Comparison

Influent Language Learning vs Wagotabi

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

Head to head
About

Influent Language Learning

Learn new vocabulary and improve pronunciation through an interactive 3D environment. Discover the names of countless objects by tapping them, with additional details available on a second tap. Open drawers and cabinets to find even more items to learn, all while listening to native audio pronunciations.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D environment
  • Object identification via tapping
  • Native audio pronunciations
  • Vocabulary acquisition
  • Pronunciation practice
  • Explorable interiors
Features
Read full description

Influent is a Language Learning Game focusing primarily on vocabulary acquisition and pronunciation. It was initially developed in Japan at the University of Tsukuba's Entertainment Computing Laboratory under the Monbukagakusho Government Research Scholarship. Inspired by Dreamcast titles of old (namely Shenmue and Toy Commander) Influent immerses players in a fully interactive 3D environment where the names for absolutely every object in the game can be gleaned with a single tap! In fact, even more information can be learned with a double-tap! Every door, drawer, and cabinet can be opened with a tap-and-hold, revealing more things to be learned! Packed to the brim with hundreds of native audio pronunciations (painstakingly recorded specifically for this game), Influent offers players of all ages a unique opportunity to enjoy learning both vocabulary and pronunciation in the language of their choice.

About

Wagotabi

Embark on an immersive journey to learn Japanese from scratch, mastering reading, writing, and understanding in context. Explore real Japanese cities, interact with locals, and collect new vocabulary and grammar while progressing through JLPT levels. This ad-free, offline experience is designed with language experts for effective, step-by-step learning.

Highlights
  • Learn reading, writing, and understanding in context
  • Explore real Japanese cities and culture
  • Collect new words, Kana, and Kanji with explanations
  • Compete with other learners in minigames
  • Personalize learning with SRS and avatar customization
  • Fully ad-free and playable offline
Features
Read full description

Wagotabi is your daily companion for learning Japanese from scratch, at your own pace, and with maximum immersion. Learn to read, write, and understand Japanese in context, while retaining Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Use your knowledge directly in context, by interacting with locals, and using Japanese in daily situations. Discover real Japanese cities and culture while going on a quest to become a Japanese Grand Master. Designed in close collaboration with +300 Japanese language experts, official Japanese prefecture tourist associations and thousands of early testers, Wagotabi provides you with an immersive approach to language learning following a graded reader approach. Words and grammar points are introduced according to the JLPT standard, beginning with N5. — ◆ START from zero: the game is beginner friendly: no initial Japanese knowledge needed. Concepts are introduced step by step and used right away in-game. Non-beginners will progress faster and equally enjoy the game. ◆ JOURNEY in Japan: Explore real cities, learn to introduce yourself, order food, ask your way to the locals and unravel hidden secrets! ◆ COLLECT new words, Kana, Kanji and get detailed explanations on grammar patterns and conjugation step-by-step. No more overwhelming Kana / Kanji / vocabulary lists. ◆ CHALLENGE Japanese Grand Masters in their castle to earn their respect! ◆ COMPETE with fellow learners on Kana and Kanji minigames and post your top scores to the leaderboard! ◆ PERSONALIZE your learning experience: benefit from our SRS tool pin-pointing your weaknesses, create your own avatar, set the game difficulty. This is your Japanese journey. ◆ ENJOY a fully ad-free experience without in-app purchase, the game can be entirely played offline! — (Non-exhaustive) list of features : Interactive dictionary (with illustrations, tags etc.), clear grammar explanation, interactive tooltips, fully voiced in Japanese, SRS powered smart tests, interactions with environment, quests, 2 minigames (Kana and Kanji), boss fights, Hiragana / Katakana / Kanji stroke order and calligraphy, Kanjidex, resembling Kanji, conjugation, cloud save, advanced progress tracking tools … — The game is in constant development, with regular updates adding new content. Currently available content: +440 carefully selected words and grammar points +210 Kanji +680 example sentences +3000 voiced Japanese dialogues +400 unique NPCs in game All words / grammar are used extensively and in context for better retention — What our early testers are saying about Wagotabi: "You guys are a blessing to bring this to the learning market!" "I have been using some of the App's examples for my lessons and my students are responding to them really well." "I don't have the budget to travel to Japan, however I'm totally immersed in this game, learning effectively and witnessing my progress daily." "Thanks to this app, my kids are now self-motivated to learn Japanese and reconnect with their roots. This concept is so Kawaii!“ "I'm preparing a trip to Japan and will definitely go check these spots I already visited in-game." — Privacy Policy: https://www.wagotabi.com/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.wagotabi.com/terms-of-service

Screenshots

Influent Language Learning4 screens
Wagotabi4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Influent Language Learning at Free against Wagotabi's $4.99. Influent Language Learning also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Wagotabi's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (97% vs 57%). On ads and device support 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

Influent Language Learning is free to download; Wagotabi costs $4.99 up front. Influent Language Learning sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Wagotabi asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Wagotabi holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wagotabi has 1.6K ratings behind it against 86, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Influent Language Learning's written reviews are positive against 97% of Wagotabi's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Influent Language Learning ships an update every 6 months, Wagotabi every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Influent Language Learning versus Wagotabi: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInfluent Language LearningWagotabi
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.3 (86 ratings)4.9 (1.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.9% of reviews97.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings861.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#12 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size402 MB195 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRobert HowlandWAGOTABI LIMITED

Customer experience

Influent Language Learning

All ratings76 ratings
Positive82.9%
Neutral7.9%
Negative9.2%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive56.9%
Neutral12.1%
Negative31.0%

Wagotabi

All ratings1,602 ratings
Positive98.9%
Neutral0.6%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews411 reviews
Positive97.3%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.2%

User reviews

Influent Language Learning

From 86 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Great for learning everyday vocabulary
  • 🎮 Gamified learning approach
  • 👍 Intuitive UI
  • 🏠 Immersive 3D environment
  • 🗣️ Native pronunciation audio

Room to improve

  • 💰 Most languages require payment
  • 🐛 Tutorial bugs and freezes
  • 📱 UI too small for mobile screens
  • ❌ Some words not in vocab list for challenges
  • 🎧 Sound only works through headphones

Wagotabi

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Thoughtfully made
  • 🚀 Engaging and fun way to learn
  • 👍 Excellent for beginners
  • 👍 Effective learning method
  • 👍 Motivating and addictive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Audio issues (muted by device settings)
  • 🐛 Occasional overlapping of audio

Bugs and requests

Influent Language Learning

Reported bugs

21 issues
  • Tutorial freezes or breaks
  • Unable to add languages
  • App crashes or stops responding
  • Lost progress
  • Game freezes during vocabulary menu
Show 16 more
  • Words not working in challenges
  • Sound issues (only headphones)
  • No audio
  • UI becomes unresponsive
  • Unable to pan or interact
  • Game gets stuck at the beginning (clicking on objects)
  • Transaction complete but language not downloaded
  • Cannot unlock game after payment
  • iOS update issues
  • Controls don't work
  • Freezes and loses progress
  • Game gets stuck in tutorial
  • UI elements unresponsive
  • Cannot click on phone at the beginning
  • Cannot select middle tab to unlock adjective words
  • Game blocks on a simple interaction

Requested features

9 requests
  • Add more environments (airport, school, city, forest, cafe)
  • Expand the game world beyond the house
  • Add cloud saves
  • Allow PC DLC to be used in app
  • Add English language for free
Show 4 more
  • More instructions on how to play
  • Ability to skip tutorial
  • Controller support
  • More different places to learn from

Wagotabi

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Audio issues (muted by device settings)
  • Occasional overlapping of audio

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add intermediate and advanced levels
  • Implement sync capabilities across devices
  • Include a picture album of real-life locations in Japan
  • Expand content with more updates and DLC

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Influent Language Learning

One-time10
  • FrenchFree
  • ItalianFree
  • KoreanFree
Show 7 more
  • Japanese$2.99
  • Spanish$2.99
  • German$2.99
  • English$2.99
  • Mandarin Chinese$2.99
  • Norwegian$2.99
  • Russian$2.99
None

Wagotabi

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Influent Language Learning free?
Influent Language Learning is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Wagotabi free?
Wagotabi costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Influent Language Learning or Wagotabi?
Wagotabi is rated higher. Influent Language Learning averages 4.3 out of 5 from 86 ratings, while Wagotabi averages 4.9 from 1.6K ratings.
Do Influent Language Learning or Wagotabi have ads?
Neither Influent Language Learning nor Wagotabi shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Influent Language Learning or Wagotabi?
Influent Language Learning ships an update every 6 months, and Wagotabi every 4 days. Most recently, Influent Language Learning was updated on November 3, 2026 and Wagotabi on November 4, 2026.

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