Comparison

Japanese Graded Readers vs Immersion Reader

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

Head to head
About

Japanese Graded Readers

Practice Japanese reading with illustrated stories designed for language learners. Improve vocabulary and grammar with content categorized by difficulty level, from beginner to upper-intermediate.

Highlights
  • Illustrated stories for language learners
  • Vocabulary and grammar practice
  • Categorized by difficulty level (0-4)
  • Audio narration by native speakers
  • Furigana for all kanji
  • Stories from various genres
Features
Read full description

Japanese Graded Readers is the perfect app for Japanese language learners who want to practice their reading. You can also improve your Japanese vocabulary and grammar by reading our illustrated stories. Our graded readers are from various genres such as tales, horror stories or texts about Japanese culture. WHAT ARE GRADED READERS? Graded readers are books specially written for language learners. They use a limited set of grammar and vocabulary. These simple stories allow learners to enjoy reading without struggling. Studies show learners who use graded readers improve not only their reading skills and many other language abilities. ADVANTAGES OF READING JAPANESE WITH GRADED READERS: • Read Japanese without a dictionary: Deliberate repetition of new vocabulary enables readers to infer meaning from context. Graded readers increase skills and confidence because they can be read and enjoyed without a struggle. • Contextual illustrations aid comprehension: We created artworks that will help you understand new vocabulary and difficult concepts. Thanks to them, you will never have to reach for a Japanese dictionary while reading. • Narrated by professional Japanese voice talent: Native-Japanese voice talents tell the stories with the proper pronunciation. These audio narratives are recorded by professionals who allow the reader to immerse themselves in our stories. • Kana reading provided for all kanji characters: Each kanji is transcribed in furigana. Furigana lets the reader know how to pronounce Japanese characters. You’ll only have to be proficient in hiragana to being able to our read graded readers. • Simplified grammar, vocabulary, and plot: Each story is written for a specific audience. We select grammar difficulty and vocabulary based on the Japanese language proficiency of our readers. Our graded readers are categorized into five levels of difficulty. You will be able to enjoy our stories regardless of your Japanese skills. JAPANESE GRADED READERS LEVELS: • Level 0: Beginner level using very basic Japanese. Each graded reader includes less than 400 words. These stories are suitable for students starting to learn Japanese and trying to pass JLPT N5. • Level 1: Stories with a length between 400 and 1500 words. They are perfect for both JLPT N5 and N4 students. • Level 2: Elementary level using basic Japanese vocabulary. The length of these Japanese texts is between 1500 and 2500 words. These stories are tailored for learners trying to pass JLPT N4. • Level 3: Intermediate level stories using everyday Japanese. Level 3 graded readers are made for learners between JLPT N3 and N4. They include 2500 to 5000 words per story. • Level 4: Upper-intermediate level texts using standard Japanese vocabulary. This level has the longest stories with 5000 to 10000 words per text. Those graded readers are perfect for people at JLPT N3 or N2. WHAT USERS SAY ABOUT JAPANESE GRADED READERS: “I found I could understand all of the stories perfectly despite not knowing all of the words. An excellent chance to test my own knowledge of the Japanese language.” Alannah “These stories are great to enlarge your vocabulary e.g. for JLPT N4 preparation. Thanks to furigana, they are easy to read and the length of each story is well adapted.” Anna “These stories are easy to read, interesting and will help boost your comprehension of written Japanese. Some are fairy tales, others give you snippets of Japanese culture.” James

About

Immersion Reader

Easily look up Japanese words while reading ebooks with a single tap. Import custom dictionaries and export saved vocabulary for spaced repetition learning. Offers customizable themes for a comfortable reading experience.

Highlights
  • One-tap word lookup in Japanese ebooks
  • Import Yomichan and frequency dictionaries
  • Export vocabulary to Anki
  • Light and dark mode themes
  • Lookup neighboring words
Features
Read full description

Look up Japanese words as you read! Features - One tap to look up words in Japanese Ebooks. Tabs to help you look up neighboring words - Import Yomichan dictionaries and frequency dictionaries - Export saved vocabulary to Anki via Anki Dojo - Light mode, dark mode, and other themes for the dictionary

Screenshots

Japanese Graded Readers4 screens
Immersion Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Immersion Reader at 4.0 against Japanese Graded Readers's 3.4. Immersion Reader also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (62% vs 45%). Japanese Graded Readers's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Japanese Graded Readers sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Immersion Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Immersion Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 35 and 27 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Japanese Graded Readers's written reviews are positive against 62% of Immersion Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Japanese Graded Readers ships an update every 5 weeks, Immersion Reader every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Japanese Graded Readers versus Immersion Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJapanese Graded ReadersImmersion Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (35 ratings)4.0 (27 ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.5% of reviews61.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings35 — better27
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB80 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperWhite Rabbit PressMathew Chan

Customer experience

Japanese Graded Readers

All ratings32 ratings
Positive59.4%
Neutral9.4%
Negative31.3%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral24.2%
Negative30.3%

Immersion Reader

All ratings26 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative19.2%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative30.8%

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Japanese Graded Readers

One-time9
  • Aritokirigirisu$1.99
  • Doushitekoumori$2.99
  • Doushite Umi wa Shiokarai$2.99
Show 6 more
  • Hanasakajisan$2.99
  • Sanbikinokobuta$2.99
  • Kachikachiyama$3.99
  • Futatsunopan$3.99
  • Hitofusanobudo$3.99
  • Kinkoyaburi$3.99
1 purchases

Immersion Reader

One-time1
  • Immersion Reader Premium$4.99

Questions

Is Japanese Graded Readers free?
Japanese Graded Readers is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Immersion Reader free?
Immersion Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Japanese Graded Readers or Immersion Reader?
Immersion Reader is rated higher. Japanese Graded Readers averages 3.4 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Immersion Reader averages 4.0 from 27 ratings.
Do Japanese Graded Readers or Immersion Reader have ads?
Neither Japanese Graded Readers nor Immersion Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Japanese Graded Readers or Immersion Reader?
Japanese Graded Readers ships an update every 5 weeks, and Immersion Reader every 6 days. Most recently, Japanese Graded Readers was updated on November 2, 2026 and Immersion Reader on November 3, 2026.

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