HelloChinese Alternative

HelloChinese starts you off. Aelu takes you further.

HelloChinese is the best beginner Chinese app. When you outgrow it -- when basic SRS is not enough, when you need real diagnostics, when your reading gaps should feed your drills -- Aelu is the next step.

Free for HSK 1-2. No credit card required.

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HelloChinese vs. Aelu

Feature	HelloChinese	Aelu
SRS algorithm	Basic intervals	Adaptive spaced repetition
Drill types	~8 types	27 types
Cleanup loop (read → drill)	No	Automatic
Multi-skill diagnostics	No	Per-skill tracking
HSK projection	No	Data-driven forecast
HSK depth	Tapers after HSK 4	HSK 1-9
confidence-weighted scheduling	No	Yes
Interleaving enforcement	No	Yes
Gamification	Hearts, rewards	None
Graded stories	1,000+ stories	Growing library
Beginner onboarding	Excellent	Standard
Speech recognition	Built in	Tone grading
Handwriting practice	Stroke order	No
Native mobile app	iOS, Android	Web app
Price	Free / ~$6-12/mo	Free / $14.99/mo

What HelloChinese does well

HelloChinese is the strongest beginner Chinese app available. That is not marketing -- it is the consensus among Chinese learners and reviewers.

Best beginner onboarding The pinyin introduction, tone drills, and progressive character introduction are well-designed. No other app handles the absolute beginner stage better for Chinese.

Polished mobile app A native iOS and Android app with a refined touch interface. Beautiful design, smooth interactions, and offline support.

Speech recognition with tone feedback Better than Duolingo's by a wide margin for Chinese. It actually provides tone-level feedback, not just a binary pass/fail.

1,000+ graded stories A substantial reading library with native speaker videos. Real content, not just drill exercises.

Where HelloChinese reaches its limits

Basic SRS scheduling The review system uses simple interval scheduling, not a sophisticated algorithm. It does not adapt well to individual learner patterns or provide confidence-weighted scheduling.

Shallow progression Content depth runs out around HSK 3-4. Intermediate and advanced learners find the app has nothing more to offer.

Reading disconnected from review The "Immerse" reading feature and the review system are separate. Your reading gaps do not feed into your drill schedule. You read in one place and review in another.

No multi-skill diagnostics There is no separate tracking for vocabulary vs. listening vs. reading vs. tones. You cannot see which specific skill is lagging or get a per-skill HSK readiness estimate.

What Aelu offers for the long journey

Adaptive spaced repetition with confidence-weighted scheduling Reviews are scheduled based on your actual recall data, not generic intervals. The system needs multiple data points before trusting your mastery. One lucky guess does not promote a word.

44 drill types with interleaving Recognition, production, cloze, tone pairs, sentence construction, listening comprehension, speaking with grading. Mixed within sessions to prevent pattern-matching shortcuts.

The cleanup loop Read Chinese passages. Tap words you do not know. Those words appear in your next drill session. Reading and drilling are one connected workflow, not two separate features.

Full HSK 1-9 curriculum The system is built for the full journey, not just the beginner phase. Content and drills scale to advanced levels.

Multi-skill diagnostics and HSK projection Vocabulary, listening, reading, and tone accuracy tracked separately. Data-driven projections of when you will be ready for each HSK level.

Honest metrics, no gamification No hearts, no streaks, no XP. Session results tell you accuracy, weak spots, and what changed. Progress is measured, not performed.

Who should use which

Use HelloChinese if you...

Are an absolute beginner who needs excellent pinyin instruction
Want a polished native mobile app with touch interactions
Need handwriting and stroke order practice integrated into lessons
Are at HSK 1-2 and want the largest possible content library for that level
Prefer gamified rewards to stay motivated

Use Aelu if you...

Have outgrown HelloChinese and need deeper content
Want sophisticated SRS scheduling, not basic intervals
Want your reading to directly inform your drill schedule
Need per-skill diagnostics and HSK readiness projections
Are at HSK 3+ and need a system that scales to HSK 6 and beyond
Want honest metrics instead of gamification

Honest take

For HSK 1-2 beginners on a phone, HelloChinese is probably the better starting point today. Their beginner onboarding is smoother, their mobile app is more polished, and their content library at the beginner level is larger.

For HSK 3+ learners who want sophisticated scheduling, multi-skill diagnostics, and the cleanup loop -- where reading gaps directly feed drill sessions -- Aelu offers more. The two apps solve different problems at different stages of the journey.

This is not a case where one tool is strictly better. It is a question of where you are in your Chinese learning and what you need next.

"I outgrew HelloChinese after 6 months." -- the moment when a beginner app reaches its ceiling.

Ready for the next stage of Chinese

Free for HSK 1-2. Deeper SRS, broader drills, honest diagnostics.

No credit card. No gamification. Just learning.