Aelu is an adaptive Chinese learning app with 44 drill types, graded reading, listening practice, speaking drills with tone grading, and honest per-skill diagnostics. The core idea: when you read Chinese in the app and look up a word, that word automatically becomes multi-skill practice. It is built by learners, for learners.
The free tier includes all HSK 1-2 content, all 44 drill types, graded reading, and listening practice. It is not a trial and there is no time limit. If HSK 1-2 is where you are, use it for as long as you need. No credit card required to start.
No. HSK 1 starts at zero -- the very beginning. About 150 words and basic sentence patterns. The system adapts to your level. If you know zero Chinese, this is where you start. The drill types begin simple and add complexity as you progress.
Duolingo has roughly 3 exercise formats and optimizes for daily engagement. Anki is a powerful blank SRS engine where you build your own curriculum. HelloChinese is a solid guided app with about 6 drill types.
Aelu has 44 drill types, a graded reader with the cleanup loop (every word you look up becomes practice), per-skill diagnostics tracking vocabulary, listening, reading, and tones independently, and FSRS-based scheduling with confidence-weighted scheduling. No gamification, no XP, no streaks. The system targets what you are weakest at, not what is easiest to test.
Yes. Aelu is a web app that works in any modern browser on desktop, tablet, or phone. You can add it to your home screen and it behaves like a native app. No download, no app store, no storage space needed. It also works offline.
When you read a graded passage and tap a word you do not know, you get the definition inline. That word is automatically added to your drill queue. Your next study session focuses on those exact words -- not through one flashcard format, but across multiple drill types: tone discrimination, cloze deletion, audio matching, sentence construction, and more. The loop: encounter, look up, drill, retain.
A typical session takes 10-15 minutes. The system adapts to your available time. Even a short session is useful because the algorithm selects the highest-value drills for right now. Fifteen minutes a day, five days a week, is enough to make measurable progress.
Free (forever): HSK 1-2 vocabulary and drills, all 44 drill types, graded reading at HSK 1-2, listening practice, basic progress tracking, works offline.
Full Access ($14.99/month): Everything in Free, plus HSK 3-9 content, full diagnostics and HSK projection, adaptive day profiles, context notes, media shelf, encounter-aware cleanup loop, and priority when new content drops.
Yes. No contracts, no annual lock-in. Cancel anytime from your account settings. Your data and progress are never deleted -- you revert to the free tier and keep everything.
Yes. If you are not satisfied within the first 30 days, email us and we will refund your payment in full. No hoops, no retention offers, no forms to fill out.
Email us. If you are a student learning Chinese, we will work something out.
Yes. $149/year — that’s about $12.42/month, saving you $30 over monthly billing. You can switch from monthly to annual anytime from your account settings. Both plans cancel anytime with zero hassle.
Your progress is never deleted. If you cancel Full Access, you keep all your data and revert to the free tier. Your HSK 1-2 drills, scores, and reading history stay exactly as they are. If you re-subscribe later, everything picks up right where you left off.
Payments are processed through Stripe. You can pay with any major credit or debit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express). Apple Pay and Google Pay are also supported where available.
HSK 1-9 with full content. The free tier covers HSK 1-2. Full Access covers everything through HSK 9. The curriculum is aligned to the official HSK word lists and test structure.
Aelu uses a adaptive spaced repetition (Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler) algorithm -- the same family used by Anki. On top of that, it applies confidence-weighted scheduling, which means the system needs multiple data points before trusting your mastery of a word. A few lucky guesses do not inflate your score. Review intervals are calculated from your actual recall data, not a fixed schedule.
They span six skill categories: recognition, production, listening discrimination, tone accuracy, reading comprehension, and sentence-level use. Examples include tone pair discrimination, cloze deletion, audio-to-hanzi matching, sentence construction, register-aware practice, measure word drills, chengyu, error correction, shadowing, and character-to-pinyin recall. You never see all 44 at once -- the system picks the right type for each word based on your level and which cognitive skill needs work. Most learners encounter 8-12 types per session.
Yes. Speaking drills have you record yourself saying a word or phrase, and the system grades your tone accuracy against the target. It tells you whether your tones are right -- no guessing. For free-form conversation practice with a human, you will still need a tutor or language partner. Aelu builds the pronunciation and tone foundation that makes those conversations productive.
Yes. Your learning data is stored locally and the app works without an internet connection. You need a connection to load new graded reading passages, but your existing drill queue and study history are always available offline.
Every scheduling decision, every score, every recommendation is deterministic — computed by explicit algorithms. The same right answer every time, no inconsistent grading. The app works offline because it does not depend on any external service.
Yes. Over three hundred grammar points across HSK 1-9 are integrated into drills and reading passages. Grammar is not taught as isolated rules — it is practiced through cloze deletions, sentence construction, and contextual reading. You learn patterns by using them, not by memorizing explanations.
Aelu does not currently include handwriting or character tracing. The focus is on recognition, production, listening, and speaking. For handwriting practice, Skritter or pen-and-paper work well alongside Aelu. This may be added in the future, but only if it can be done well.
Your learning data is stored locally on your device. It is never sold or shared with third parties. Payment processing goes through Stripe — we do not store your card details. Your study data is not sent to any external service.
The web interface works on mobile browsers right now and can be added to your home screen. A dedicated native app is on the roadmap, but the priority is getting the core learning experience right first. When it ships, it will be included in your existing plan at no extra cost.
Not currently. Anki deck import is on the roadmap but not available yet. The HSK-aligned curriculum means you will start with content that has been sequenced and annotated with context notes, usage information, and collocations -- not raw word lists. You may not need your old decks, but if your Anki history is important to you, this might be a reason to wait.
Yes. Your learning data stays on your device. We do not sell data to third parties. We do not run third-party ad networks. The only external services are Stripe for payment processing, Google Analytics for basic site metrics, and Formspree for the contact form. See our privacy policy for full details.
This is a current limitation. Right now, your data lives on one device. Export/import and cloud sync are planned features. For most learners studying on one laptop or phone, this is not a problem. For those who need multi-device access, it is a fair reason to wait. Your data is always exportable.
Fair concern. Three things: your data is stored locally, so you never lose your study history. The free tier costs you nothing to try. And the app is used daily by its creators -- it is not going anywhere because the people who build it need it to exist. But honestly, there is no guarantee any product lasts forever. That is why your data stays on your device.
