# Basic Kanji Plus vs Kana Bento

The clearest difference is price: Basic Kanji Plus at Free against Kana Bento's $2.99. Basic Kanji Plus also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). Kana Bento's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 48 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Basic Kanji Plus is free to download; Kana Bento costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Basic Kanji Plus holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Basic Kanji Plus ships an update every 48 months, Kana Bento every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Basic Kanji Plus | Kana Bento |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-kanji-plus/id1339494520/reviews)** | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kana-bento/id6780146152/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 48 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 626 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [University of Tsukuba](https://appshunter.io/developer/859802324) | [Adrian Gray](https://appshunter.io/developer/6780146154) |

## What reviewers say

### Basic Kanji Plus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-kanji-plus/id1339494520)

Master Japanese kanji and vocabulary with this comprehensive learning tool. It features animated stroke orders, pronunciation audio, and personalized study methods based on best-selling textbooks. Efficiently learn and review thousands of words and characters.

**Highlights:** 1167 Kanji and 8000 Vocabulary, Animated Kanji stroke order, Vocabulary pronunciation audio, Personalized study modes, English translations and example sentences, Offline learning capability

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Kana Bento

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kana-bento/id6780146152)

Learn Hiragana and Katakana through an engaging drag-and-drop game. Practice matching characters to their Romaji with native speaker audio. Ideal for beginners and those reviewing Japanese scripts.

**Highlights:** Drag-and-drop kana matching, Native speaker audio, Romaji, Hiragana, and Katakana recognition, Timed challenges, Focus on core kana, Distraction-free design

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Basic Kanji Plus free?

Basic Kanji Plus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Kana Bento free?

Kana Bento costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Basic Kanji Plus or Kana Bento?

Basic Kanji Plus is rated higher. Basic Kanji Plus averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Kana Bento averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Basic Kanji Plus or Kana Bento have ads?

Neither Basic Kanji Plus nor Kana Bento shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Basic Kanji Plus or Kana Bento?

Basic Kanji Plus ships an update every 48 months, and Kana Bento every 4 days. Most recently, Basic Kanji Plus was updated on October 24, 2026 and Kana Bento on October 24, 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.*