Comparison

Globa Japanese vs Nihongo Lessons

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

Head to head
About

Globa Japanese

Learn Japanese through a variety of engaging games designed to test and expand your language skills. Practice speaking, listening, and vocabulary across four difficulty levels. Upgrade to unlock all games and content for a more comprehensive learning experience.

Highlights
  • 12 unique learning games
  • Speaking and pronunciation practice
  • Native speaker audio
  • Extensive Japanese database
  • Four learning levels (Beginner to Proficiency)
  • Daily free games
Read full description

Learning Japanese while having fun is possible with Globa. Play 12 unique games, each one developed to challenge your Japanese skills and push you further. FEATURES - Free games every day that challenge your current Japanese knowledge and expand it through fun and effective games. - Test your Speaking skills in pronunciation games. - Listen to different native voices. - Use content from the extensive Globa's database to improve your Japanese every day. - 4 Levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advance and Proficiency. Effective Japanese learning DOES NOT have to be boring. TRY Globa !! Globa PRO Globa is FREE but you can get a more complete training if you upgrade to Globa PRO. Globa PRO unlocks all 12 Games and 15 Tours so you can play new content in every game in every difficulty. You can get more information about the games, news, updates, etc in our website: http://globa.world/en/ Please note: You will need a subscription in order to get access to the PRO features of this app. There are three Premium subscription options: - 1 month Pro subscription - 6 months Pro subscription - 1 year Pro subscription Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current payment period. Your iTunes account will be automatically charged at the same price for renewal within the 24-hour period prior to the end of the current payment period unless you change your subscription preferences in your Account Settings. You can manage your subscriptions through your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. Privacy Policy & Terms of use http://globa.world/en/privacy.php http://globa.world/en/terms.php

About

Nihongo Lessons

This app helps learners of all levels achieve Japanese fluency. It uses a flashcard format to teach vocabulary, grammar, and writing systems, with advanced spaced repetition for effective retention. Content is sourced from real manga for advanced learners.

Highlights
  • Learn Hiragana and Katakana
  • 7000+ handcrafted sentences
  • Professional voice actor audio
  • Advanced Spaced Repetition System (SRS)
  • Vocabulary and grammar from manga
  • Flashcard learning format
Features
Read full description

A new app for people serious about becoming fluent in Japanese, from the maker of Nihongo: a modern Japanese dictionary. Nihongo Lessons is based off the excellent Japanese Level Up (Jalup) series, and is made to help all levels of learners. * If you're a complete beginner, the app starts you off by teaching you to write the Japanese alphabets hiragana and katakana, and then quickly starts building your vocabulary and grammar fundamentals. * If you're at an intermediate level, you can jump into content that will help you grow your Japanese grammar, vocabulary, and listening skills more efficiently than ever before. * If you're an advanced learner diving into the world of native content or studying for JLPT N1, Nihongo Lessons can help fill in the gaps in your knowledge with vocabulary and grammar pulled directly from real manga. Instead of a traditional textbook, everything in Nihongo Lessons is in a flashcard format. Flashcards are easier to take in, easier to know how much to learn and how often to review, and simplify the mountain of information you need to absorb. Each flashcard introduces one new sentence for you to understand, and every new sentence introduces exactly one new word, grammar point, or concept. This keeps you constantly moving forward in your learning journey - never bored, never overwhelmed. * Learn to write hiragana and katakana, the main alphabets of the Japanese language. * Progress from beginner to fluent across 7000 handcrafted sentences, each introducing a single new word or concept. * Listen to sentences spoken out loud by a professional voice actor. * Advanced Spaced Repetition (SRS) to help you retain everything you've learned for the long-term. * Nihongo Lessons doesn’t just plop a fun game on top of the language. It engages the brain’s natural urge to solve problems by making learning the language itself the game.

Screenshots

Globa Japanese3 screens
Nihongo Lessons4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Nihongo Lessons at 4.8 against Globa Japanese's 2.0. Nihongo Lessons also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (129 vs 1). Globa Japanese's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Globa Japanese sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Nihongo Lessons sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nihongo Lessons holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nihongo Lessons has 129 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Globa Japanese ships an update every 2 days, Nihongo Lessons every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Globa Japanese versus Nihongo Lessons: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGloba JapaneseNihongo Lessons
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (1 ratings)4.8 (129 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—84.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1129 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS10.0 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB258 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer株式会社 ALLROUNDSerpenti Sei Japan

Bugs and requests

Globa Japanese

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Nihongo Lessons

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Explanation modal flashed and cannot be brought back
  • Unclear how to interact with cards (swiping direction)

Requested features

11 requests
  • Add notifications
  • Add a way to add own notecards for review
  • Add meaning and context for some words in dictionary
  • Add monthly subscriptions or lower prices
  • Add Kanji section
Show 6 more
  • Add Kanji decks
  • Add dark mode
  • Automatically play audio when flipping card
  • Teach word in context, then quiz for understanding using only the Japanese word
  • Surface Japanese definition and make user remember the word
  • Optimize for iPad

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Globa Japanese

Subscriptions4
  • Globa PRO Plan(1 month)$7.991 Month
  • Globa PRO Plan(6 months)$26.996 Months
  • Globa PRO Plan(1 Year)$41.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Globa PRO Plan(1 Year)7 Days trial$41.991 Year
13 purchases

Nihongo Lessons

Subscriptions2
  • All Access Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • All Access Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time11
  • Beginner Deck (Discounted)$59.99
  • Champion Deck (Discounted)$59.99
  • Expert Deck (Discounted)$59.99
Show 8 more
  • Master Deck (Discounted)$59.99
  • Intermediate Deck (Discounted)$83.99
  • Beginner Deck (Discounted)$101.99
  • Beginner Deck$119.99
  • All Decks (Discounted)$149.99
  • All Decks (Discounted)$254.99
  • All Decks$299.99
  • All Decks (Discounted)$299.99

Questions

Is Globa Japanese free?
Globa Japanese is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nihongo Lessons free?
Nihongo Lessons is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Globa Japanese or Nihongo Lessons?
Nihongo Lessons is rated higher. Globa Japanese averages 2.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Nihongo Lessons averages 4.8 from 129 ratings.
Do Globa Japanese or Nihongo Lessons have ads?
Globa Japanese shows ads; Nihongo Lessons does not.
Which is updated more often, Globa Japanese or Nihongo Lessons?
Globa Japanese ships an update every 2 days, and Nihongo Lessons every 3 weeks. Most recently, Globa Japanese was updated on October 26, 2026 and Nihongo Lessons on October 30, 2026.

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