# Abacus Lesson -ADD and SUB- — ADD and SUB using Abacus

> Learn mental math with a virtual Japanese abacus. (iPhone/iPad app by Hirokazu Komatsu.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abacus-lesson-add-and-sub/id1526785916 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Hirokazu Komatsu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1523833531)
- Category: Education, Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.90/5 from 780 App Store ratings · 56 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 138 MB
- Languages: American English, Japanese
- Released: 2020-08-09
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abacus-lesson-add-and-sub/id1526785916/reviews.md

## What is Abacus Lesson?

This is an app that you can learn addition and subtraction using an abacus.

An abacus is named "Soroban" in Japan. Do you know what an abacus is? The abacus is very simple calculator used in China, Japan, Korea and so on. Some people may say "Isn't it an unnecessary tool if you have a calculator such as a smartphone?".  Answer would be "No".

The biggest difference between electric calculators and the abacus is whether you need to hold it in your hand when calculating. Because of its simplicity, you will be able to easily use the abacus in your mind.

Imagine that you can use calculations of about 3 digits in your life without physical tools.

This app will give you the skill of calculation.

## Key features

- Learn addition
- Learn subtraction
- Virtual abacus (Soroban)
- Develop mental calculation skills
- Perform calculations without physical tools

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Donation Lv1 for hiding Ad | $1.99 | one-time |
| Donation Lv2 for hiding Ad | $3.99 | one-time |
| Donation Lv3 for hiding Ad | $8.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Abacus Lesson?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Beginner-friendly and easy to use
- 🚀 Quick to learn basic concepts
- 📚 Clear and simple explanations
- 🎯 Effective teaching methodology
- 💰 Free with no ads
- 🎮 Fun and engaging learning experience
- 🔊 Good audio/visual feedback
- 📱 Works well on mobile devices
- ✨ Helps with arithmetic skills

**Cons**

- 🌐 Poor English translation quality
- 📖 Lessons sometimes hard to read
- ❌ Cannot skip levels
- ⚡ Difficulty progression too steep
- 🐛 App closes accidentally on iPhone when swiping
- 📝 Confusing problem presentation format
- 🔤 Misspelled words in instructions
- 🎓 Limited long-term learning value

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Accidental app closure on iPhone during bead swiping
- Error in lesson 3 addition summary
- Sloppy English translation causing confusion
- Lessons difficult to read visually

**Most requested features**

- Add Chinese Abacus (Suanpan) option
- Landscape view support
- Level skip functionality
- Better English translation/editing
- Clearer problem presentation with equation format
- Improved lesson readability

## Recent user reviews (10 of 56)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abacus-lesson-add-and-sub/id1526785916/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Abacus lesson is the best for learning Abacus

*2026-07-10, version 3.1.9*

Thanks to this game I’m now into abacus!

### 4/5 — Decent

*2026-07-03, version 3.1.9*

In the lessons, the explanations don’t fully make sense, causing me to have to review it multiple times before fully understanding

### 5/5 — Amazing

*2026-06-30, version 3.1.9*

I never thought I’d learn how to do this! This is awesome

### 5/5 — そろばんすぎる

*2026-04-01*

だめなところがない。そろばんについて何も知らなくても出来るようになった！

### 5/5 — めっちゃ楽しい！

*2026-03-04*

広告もなくて、とっても快適です！徐々に慣れて､クラスではもうほぼそろばんの先生になっちゃいました笑笑しかも、たくさん練習ができて､とっても楽しいです！

### 5/5 — 妹の宿題でそろばんが必要だったので急遽このアプリを入れました。

*2026-02-20*

簡単にできるし、説明があってわかりやすいです。小学生のころの懐かしさを思い出します。
順番に教えてくれるので、初めてそろばんをした人は理解しやすいのではないかと思います。ただ、昇級テストに受からないと次の段階に進めないので、飛び級ができません。さっさと進めたい人はめんどくさいと思うかも。
問題を選ぶ画面（ホーム画面）では自由にそろばんをいじれるので、自分の解きたい問題を計算できます。妹の宿題はホーム画面で解きました。

### 5/5 — Not so bad

*2026-02-09, version 3.1.9*

I’m not sure it’s pretty a great app sometimes it would give hard explaining it but it says after every lesson the app has a lesson for the website but Japanese only why don’t the app has the explaining IN the app but it’s quiet fine I’ll just translate it BUT GUYS the EXPLANATION IS REALLY HELPFUL IF YALL TRANSLATE IT I ….RECOMMEND IT even though the donating deals are GOOD with a special no add offer the app doesn’t even has A-LOT OF ADS

### 5/5 — 😋

*2026-02-01, version 3.1.9*

I like it a lot it makes it easy to learn how to use the abacus. The only thing I would complain about is not being able to skip levels.

### 5/5 — Recommend!

*2026-01-29, version 3.1.9*

This is really good if you wanna learn abacus math and you don’t have to pay for anything and there’s no ads! I definitely recommend for beginners!

### 3/5 — Pretty decent for learning quickly

*2026-01-24, version 3.1.9*

I learned how to represent numbers on the soroban, add, subtract, 5 complements, and 10 complements very quickly.

That was fun!

But this app has a lot of issues. 

1. The lessons are somewhat hard to read. 
2. The English translation is really sloppy and confusing at times.
3. When teaching a new concept (e.g., double digit addition), instead of starting with a simple problem with two numbers, they immediately start you with adding 5 two digit numbers together at once. It's harder to learn from your mistakes this way bc a single mistake will mess up the entire calculation.
4. On iphone, I accidentally close the app when swiping the beads. This is more of an annoyance than anything.

Overall, a great app to get started, but I wouldn't recommend it long term.

## Frequently asked questions about Abacus Lesson

### What does the Abacus Lesson app do?

This app teaches users how to perform addition and subtraction using a virtual abacus, also known as a Soroban. It focuses on developing mental calculation abilities so users can compute numbers without needing physical tools.

### What are the key features of this abacus app?

The app allows you to learn addition and subtraction with a virtual abacus. A key benefit is the development of mental calculation skills, enabling you to perform calculations in your mind without relying on physical aids like a smartphone calculator.

### How does using an abacus help with calculations?

The abacus, or Soroban, is a simple calculator that requires manual operation. Its simplicity allows users to internalize the calculation process, leading to the development of strong mental math skills. This enables calculations of several digits without any physical tools.

### Is this app free to use?

The application is free to download and use, but it does include in-app purchases and advertisements. These may offer additional features or an ad-free experience.

### Who is this app designed for?

This app is for anyone who wants to learn or improve their arithmetic skills, particularly through the method of using an abacus. It's ideal for those seeking to enhance their mental calculation capabilities.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.1.9 — 2024-01-16

updated library.

### 3.1.5 — 2023-02-04

All contents can be used free of charge in this application.
Update : Fixed minor bugs.

### 3.1.0 — 2022-03-16

All contents can be used free of charge in this application.
Added the feature to check the previous calculation when re-challenge the wrong problem.
Added the feature to set sound effect on/off. Abacus operation sound and other sound effects can be set individually.
Improved operability.

### 2.0.9 — 2022-01-31

All content is free for this application, but since there was a request to remove  advertisements, we added a feature to delete advertisements by purchasing as donate.

### 2.0.8 — 2022-01-17

Fixed minor bugs.
Improved operability of the abacus.

## Apps similar to Abacus Lesson

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [drillio-Mental Math Training](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drillio-mental-math-training/id6444734622) | 4.5 (8) | Free | Education |
| [Soroban Training](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soroban-training/id1519658576) | 4.7 (176) | Free | Education |
| [Calculation Training For Brain](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calculation-training-for-brain/id1159243202) | 4.4 (14) | Free | Education |
| [Mental Math Speed Trainer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mental-math-speed-trainer/id6476421167) | 4.3 (4) | Free | Education |
| [Abacus Simulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abacus-simulator/id1558355099) | 4.6 (31) | Free | Education |
| [SoroTouch Mental Calculation](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sorotouch-mental-calculation/id1153930190) | 2.4 (37) | Free | Education |

## More apps by Hirokazu Komatsu

- [Abacus Exercise](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abacus-exercise/id1523833529)
- [Camera Info](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/camera-info/id1524027808)
- [シンプル観察日記](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1524303935)
- [お弁当Master](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/master/id1538136139)
- [Abacus Lesson -Multiplication-](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abacus-lesson-multiplication/id1582635868)

All apps by Hirokazu Komatsu: https://appshunter.io/developer/1523833531

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*