# Learn Japan vs Nihongo Lessons

The clearest difference is update cadence: Nihongo Lessons at every 3 weeks against Learn Japan's every 8 months. Nihongo Lessons also leads on ratings volume (126 vs 2). Learn Japan's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 85%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Learn Japan sells 1 one-off in-app purchase 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.

Learn Japan holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nihongo Lessons has 126 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Learn Japan's written reviews are positive against 85% of Nihongo Lessons's.

Learn Japan ships an update every 8 months, Nihongo Lessons every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Learn Japan | Nihongo Lessons |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-japan/id1478000237/reviews)** | [4.8 (126 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-lessons/id1640204242/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **126** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 84.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 141 MB | 258 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 17 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Van Duong Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1470038937) | [Serpenti Sei Japan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767544234) |

## What reviewers say

### Learn Japan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-japan/id1478000237)

Master Japanese vocabulary and phrases with this free offline app designed for learners and travelers. It features over 9000 common words and phrases with high-quality audio, organized into scientific categories for effective learning. Includes a quiz game to reinforce knowledge and a search function for favorites.

**Highlights:** 9000+ common Japanese words and phrases, Excellent audio quality, Offline functionality, Categorized lessons, Quiz game for practice, Search and favorites system, Supports 32 languages for translation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Learn all category without ads | $2.99 | one-time |


### Nihongo Lessons

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-lessons/id1640204242)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Access Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| All Access Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Beginner Deck (Discounted) | $59.99 | one-time |
| Champion Deck (Discounted) | $59.99 | one-time |
| Expert Deck (Discounted) | $59.99 | one-time |
| Master Deck (Discounted) | $59.99 | one-time |
| Intermediate Deck (Discounted) | $83.99 | one-time |
| Beginner Deck (Discounted) | $101.99 | one-time |
| Beginner Deck | $119.99 | one-time |
| All Decks (Discounted) | $149.99 | one-time |
| All Decks (Discounted) | $254.99 | one-time |
| All Decks | $299.99 | one-time |
| All Decks (Discounted) | $299.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for learning Japanese
- 🚀 Well-structured and effective learning format
- 💡 Tailors lessons to user goals
- 👍 Draws from real-life material
- 👍 More intense and serious than Duolingo

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Very expensive to unlock content
- 💰 High cost for full unlock
- 💰 Unlocking sections is costly
- 💰 Pricing is a bit rough
- 💰 Content is repetitive and not varied enough

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Learn Japan free?

Learn Japan 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, Learn Japan or Nihongo Lessons?

Learn Japan is rated higher. Learn Japan averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Nihongo Lessons averages 4.8 from 126 ratings.

### Do Learn Japan or Nihongo Lessons have ads?

Neither Learn Japan nor Nihongo Lessons shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Learn Japan or Nihongo Lessons?

Learn Japan ships an update every 8 months, and Nihongo Lessons every 3 weeks. Most recently, Learn Japan was updated on October 8, 2026 and Nihongo Lessons on October 17, 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.*