# Kanji Book vs Ringotan

The clearest difference is rating: Ringotan at 4.9 against Kanji Book's 4.6. Ringotan also leads on ratings volume (574 vs 102). Kanji Book's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 12.2). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Ringotan holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ringotan has 574 ratings behind it against 102, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Kanji Book's written reviews are positive against 96% of Ringotan's.

Kanji Book ships an update every 2 days, Ringotan every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kanji Book | Ringotan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (102 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kanji-book/id1532844605/reviews) | **[4.9 (574 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ringotan/id1633001064/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 102 | **574** |
| Positive reviews | 90.0% of reviews | **95.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 3 days |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 210 MB | 206 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 12.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bird Cartel LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1532844907) | [Daniel Pflughoeft](https://appshunter.io/developer/1633001066) |

## What reviewers say

### Kanji Book

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kanji-book/id1532844605)

This app helps you learn Japanese kanji at your own pace by creating a personalized workbook. It tracks your progress visually and allows you to practice all aspects of kanji, including readings, drawing, and recall. You can use it as flashcards or take quizzes to reinforce your learning.

**Highlights:** Personalized kanji workbook, Visual progress tracking, Practice readings, drawing, recall, Flashcard functionality, Randomized quizzes, Compound kanji vocabulary building

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- ✍️ Practice writing kanji
- 💡 Links to Jisho for info
- 🧠 Effective for memorizing kanji
- 📚 Good for beginners

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📚 Limited reinforcement of readings/vocab
- 🧱 Hits a wall for reading/speaking
- 🎛️ Inflexible modes (e.g., writing)
- 🔊 No audio pronunciation
- ❓ Unclear On/Kun usage in compounds

**Reported bugs**

- Screen stays stuck on opening screen
- Other glitches occur
- Font can make some kanji look odd and similar
- App sometimes glitches while writing

**Requested features**

- Improve reinforcement of Kun/On and vocabulary
- Add setting to adjust learning reinforcement
- Ability to turn off certain modes like writing
- Show compound words in Hiragana under English
- Allow reviewing and testing specific kanji


### Ringotan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ringotan/id1633001064)

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.

**Highlights:** Learn Kanji by writing, Advanced input detection, Spaced repetition system (SRS), Focus on writing, not just reading, Frequent updates with new features

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Effective kanji learning system
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🔓 No ads or paywalls
- 💡 Customizable settings and integration with other resources
- 🎨 Visually pleasing and engaging

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 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

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional issues with stroke order recognition
- Some kanji pronunciations not accurately represented

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Kanji Book free?

Kanji Book is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Ringotan free?

Ringotan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Kanji Book or Ringotan?

Ringotan is rated higher. Kanji Book averages 4.6 out of 5 from 102 ratings, while Ringotan averages 4.9 from 574 ratings.

### Do Kanji Book or Ringotan have ads?

Neither Kanji Book nor Ringotan shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Kanji Book or Ringotan?

Kanji Book ships an update every 2 days, and Ringotan every 3 days. Most recently, Kanji Book was updated on October 25, 2026 and Ringotan on October 24, 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.*