Comparison

Skritter vs Ringotan

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

Head to head
About

Skritter

Master Japanese writing with this app, offering practice for Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Learn through topic-based decks, from travel essentials to cultural themes. Ideal for beginners and those looking to improve character recall.

Highlights
  • Learn Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji
  • Topic-based learning decks
  • Practice character drawing
  • Beginner to advanced levels
  • Review mode
  • Guest access to select decks
Features
Read full description

Practice Japanese writing with Skritter, whether you have a strong grasp of written Japanese and want to remember the characters better or are a beginner who doesn’t know where to start. Skritter has existed for more than 10 years, and for a good reason: our learners are amazing! They help us with feedback, which allows us to create what we think is the best Japanese writing app out there! Japanese writing uses three different scripts; Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Skritter offers all three and you can learn them through our “decks” (similar to a card deck) based on topics and difficulty. Deck examples: - Survival Japanese (for traveling in Japan) - Food and drinks (learn to understand the menus at your favorite Japanese restaurant with delicious sushi, ramen, and other dishes) - Cultural topics like Samurai Japanese - More advanced topics like foreign policy - And many more… First, you learn a character’s meaning, then practice drawing it and before you know it, you’ll want to learn thousands of characters, and words like these two happy users: “If I could only keep one app on my iPod, this would be it without a doubt. Skritter will change your life!” ― Wendy Werneth, UN Translator “Learning to write characters has never been so fun. From writing zero to 2000+ characters in six months!” ― Brian Jackson, Economist Have questions, problems, or feedback? We would love to hear from you. Reach out to us at team@skritter.com --------------------------------- Guest accounts enjoy free access to select decks forever! Unlock Review mode, and study anything you want with a premium subscription, which is available for purchase in the app. Big savings offered on 12-month subscriptions! • One month subscription (automatically renewed until canceled) • 12-month subscription (automatically renewed until canceled) Recurring billing, cancel anytime. Within 24 hours before the subscription period ends, you will be charged through your iTunes account. Manage your subscription from your iTunes App Store settings where you can turn off auto-renewal at any time. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Privacy Policy: https://skritter.com/legal Terms of Use: https://docs.skritter.com/article/133-terms-of-use

About

Ringotan

Master Japanese Kanji by practicing writing. This app uses advanced input detection and spaced repetition to help you learn quickly and effectively. Focuses on the physical act of writing characters, not just recognition.

Highlights
  • Learn Kanji by writing
  • Advanced input detection
  • Spaced repetition system (SRS)
  • Focus on writing, not just reading
  • Frequent updates with new features
Features
Read full description

Learn Kanji by actually writing it! Ringotan is the first app built from the ground up to teach you how to WRITE Japanese Kanji, not just read them. By combining advanced input detection with industry-standard SRS (spaced repetition) algorithms, Ringotan ensures you learn as fully and quickly as possible. ----------------- Ringotan is free for a limited time. We update frequently, so be sure to check back for new features!

Screenshots

Skritter4 screens
Ringotan2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ringotan at none against Skritter's 11. Ringotan also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). 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. Skritter sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Ringotan asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ringotan holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 170 and 574 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Skritter's written reviews are positive against 96% of Ringotan's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Skritter ships an update monthly, Ringotan every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Skritter versus Ringotan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkritterRingotan
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (170 ratings)4.9 (574 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews95.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings170574 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB206 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInkren, Inc.Daniel Pflughoeft

Customer experience

Skritter

All ratings170 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral3.5%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral7.9%
Negative13.2%

Ringotan

All ratings567 ratings
Positive98.9%
Neutral0.4%
Negative0.7%
Written reviews92 reviews
Positive95.7%
Neutral2.2%
Negative2.2%

Bugs and requests

Skritter

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Ringotan

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional issues with stroke order recognition
  • Some kanji pronunciations not accurately represented

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Allow users to create and save custom kanji lists
  • Provide more detailed keyword hints before writing
  • Implement device sync to continue progress across platforms
  • Add notification system to remind users of upcoming reviews

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Skritter

Subscriptions11
  • Skritter Premium (1 month)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Skritter Premium (1 Month)7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Skritter Premium (1 month)14 Days trial$14.991 Month
Show 8 more
  • Skritter Premium (1 month)7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Skritter Premium (6 Months)7 Days trial$59.996 Months
  • Skritter Premium (6 month)14 Days trial$59.996 Months
  • Skritter Premium (6 month)7 Days trial$69.996 Months
  • Skritter Premium (1 Year)7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Skritter Premium (1 year)14 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Skritter Premium (1 year)7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Skritter Premium (1 year)7 Days trial$119.991 Year
None

Ringotan

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Skritter free?
Skritter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ringotan free?
Ringotan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Skritter or Ringotan?
Ringotan is rated higher. Skritter averages 4.6 out of 5 from 170 ratings, while Ringotan averages 4.9 from 574 ratings.
Do Skritter or Ringotan have ads?
Neither Skritter nor Ringotan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Skritter or Ringotan?
Skritter ships an update monthly, and Ringotan every 3 days. Most recently, Skritter was updated on October 24, 2026 and Ringotan on October 24, 2026.

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