Terms of Service
Last updated: November 5, 2026
The short version
Read stories for $9.99/mo or $84/year, or pay once for lifetime access ($199; $149 while founding lifetime spots last). Cancel anytime — you keep access until the billing period ends. 14-day money-back guarantee, counted from the start of a free trial. Read as much as you want for your own learning; just don't redistribute the stories. Payments are handled by our payment partners — we never see your card.
1. Service
HSKStory provides a library of Chinese language stories graded by HSK vocabulary levels 1–9, with audio narration for every story.
2. User Accounts & Acceptable Use
To access certain features you must create an account. You agree to:
- Provide accurate registration information
- Keep your account credentials secure and not share them
- Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access
You may not use bots or scrapers, attempt to circumvent usage limits or payments, or use the Service for any illegal purpose. Violations may result in immediate account termination.
3. Payments & Subscription
Our order process is conducted by our online reseller Paddle.com. Paddle.com is the Merchant of Record for all our orders. Paddle provides all customer service inquiries and handles returns.
Purchases made in our iOS or Android apps are processed by the App Store or Google Play. Billing, cancellation, and refunds for those purchases follow that store's policies.
Reader Plan subscription terms:
- Monthly: $9.99/month
- Annual: $84/year (~$7/mo)
- Lifetime: $199 one-time; $149 founding price while founding lifetime spots last
- Founding monthly ($7/month) and founding annual ($60/year): closed to new members; existing founding members keep their locked rate while their subscription stays active
- Free trial: when offered at checkout, new subscribers on the website get the annual plan free for 7 days. You are charged when the trial ends unless you cancel before then. One trial per person
- Prices: in US dollars, including any sales tax or VAT
- Auto-renewal: Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled
- Cancellation: Cancel anytime; access continues until the end of your paid period
4. Explorer Plan
Free accounts can read up to 3 stories in full (all chapters + audio). No credit card required. When a paid plan or free trial ends, you keep the 3 stories you started most recently.
5. Content License
Read as much as you want, on any device, for your own learning. Just don't redistribute or resell the stories — they took a lot of work to create.
HSKStory retains all intellectual property rights to the platform, stories, and audio.
Story and audio usage is also governed by our Copyright Policy.
6. Limitation of Liability
HSKStory is provided "as-is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee uninterrupted service or specific learning outcomes. Our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or $100, whichever is less.
7. Refunds
We offer a 14-day money-back guarantee, subject to the fair-use terms in our Refund Policy.
8. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of Thailand. Disputes will be resolved through good-faith negotiation first, then binding arbitration if necessary.
We may update these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes via email before they take effect. Continued use of the Service constitutes acceptance.
9. Contact
Questions? Email anthony@hskstory.com