Comparison

Kichi vs Immersion Reader

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

Head to head
About

Kichi

This app helps you learn Japanese by making reading easier. It provides instant definitions, pronunciation guides, and smart flashcards with adaptive learning to help you remember new words and improve your reading skills.

Highlights
  • Instant in-context definitions
  • Audio pronunciation guide
  • Smart flashcard creation
  • Adaptive learning lessons
  • Gamified progress tracking
  • Customizable flashcards
Features
Read full description

Accelerate your Japanese learning journey with Kichi. Whether you're a relative beginner or an advanced learner, Kichi makes reading Japanese text easy and helps you quickly remember new words. If you can read hiragana and katakana, you’re ready to use Kichi. - Instant Definitions: Snap a picture of Japanese text and tap on words to get easy-to-understand, in-context definitions and explanations. - Pronunciation Guide: Hear the correct pronunciation of any word you tap. - Smart Flashcards: Automatically create flashcards with the word, meaning, furigana, and the surrounding text. - Adaptive Learning: Review flashcards in fun, personalized lessons managed by an intelligent algorithm. - Custom Flashcards: Make your own flashcards to fit your learning style. - Gamified Learning: Earn points for each review and track your score over time. Share your stats with friends to stay motivated. If you can read hiragana and katakana, you’re ready to use Kichi. Regardless of the type of content you want to read, Kichi is here to support you. It fits right in with your study materials and courses, making it easier to understand and remember new words. As you get better, Kichi helps you learn from native materials and keep improving your skills. Created by someone who studied Japanese to fluency, Kichi blends practical experience with advanced tech to make learning Japanese fun and effective. With Kichi, you can quickly read and understand Japanese text, making your study sessions more productive and enjoyable. A gamified learning experience keeps you motivated by letting you earn points for each review. Track your progress over time and share your scores with friends to make language study a fun experience. Thoughts from our users: "I think Kichi is definitely the best app for words. I can't imagine my life without this app." "I'm working on my teaching degree at a Japanese university. Thanks to Kichi, I can keep up with the rest of my class." Join other learners who have transformed their Japanese reading skills with Kichi. Download Kichi today and take the next step in your Japanese language journey! *Kichi also has a Chrome extension and Mac desktop app.

About

Immersion Reader

Easily look up Japanese words while reading ebooks with a single tap. Import custom dictionaries and export saved vocabulary for spaced repetition learning. Offers customizable themes for a comfortable reading experience.

Highlights
  • One-tap word lookup in Japanese ebooks
  • Import Yomichan and frequency dictionaries
  • Export vocabulary to Anki
  • Light and dark mode themes
  • Lookup neighboring words
Features
Read full description

Look up Japanese words as you read! Features - One tap to look up words in Japanese Ebooks. Tabs to help you look up neighboring words - Import Yomichan dictionaries and frequency dictionaries - Export saved vocabulary to Anki via Anki Dojo - Light mode, dark mode, and other themes for the dictionary

Screenshots

Kichi4 screens
Immersion Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Kichi at 100% against Immersion Reader's 62%. Kichi also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.0). Immersion Reader's advantage is ratings volume (27 vs 4) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). 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. Kichi sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Immersion Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Kichi holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Immersion Reader has 27 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Kichi's written reviews are positive against 62% of Immersion Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kichi ships an update every 10 days, Immersion Reader every 6 days. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Kichi versus Immersion Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKichiImmersion Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (4 ratings) — better4.0 (27 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better61.5% of reviews
Number of ratings427 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size179 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRobert SherlingMathew Chan

Customer experience

Kichi

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Immersion Reader

All ratings26 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative19.2%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative30.8%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Kichi

Subscriptions2
  • Kichi One Month Renewing7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Kichi One Year Renewing7 Days trial$84.991 Year
1 purchases

Immersion Reader

One-time1
  • Immersion Reader Premium$4.99

Questions

Is Kichi free?
Kichi is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Immersion Reader free?
Immersion Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kichi or Immersion Reader?
Kichi is rated higher. Kichi averages 4.3 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Immersion Reader averages 4.0 from 27 ratings.
Do Kichi or Immersion Reader have ads?
Neither Kichi nor Immersion Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kichi or Immersion Reader?
Kichi ships an update every 10 days, and Immersion Reader every 6 days. Most recently, Kichi was updated on November 3, 2026 and Immersion Reader on November 3, 2026.

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