If you have searched for a free iPhone Skritter substitute, you want one thing: to keep writing kanji by hand without paying a subscription. That is a reasonable ask, and there are honest options. The trick is matching what you actually use Skritter for to what a free app can realistically do.
The short answer
The best free iPhone substitutes are Ringotan and Kanji Write Practice for drawing characters from memory, with Kanji Study as a near-free reference and quiz app. The rule that matters is simple: a real substitute has to make you produce the character, not just recognize it. Skritter offers a 7-day free trial and keeps a few beginner decks free on mobile, but the full app is a recurring subscription, so for a simple daily habit it can be more app, and more cost, than you need.
What you are actually replacing
Skritter does three jobs, and no free app does all three the same way. Separate them before you choose:
- Prompting you to write a character from memory, the core writing rep.
- Grading each stroke for order and direction automatically.
- Giving you a large prebuilt library on a spaced-repetition schedule.
Most people who want a free substitute only need the first job done well, plus stroke-order guidance they can self-check against. Automated per-stroke grading is the expensive part to build, so it is the feature you most often trade away when you go free. Knowing that up front keeps the choice honest. We unpack why producing the character beats recognizing it in recognition versus recall.
Three free substitutes, compared
| App | Price | Writes from memory | Automated stroke grading | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ringotan | Free | Yes, trace then fade to memory | Input detection with hints | iOS and Android |
| Kanji Study | Free core, about 1.99 to unlock all | Writing challenge mode | Order check, not full grading | iOS and Android |
| Kanji Write Practice | Free in early access | Yes, draw-from-memory drills | On the roadmap, not shipped | iOS first |
Ringotan is the closest free match to Skritter’s writing loop: it teaches a character by tracing, fades the stroke-order hints over time, then asks you to write from memory on a spaced schedule. Kanji Study is mostly a recognition and reference app with a writing challenge mode, very cheap to unlock, and strong for looking characters up. Kanji Write Practice is the most focused on the single writing-first habit: it prompts you with meaning and reading, asks you to draw the character, and keeps a stroke-order guide a tap away. It is iOS-first and free in early access, and automated stroke checking is planned rather than shipped, so use the guide to self-check for now.
What to look for in a writing-first substitute
Not every free app that touches kanji is a real substitute. Use this short checklist when you try one:
- It prompts you with the meaning and reading, then asks you to write the character on a blank canvas, rather than showing it first.
- A stroke-order guide is one tap away, so you can self-check without leaving the app.
- It schedules reviews, bringing weaker characters back instead of marching through a fixed list once.
- It works comfortably with a finger on iPhone, not only with an Apple Pencil on iPad.
If an app shows you the character and asks you to tap or trace, it is a recognition tool with a drawing feature bolted on, not a writing-first substitute. That difference decides whether you build recall or only familiarity.
How to switch without losing momentum
You do not need to cancel anything to test a substitute. Run it alongside your current setup for a week and judge it on one thing only: did it make you write characters by hand every day.
- Keep your reading and recognition tool exactly as is. Writing is a separate skill, so add it, do not replace your reading practice.
- Pick one writing-first app and do ten characters a day from memory, checking each against a stroke-order guide or Jisho. Quality per rep beats volume.
- After seven days, look at retention, not novelty. If you can write yesterday’s characters without peeking, the app works. If you were only tracing, switch to one that makes you recall.
If your real objection was the subscription rather than the app, our free Skritter alternative guide covers the gap in detail, and the broader free kanji writing app roundup compares the writing-first options. If you are weighing one cheap app against Skritter specifically, see Kanji Study versus Skritter.
