Pinyora vs Skritter — Handwriting vs Reading
Skritter is the gold-standard app for learning to write Chinese characters. Pinyora is a reading app. Here's how they fit together.
Skritter and Pinyora aren't competitors — they're complements. Skritter teaches you to write characters by hand. Pinyora teaches you to read them in context. Most serious learners eventually want both, but if you're choosing one to start with, here's how to think about it.
Quick verdict
| If your top priority is… | Pick |
|---|---|
| Learning to handwrite characters | Skritter |
| Recognizing characters when reading | Pinyora |
| Building a vocabulary from real-world text | Pinyora |
| Stroke order and writing fluency | Skritter |
| Tap-to-translate while reading | Pinyora |
| Pre-built HSK / textbook decks | Skritter |
If your goal is reading Chinese (the most common goal), Pinyora is the right starting point. If your goal is writing Chinese (less common but valuable), Skritter has no real competition.
What Skritter does that nothing else matches
- Handwriting practice with stroke-order recognition. Draw a character, Skritter checks every stroke and corrects you in real time. Nothing else does this as well.
- Spaced repetition for writing, not just reading. Most flashcard apps test recognition. Skritter tests recall — can you produce the character from a prompt?
- Pre-built textbook decks. Integrated Chinese, HSK 1–6, Practical Chinese Reader, NPCR — most major Chinese textbooks have official Skritter decks aligned with the lessons.
- Mature platform. Decade-plus of polish. Sync across devices, detailed stats, etymology hints.
If you're a student in a structured Chinese class and your homework includes "write these 20 characters from memory," Skritter is the answer.
What Skritter doesn't do well
- No reading flow. Skritter teaches you characters one at a time. There's no continuous-text reading mode where you tap unfamiliar words.
- Vocabulary is deck-based, not text-based. You study characters from a pre-built list, not characters from sentences you've actually read.
- No real-world Chinese. Menus, signs, articles, songs — Skritter has no entry point for any of these.
- Limited free tier. ~14-day trial then paid only. $14.99/month.
The deeper limitation: Skritter is great at making you write characters. It's mediocre at making you understand them in context.
What Pinyora is built for
Pinyora is reading-first, full stop:
- Continuous reading. Stories, articles, scanned text — read in flow, tap unknown words inline.
- Vocabulary from real reading. Words save automatically as you tap them. Your vocab list mirrors your reading history.
- Image scan + paste-your-own-text (limited free, unlimited with Pro). Read whatever Chinese you encounter in life.
- Free tier covers a complete reading loop. Every story, unlimited saved vocabulary, and reviews are free. You can use Pinyora for months without paying.
It does not teach handwriting. If you want to write characters from memory, you'd use Skritter alongside.
Pricing
| Skritter | Pinyora | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 14-day trial | All stories + unlimited saved vocabulary |
| Paid | $14.99/month or $99/year | $9.99/month |
| Handwriting practice | Yes (the main feature) | No |
| Reading flow | No | Yes (primary feature) |
| Image scan | No | Limited free, unlimited with Pro |
When to use which
Use Skritter if: writing characters is part of your goal — you're in a class that requires handwriting, you want to take handwritten notes in Chinese, or you just enjoy the meditative practice. There's nothing else like it.
Use Pinyora if: your goal is to read Chinese — books, news, signs, articles, social media. Writing is optional. Recognition is everything.
Use both if: you want full Mandarin literacy. Pinyora for daily reading + automatic vocabulary collection, Skritter for daily writing practice + textbook deck reviews. They live in different mental modes and don't conflict.
A common workflow: read in Pinyora during the day, do a 10-minute Skritter writing session at night with the words you saved in Pinyora.
Try Pinyora free — read every story and build your vocabulary without paying anything. Skritter for writing comes later if you want it.