# Learn Japanese vs Immersion Reader

The clearest difference is rating: Learn Japanese at 4.5 against Immersion Reader's 4.0. Learn Japanese also leads on review sentiment (74% vs 62%) and ratings volume (226 vs 26). Immersion Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Learn Japanese sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Immersion Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Learn Japanese holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learn Japanese has 226 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Learn Japanese's written reviews are positive against 62% of Immersion Reader's.

Learn Japanese ships an update every 11 days, Immersion Reader every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and July 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Learn Japanese | Immersion Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (226 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-japanese-manabi-reader/id1247286380/reviews)** | [4.0 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/immersion-reader/id6443721334/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **226** | 26 |
| Positive reviews | **73.9% of reviews** | 61.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 202 MB | 80 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [John A Ehlke](https://appshunter.io/developer/1180710625) | [Mathew Chan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441199099) |

## What reviewers say

### Learn Japanese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-japanese-manabi-reader/id1247286380)

Enhance your Japanese language skills by reading native content daily. This app offers one-tap word lookups with audio, automatic furigana, and flashcard creation to help you memorize new vocabulary. Track your progress with word and kanji tracking, and access curated reading materials or your own content.

**Highlights:** One-tap word lookups with audio, Automatic furigana, Flashcard creation and review, Word and kanji tracking, Curated and custom reading materials, EPUB ebook support, Offline-friendly

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription (Student) | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription (Student) | $12.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (Student) | $14.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $39.99 | per year |


### Immersion Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/immersion-reader/id6443721334)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Immersion Reader Premium | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Learn Japanese free?

Learn Japanese 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, Learn Japanese or Immersion Reader?

Learn Japanese is rated higher. Learn Japanese averages 4.5 out of 5 from 226 ratings, while Immersion Reader averages 4.0 from 26 ratings.

### Do Learn Japanese or Immersion Reader have ads?

Neither Learn Japanese nor Immersion Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Learn Japanese or Immersion Reader?

Learn Japanese ships an update every 11 days, and Immersion Reader every 6 days. Most recently, Learn Japanese was updated on September 26, 2026 and Immersion Reader on July 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*