Pricing

Simple plans, a generous free tier, and a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Plain-English summary: the course costs $7/month, $49/year (best value), or $129 once for lifetime access. Levels 1–2, Character Sense and all tools are free forever; so are the first three lessons of every other course. Everything else is free until 31 October 2026 while the site is being tested. Every paid plan comes with a 14-day no-questions-asked refund.
Everything is free until 31 October 2026. The site is in a two-month test period — every course and tool is open, no account and no card. After that, Levels 1–2, Character Sense and all tools stay free forever, along with the first three lessons of every other course; the rest moves to the plans below.
Take the free HSK 1 word list with you

One email: the full HSK 1 word list (one page, pinyin + English) and a plain-English guide to the new HSK 3.0. No spam — unsubscribe by replying.

Plans

Monthly
$7
per month
Full course access.
Cancel anytime.
BEST VALUE
Annual
$49
per year
Full course access.
About $4/month — save 42%.
Lifetime
$129
one payment, limited-time
Everything, forever.
Including future lessons.

Every paid plan unlocks the same thing: the complete self-study course — scenario lessons (learn Chinese inside real situations like ordering coffee or taking a taxi) and morpheme vocabulary lessons (learn the building blocks that make thousands of words guessable). Payments are handled securely by Paddle, our merchant of record.

What's free — forever

You can learn a lot here without paying anything:

• Levels 1 and 2 — all 106 lessons, free forever.
• Character Sense — free forever.
• The HSK 3–4 Word Cards, the HSK 3 Decode Course and the HSK 7–9 Word Group Trainer — the first 3 lessons of each, free forever.
• The Word Tree and every other tool — the full vocabulary explorer, every word, no paywall.

This free tier is not a trial and does not expire. It exists so you can judge the teaching quality with real material — a whole level of it, plus a proper taste of every other course — before spending a single dollar.

Free while I test — until 31 October 2026

Right now everything is open: all 41 Level 2 lessons and every lesson of Character Sense, the Word Cards, the HSK 3 Decode Course and the HSK 7–9 trainer. No account, no card. This two-month test period ends on 31 October 2026. After that, the free parts above stay free forever and the rest moves to the plans below.

Frequently asked questions

When am I charged?

When you subscribe, you're charged immediately for the first period (month or year). After that, the subscription renews automatically at the start of each new period. Lifetime is a single one-time payment — no renewals, ever.

How do I cancel?

Anytime, in two clicks, from the link in your Paddle receipt email — or just email contact@learnchinesewithlan.com and I'll cancel it for you. After cancelling you keep access until the end of the period you already paid for. No cancellation fees, no "retention" phone calls.

What's the refund policy?

14 days, no questions asked, full refund — on any plan, including lifetime. Details in the refund policy.

Is there a student discount?

Not yet. The free tier is the current way to pay less. If a student discount launches later, it will be announced on this page.

Start with the free lessons →