Anki vs Pleco: do you need both to learn Chinese?
Usually both — they do different jobs. Pleco looks words up; Anki makes sure you still know them next month. The exception: if you have bought Pleco's flashcard add-on, it does Anki's job inside the dictionary and a second app is optional. Neither teaches you anything you did not go looking for.
Which job each one does
Every study plan that works covers five jobs — sequencing, lookup, retention, input and correction — and no app covers all five. Two tools doing the same job are a choice; two doing different jobs are a pair. Each side below is the same assessment as its row in the full comparison table, including what it is missing.
Anki
In this pairing: Retention: a scheduler that shows you each card just before you would forget it. It knows nothing about Chinese — the deck you choose or build supplies that.
Good at: Remembering things on your behalf. The scheduler is the best there is, it is free, and there is a shared Chinese deck for essentially every textbook and HSK level.
What it is missing: It teaches nothing and it assumes you will build or vet your own cards. The setup defeats a lot of people well before the reviews start paying them back.
Use it if: You are past the first few hundred words and you have started forgetting them faster than you learn them.
Free on desktop, Android and the web. The iPhone app is a one-off purchase, and it is what funds the project.
Pleco
In this pairing: Lookup: the dictionary you reach for every time you are unsure, including by handwriting or camera when you cannot type the character.
Good at: Being the reference nearly every serious learner ends up with: fast, offline, and able to take a character in by handwriting, camera or clipboard when you cannot type it.
What it is missing: It is a dictionary, not a course. It will answer any question you already know how to ask, and teach you nothing you do not think to look up.
Use it if: You are studying Chinese at all. This is the least controversial recommendation on the page.
The dictionary itself is free. The add-ons people actually buy — extra dictionaries, camera and handwriting input, the flashcard system — are bought once and kept.
Where Anki and Pleco differ
| Anki | Pleco | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free tier + paid |
| The job | Remembering what you have already met. | Finding out what something means and how it is read. |
| Does it know Chinese? | No — it is a general flashcard engine, and the Chinese comes from the deck. | Yes — it is a Chinese dictionary first, with readings and senses built in. |
| Getting started | The setup defeats a lot of people: a deck has to be built or vetted before the reviews start paying back. | Nothing to set up for looking things up; the add-ons are optional. |
| Cards | Shared decks exist for essentially every textbook and HSK level. | A flashcard system is one of the paid add-ons, and it builds cards from the words you look up. |
| When you reach for it | Once a day, on a schedule. | Every time you meet a word you are not sure of. |
What both of them are missing
Neither teaches. Pleco answers the questions you already know how to ask and Anki drills whatever you give it, so between them there is no sequence and nobody telling you what to learn next. That still has to come from a course, a textbook or a fixed word list.
If you can only have one
Pleco, early on: until you have a few hundred words you are looking up far more than you are forgetting. When words from last month start slipping, add Anki — or Pleco's own flashcard add-on, if you would rather keep everything in one app.
Want the whole plan rather than one decision? The full comparison sets 17 ways to learn Chinese side by side, and its four-question picker turns your goal, time, budget and device into an ordered study plan.
Frequently asked questions
Anki or Pleco: which is better?
Usually both — they do different jobs. Pleco looks words up; Anki makes sure you still know them next month. The exception: if you have bought Pleco's flashcard add-on, it does Anki's job inside the dictionary and a second app is optional. Neither teaches you anything you did not go looking for.
Should I use Anki and Pleco together?
Yes — they do different jobs. Anki does retention: Retention: a scheduler that shows you each card just before you would forget it. It knows nothing about Chinese — the deck you choose or build supplies that. Pleco does lookup: Lookup: the dictionary you reach for every time you are unsure, including by handwriting or camera when you cannot type the character.
What do Anki and Pleco both leave out?
Neither teaches. Pleco answers the questions you already know how to ask and Anki drills whatever you give it, so between them there is no sequence and nobody telling you what to learn next. That still has to come from a course, a textbook or a fixed word list.
Which should I choose if I can only have one?
Pleco, early on: until you have a few hundred words you are looking up far more than you are forgetting. When words from last month start slipping, add Anki — or Pleco's own flashcard add-on, if you would rather keep everything in one app.
Are Anki and Pleco free?
Mostly. Pleco's dictionary is free, and the add-ons people buy are one-off purchases they keep. Anki is free on desktop, Android and the web; the iPhone app is a one-off purchase, and it is what funds the project.
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