access.
Does Memrise prepare you for the HSK?
The vendor pages we checked do not state an HSK or CEFR end level for Chinese, so we cannot say. 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. 11 facts about Memrise, checked 15 October 2026: 10 from Memrise’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/memrise.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