Comparison

Japanese Ruby vs Furigana PDF

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

Head to head
About

Japanese Ruby

This app automatically adds furigana (ruby characters) to Japanese text. It supports input via camera, photos, pasting, and handwriting, making it ideal for beginners learning Japanese. You can also export text with furigana to PDF via email.

Highlights
  • Add furigana to Japanese text
  • Input via camera
  • Input via photo library
  • Handwriting recognition for kanji
  • Export to PDF with furigana
  • Study with hiragana or English
Features
Read full description

This is an APP that add ruby characters (furigana) to Japanese inputted by camera, photo, pasting, handwriting for Japanese beginner automatically. Usage 1: You can copy characters from Safari, and paste them into the text box, and study Japanese with hiragana or English characters. Usage 2: You can study Japanese by camera or photo library. Usage 3: You can input unknown kanji by handwriting and check how to read it. Usage 4: You can input text with keyboard, and send the text with ruby in PDF by mail.

About

Furigana PDF

Easily add furigana reading aids to Japanese PDF documents. This app automatically annotates Kanji characters and allows customization to match your PDF's layout. You can also scan paper documents and add furigana, with all processing done offline for privacy.

Highlights
  • Automatic furigana annotation
  • Customizable furigana display
  • Scan and annotate paper documents
  • Offline processing for privacy
  • Supports horizontal and vertical text
  • Export annotated PDFs
Features
Read full description

Struggling to read Japanese texts? Furigana PDF has you covered. Open any Japanese language PDF and Furigana PDF will automatically add furigana reading aids (ruby) to all Kanji characters. You can customize furigana display to match the layout of your existing PDF to create beautiful documents. You can also scan existing paper documents with your camera and add furigana. Naturally, furigana-annotated PDFs can be exported and opened in other applications or ebook readers. We respect your privacy. Furigana annotation works entirely offline and no data ever leaves your device. You can easily organize your PDFs in the Files app. No internet connection, account, or login required. Furigana PDF supports both horizontal and vertical text.  Please note that in rare cases furigana display may fail if crucial layout information is absent from the source PDF.

Screenshots

Japanese Ruby4 screens
Furigana PDF3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Furigana PDF at 69% against Japanese Ruby's 0%. Japanese Ruby's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Japanese Ruby versus Furigana PDF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJapanese RubyFurigana PDF
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews69.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS10.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size102 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMicrostone Inc.telethon k.k.

Customer experience

Japanese Ruby

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative66.7%

Furigana PDF

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral15.4%
Negative15.4%

In-app purchases

None

Japanese Ruby

No in-app purchases

None

Furigana PDF

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Japanese Ruby free?
Japanese Ruby is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Furigana PDF free?
Furigana PDF is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Japanese Ruby or Furigana PDF have ads?
Neither Japanese Ruby nor Furigana PDF shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Japanese Ruby or Furigana PDF?
Japanese Ruby ships an update every 4 months, and Furigana PDF every 4 months. Most recently, Japanese Ruby was updated on November 2, 2026 and Furigana PDF on November 3, 2026.

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