Comparison

JClass vs Challenge with Erin

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

Head to head
About

JClass

Master Japanese easily with a virtual tutor. Progress through hiragana, katakana, kanji, and vocabulary with interactive quizzes and progress tracking. Earn achievements and compete on leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Learn hiragana, katakana, and kanji
  • Vocabulary building
  • Interactive quiz mode
  • Progress tracking
  • Achievements and leaderboards
  • Content review by level
Features
Read full description

JClass helps you learn Japanese: hiragana, katakana, and the kanji and vocabulary of every JLPT level, from N5 to N1. STUDY WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW YET Quick quizzes sort every character and word by how well you know it. The ones you miss come back more often, and new ones appear only when you're ready. Wrong answer options are look-alike kanji and similar words, so guessing won't help. WHAT'S INSIDE • Hiragana and katakana • 2,000+ kanji with on and kun readings, radical, stroke order and example words • 4,100+ vocabulary words • Searchable dictionaries for kana, kanji and words • Audio pronunciation • Meanings in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese or Russian ALSO • iCloud sync across your devices • Game Center achievements • Dark mode • No ads, no in-app purchases

About

Challenge with Erin

This app offers interactive lessons and quizzes to help users learn Japanese vocabulary, grammar, and culture. It features engaging games, manga-based dialogues, and cultural trivia to make studying enjoyable and effective. Track your progress, earn certificates, and compete with others on leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Interactive vocabulary games
  • Manga-based dialogue practice
  • Japanese culture quizzes
  • Progress tracking and points system
  • Weekly tests with certificates
  • Mini dictionary with Romanization
Features
Read full description

-Contents and how to use the app- Study and enjoy yourself. Study section In the study section (‘Let’s Try’) there are four maps: spring, summer, autumn and winter, and you start with spring in the same way as Japanese schools start in spring. Contents: ・KOTOBA1 remember words through a game where you match cards with the same pictures ・KOTOBA2 make sentences by matching illustrations of verbs with cards of vocabulary often used with those verbs ・KOTOBA3 choose illustration cards with the same meaning as Japanese character cards and match the cards ・MANGA become characters in a manga, choose the appropriate lines from the choices you are given, and read them out loud ・BUNKA deepen your understanding of Japan through a quiz about Japanese culture and society ・STAGE TEST a review test of what you studied at each stage. 20 multiple choice questions each with four options -Challenge yourself! - Test section There are 16 tests altogether in the test section (‘TEST’). You can take eight of these any one week. The questions change each week. Challenge yourself and check which Japanese vocabulary and words you remember and know with this test. Once you finish the tests, you will be issued with a certificate of results that includes your name. If your percentage of correct answers exceeds 80%, you receive a pass certificate that includes a medal (illustration)! -A variety of features- ・KOTOBA LIST A mini dictionary where you can find all the vocabulary and expressions that appear in the app. Each of the words that you answered that you had remembered have a check mark next to them. In the list each word is also written in Roman alphabet and hiragana/katakana, and there is a translation of the word’s meaning to enable you to study Japanese characters. ・STATUS Every time you log in to the study section and study, you receive 100 points, and when you take a stage test, that score is added as points. You can see the results of your study to date, including your overall points, your weekly points (total points from the most recent Monday to Sunday), the number of words you have remembered so far, the number of stages you have cleared, and the number of tests you have passed. ・RANKING Displayed here is the overall point ranking of all learners using this app and the number of stages they have cleared, as well as your own overall points and number of stages cleared. ・HONIGON’S CAMERA When you clear the stage test of each stage in the study section, HONIGON’S CAMERA starts up. For each stage various different frames (background illustrations) are displayed, and you can take a ‘celebratory photograph’ combining these frames and a photo of yourself that you take.

Screenshots

JClass4 screens
Challenge with Erin4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Challenge with Erin at Free against JClass's $4.99. Challenge with Erin also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). JClass's advantage is ratings volume (376 vs 16) and review sentiment (75% vs 63%). On rating, 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

Challenge with Erin is free to download; JClass costs $4.99 up front. JClass sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Challenge with Erin asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for JClass against 4.7 for Challenge with Erin. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: JClass has 376 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of JClass's written reviews are positive against 63% of Challenge with Erin's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JClass ships an update every 2 months, Challenge with Erin every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
JClass versus Challenge with Erin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJClassChallenge with Erin
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (376 ratings)4.7 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews75.5% of reviews — better62.5% of reviews
Number of ratings376 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB290 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJorge CozainThe Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai

Customer experience

JClass

All ratings376 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral4.5%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews106 reviews
Positive75.5%
Neutral8.5%
Negative16.0%

Challenge with Erin

All ratings16 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

JClass

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • Crashing on iPhone
  • App crashes with iOS 13.4
  • App crashes every time
  • App don't working on iPhone 5C
  • Purchased but it didn’t work
Show 15 more
  • App crashes everytime that use it
  • App crashes
  • After update, app doesn't work
  • App not working on iPad
  • App crashes on iPhone X
  • App crashes on iPhone 6
  • App hangs/stuck
  • Payment does not work correctly
  • Purchased N5, requires re-payment
  • Purchased N2, wish I didn't
  • Purchased full access, not opened
  • Error in word transcrib
  • App is closing alone
  • App is not reacting to touches
  • Purchased full set, doesn't react to touches

Requested features

14 requests
  • Add Russian language
  • Add more language options
  • Ability to reset progress
  • Landscape mode for iPad
  • Transfer progress to other devices
Show 9 more
  • Faster speed between questions
  • Dark mode option
  • Add Hiragana as an alphabet
  • Feature to select specific words for testing
  • Allow restarting exercises
  • Fix TTS pronunciation
  • Add 'kun' readings in Hiragana and 'on' readings in Katakana
  • Improve JLPT word training
  • Add Russian translation for Kanji

Challenge with Erin

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

JClass

One-time6
  • JLPT N5Free
  • JLPT N4Free
  • JLPT N2Free
Show 3 more
  • JLPT N3Free
  • JLPT N1Free
  • Full JLPT AccessFree
None

Challenge with Erin

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is JClass free?
JClass costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Challenge with Erin free?
Challenge with Erin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, JClass or Challenge with Erin?
JClass and Challenge with Erin are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 376 and 16 ratings respectively.
Do JClass or Challenge with Erin have ads?
Neither JClass nor Challenge with Erin shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JClass or Challenge with Erin?
JClass ships an update every 2 months, and Challenge with Erin every 5 months. Most recently, JClass was updated on October 11, 2026 and Challenge with Erin on October 15, 2026.

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