Learn Japanese vs Ringotan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Learn Japanese
Master Japanese grammar with this comprehensive guide. Learn intuitively from a Japanese perspective with 69 free lessons, progress tracking, and vocabulary audio. Covers everything from writing systems to advanced topics.
- 69 free grammar lessons
- Progress tracking
- Note taking per lesson
- Vocabulary audio and stroke order
- Intuitive Japanese-centric explanations
- Covers writing systems, basic to advanced grammar
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Sensei offers the popular guide to learning Japanese grammar created by Tae Kim, to take you from beginner to master. Free and effective. Learn Japanese grammar in a rational, intuitive way that makes sense in Japanese. The explanations are focused on how to make sense of the grammar not from English but from a Japanese point of view. 69 lessons and exercises, completely free! Plus: • Progress tracking, thanks to individual lesson self-evaluation feature • Note taking for each lesson • Vocabulary audio and writing stroke order • Modern and clean UI, for an optimal learning experience The course includes the following chapters: - The Japanese Writing System (Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji) - Basic Japanese Grammar (Particles, Adjectives, Verbs, etc.) - Essential Japanese Grammar (Polite Forms, Conditionals, etc.) - Special Expressions (Causative, Amounts, Honorific, etc.) - Advanced Topics (Formal Expressions, Volitional, etc.) Happy Japanese learning! --- Note: Sensei is available on iOS and macOS!
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.
- Learn Kanji by writing
- Advanced input detection
- Spaced repetition system (SRS)
- Focus on writing, not just reading
- Frequent updates with new features
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Ringotan at every 3 days against Learn Japanese's every 5 weeks. Ringotan also leads on iOS requirement (12.2 vs 15.0). Learn Japanese's advantage is ratings volume (1.9K vs 574). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Learn Japanese against 4.9 for Ringotan. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.9K and 574 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Learn Japanese's written reviews are positive against 96% of Ringotan's.
Learn Japanese ships an update every 5 weeks, Ringotan every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Learn Japanese | Ringotan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (1.9K ratings) | 4.9 (574 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 91.2% of reviews | 95.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.9K — better | 574 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 206 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | App to Learn Pte. Ltd. | Daniel Pflughoeft |
Customer experience
Learn Japanese
Ringotan
User reviews
Learn Japanese
From 1.9K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Comprehensive and helpful
- 👍 Well-structured and clear
- 👍 Convenient to use on mobile
- 👍 Excellent grammar explanations
- 👍 Logical and analytical approach
Room to improve
- 🐛 Audio/sound issues
- 🐛 Lesson content disappearing when app suspended
- 🐛 Difficulty with self-evaluation and exercises
- 🔍 Lack of interactive features (quizzes, flashcards, etc.)
- 🔍 Overwhelming amount of text-based content
Ringotan
From 574 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Effective kanji learning system
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🔓 No ads or paywalls
- 💡 Customizable settings and integration with other resources
- 🎨 Visually pleasing and engaging
Room to improve
- 🔍 Keyword hints not always clear enough
- 🔀 Limited ability to customize word lists
- 🔆 Light mode only, no dark mode option
- 🔍 Difficulty identifying which kanji is being tested at times
Bugs and requests
Learn Japanese
Reported bugs
3 issues- Exercises not working on Mac version
- Kanji readings not displayed in some cases
- Text formatting issues with dark mode
Requested features
5 requests- Add read-aloud functionality
- Implement more interactive learning elements
- Provide a search function for easier navigation
- Offer cloud sync and cross-device progress tracking
- Add handwriting recognition for kanji practice
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
Learn Japanese
No in-app purchases
Ringotan
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Learn Japanese free?
Is Ringotan free?
Which has better reviews, Learn Japanese or Ringotan?
Do Learn Japanese or Ringotan have ads?
Which is updated more often, Learn Japanese or Ringotan?
Other comparisons
