Comparison

upGrad vs Napkin Dōjō

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

upGrad

Access a wide range of online degree and certificate programs in fields like Data Science, AI, Digital Marketing, and Management. Connect with industry experts, get career counseling, and explore job opportunities to advance your career.

Highlights
  • Online degrees and PG programs
  • Courses in Data Science, AI, ML, Digital Marketing
  • Connect with industry professionals
  • Career counseling and placement support
  • Learn from top universities
  • Networking opportunities
Read full description

Right from MBA, M.Sc., or other PG degrees, to Bachelor's degrees, the upGrad app has it all! Explore programs in the field of Management, Data Science, Machine Learning, Software Engineering, Digital Marketing, SEO, Blockchain, Analytics, Product Management, Big Data, and more. Interact with professionals, master Kaggle competitions, network with like-minded professionals, all of it, in one app!  Supercharge your data science skills - Data science algorithms, Data Science Certificate course, Data Science full course, Data Science for beginners, and Data Science Interview questions. Meet the best Data Science Community!  AI & Blockchain Courses: has a wide range of Artificial Intelligence free courses and interview along with Blockchain course  and Blockchain tutorial.  Digital Marketing Collection - Whether you are looking for digital marketing for beginners, or digital marketing full course - we have a solution for you. Complete and get a digital marketing certificate and get access to digital marketing interview questions. Learn Product Management, Machine Learning with Python, Machine Learning with R, Machine Learning and Deep Learning. Everything - right from, machine learning for beginners to advanced machine learning tutorials are on upGrad.,  Level up your career skills with software engineering interview questions, various software development courses, build full-stack app.  Management Courses - Get access to a wide range of MBA courses and MBA interview questions. upGrad makes online learning easy and convenient and there’s a lot of free material to explore! The upGrad app lets you connect and engage with industry professionals, teachers, and fellow students, allowing you to enhance your knowledge, expand your network, and explore various opportunities. You can also apply for our Data Science and Big Data Analytics, Machine Learning, Management, Software Engineering Courses, and get free career counseling. Why upGrad? Stay ahead in your career with programs from top universities like IIT Madras, Liverpool Business School, Duke CE, MICA, and More. Engage with industry experts closely Get Placement support 1-on-1 mentoring from industry experts Explore career paths in great detail Upskill yourself with best programs Thrive in the industry of your choice How does our placement support stand out? Exclusive opportunities on our job portal Dedicated career coaches to help you find the best opportunities Career fairs & hackathons to learn real industry problems Networking sessions allowing access to an illustrious alumni base from fortune 500 companies Just-in-time interviews to help you prepare a day prior to the actual interview 300+ Hiring partners 52% average hike 3X increase in interview opportunities Our alumni work in companies such as Amazon, Adobe, Microsoft, Flipkart, IBM, Visa, ESPN, Ola, Swiggy, etc. upGrad provides online programs that are in-demand, delivered in an extremely disruptive environment. We offer the best online programs for individuals looking to stay sharp in their professional lives in domains that are up-and-coming, including Entrepreneurship, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, Product Management. Our online programs are designed keeping ambitious people in mind who believe that learning is lifelong. Merging the latest technology, pedagogy, and support services, we have created a digital-first learning experience. We have collaborated with industry leaders to create programs that are rigorous, engaging, and industry-relevant. Our learning environment is designed to foster active learning and peer-to-peer collaboration. We also have dedicated teams to provide academic and non-academic support to guide learners through the entire journey, even after program completion, and ensure end-to-end support.

About

Napkin Dōjō

Features
Read full description

A dojo is where you go to train. You show up with intention, you practice something real, and you leave a little sharper than when you came in. That is the spirit of this app. Napkin Dojo is for the ideas no one teaches you in school. The concepts that keep turning up in the best books and the most interesting conversations - the ones you half-know but can never quite pin down. The vocabulary of craft and cities and design. The words other languages have for feelings yours cannot name. The mental models of people building things at the edge of what is possible. The trade language you need to hold your own in rooms that matter. Each idea is a card: what it means, how it shows up in the real world, and a question that tests whether it actually landed. Rate yourself - Known, Heard of, or Don't know - and Dojo brings it back at the right moment, until the idea stops being something you recognise and becomes something you carry. Current decks: - Japan Mind: 113 Japanese concepts, from kaizen to yugen to ikigai - Lost in Translation: words other languages have for feelings English leaves unnamed - First Principles: how the teams building at the edge of what's possible actually think - City Makers: how great architects and urbanists think about the places we live - Design Eye: the vocabulary of how things are designed well - Cloth and Thread: the language of fine cotton and linen for the discerning buyer New decks added as the world gets more interesting. No account. No algorithm deciding what you should care about. No noise. Just the ideas you have decided are worth knowing, practiced until they are genuinely yours.

Screenshots

upGrad4 screens
Napkin Dōjō4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Napkin Dōjō at none against upGrad's 1. Napkin Dōjō also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.5). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. upGrad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Napkin Dōjō asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

upGrad ships an update every 2 weeks, Napkin Dōjō daily. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
upGrad versus Napkin Dōjō: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterupGradNapkin Dōjō
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (299 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews49.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings299 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.513.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUpGrad Education Private LimitedBharat Khandelwal

In-app purchases

1 purchases

upGrad

One-time1
  • Entrepreneurship Program$999.99
None

Napkin Dōjō

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is upGrad free?
upGrad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Napkin Dōjō free?
Napkin Dōjō is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do upGrad or Napkin Dōjō have ads?
Neither upGrad nor Napkin Dōjō shows ads.
Which is updated more often, upGrad or Napkin Dōjō?
upGrad ships an update every 2 weeks, and Napkin Dōjō daily. Most recently, upGrad was updated on November 11, 2026 and Napkin Dōjō on November 5, 2026.

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