Honest comparison · 2026
Pleco vs Skritter
Pleco is the Chinese dictionary — near-universal among serious learners, with add-on dictionaries, OCR, handwriting input and an optional flashcard system. Skritter is a focused character-writing trainer that grades your strokes. The overlap is flashcards; the core purposes barely intersect.
Bottom line
Pleco first, Skritter only if you need to write
Nearly every Chinese learner should have Pleco — it is the reference tool you will open daily for years. Skritter is worth adding when hand-writing characters is a real requirement rather than an aspiration.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Pleco | Skritter |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary depth | Best in class, add-on dictionaries | Adequate for its lists |
| Handwriting grading | Input only, not graded | Core feature, stroke-level |
| OCR / camera lookup | Yes (paid add-on) | No |
| Flashcards | Yes, paid add-on | Yes, central |
| Content lists | HSK and more available | Curated HSK + textbooks |
| Pricing model | Free base + one-off add-ons | $14.99/mo · $99.99/yr |
| Free tier | Yes — free base app is usable | Free trial only |
| Subscription required | No | Yes |
Based on publicly available feature documentation as of 2026. Confirm pricing on each tool's site before purchasing.
Best for: Pleco
Every Chinese learner, at every level. The free base app already justifies the install.
Best for: Skritter
Learners with a written exam ahead of them, or who have found that writing is what makes characters stick.
Worth knowing
Where InputDojo fits
Pleco is where you go when you have already hit a word you do not know — it answers questions, it does not supply reading material. InputDojo is the layer above: bring in a news article, a video or a document, see how much of it you already know, and read with instant lookups that save each word together with the sentence it came from. HSK progress tracks free, and saved words export to Anki or Pleco-friendly formats.
FAQ
Is the free version of Pleco enough?+
For dictionary use, largely yes. The paid add-ons — OCR, better dictionaries, flashcards — are one-off purchases rather than a subscription.
Do Pleco flashcards replace Skritter?+
For recognition, mostly. For writing, no — Pleco accepts handwriting input but does not grade stroke order the way Skritter does.
Which helps more with HSK?+
Pleco for vocabulary and reading, Skritter if your HSK level includes a handwritten component.