# Pre vs Nihongo Lessons

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pre at none against Nihongo Lessons's 13. Pre also leads on review sentiment (98% vs 85%) and device support (3 vs 1). Nihongo Lessons's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (129 vs 15). On price, rating and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nihongo Lessons sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Pre asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Pre against 4.8 for Nihongo Lessons. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nihongo Lessons has 129 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 98% of Pre's written reviews are positive against 85% of Nihongo Lessons's.

Pre ships an update every 4 months, Nihongo Lessons every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pre | Nihongo Lessons |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pre-k-learning-games-for-kids/id1599875128/reviews)** | [4.8 (129 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-lessons/id1640204242/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 15 | **129** |
| Positive reviews | **97.8% of reviews** | 84.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 32 MB | 258 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ART ZISHAS INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1583086975) | [Serpenti Sei Japan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767544234) |

## What reviewers say

### Pre

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pre-k-learning-games-for-kids/id1599875128)

Engage young children with 15 interactive learning games designed to prepare them for kindergarten. Activities cover puzzles, math, letters, shapes, and more, fostering essential cognitive skills in a child-friendly environment. Playable offline, it's a fun way to build early education foundations.

**Highlights:** 15 preschool learning games, Covers puzzles, math, letters, shapes, Child-friendly design and graphics, Aligns with educational standards, Offline play supported, Develops memory and concentration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for math skills practice
- 👍 Engaging and fun for kids
- 👍 Excellent for special education
- 👍 Provides progress reports
- 👍 Aligned with Common Core

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Unhealthy food grouping in game
- 👎 Annoying hippo character
- 👎 Limited free version features

**Reported bugs**

- App doesn't launch after update

**Requested features**

- Option to turn off hippo character
- More features in the free version


### 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 Pre free?

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

### Is Nihongo Lessons free?

Nihongo Lessons is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pre or Nihongo Lessons?

Pre is rated higher. Pre averages 4.8 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Nihongo Lessons averages 4.8 from 129 ratings.

### Do Pre or Nihongo Lessons have ads?

Neither Pre nor Nihongo Lessons shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pre or Nihongo Lessons?

Pre ships an update every 4 months, and Nihongo Lessons every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pre was updated on October 19, 2026 and Nihongo Lessons 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.*