# Numbiro Premium vs Nihongo Lessons

The clearest difference is price: Nihongo Lessons at Free against Numbiro Premium's $1.99. Nihongo Lessons also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (126 vs 2). Numbiro Premium's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads there is nothing between them.

Nihongo Lessons is free to download; Numbiro Premium costs $1.99 up front. Nihongo Lessons sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Numbiro Premium asks for nothing beyond the download.

Nihongo Lessons holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nihongo Lessons has 126 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Numbiro Premium's written reviews are positive against 85% of Nihongo Lessons's.

Numbiro Premium ships an update every 3 months, Nihongo Lessons every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Numbiro Premium | Nihongo Lessons |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/numbiro-premium/id1610373478/reviews) | **[4.8 (126 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-lessons/id1640204242/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **126** |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **84.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 67 MB | 258 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sulisoft Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1610373474) | [Serpenti Sei Japan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767544234) |

## What reviewers say

### Numbiro Premium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/numbiro-premium/id1610373478)

Practice recognizing spoken Japanese numbers in everyday conversation. Choose number ranges from single digits to billions and test your skills with Japanese counters. The premium version offers an ad-free experience and advanced features.

**Highlights:** Listen to spoken Japanese numbers, Identify numbers in conversation, Select custom number ranges, Practice Japanese counters, Timed challenges, Preset management

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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 Numbiro Premium free?

Numbiro Premium costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Nihongo Lessons free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Numbiro Premium or Nihongo Lessons?

Nihongo Lessons is rated higher. Numbiro Premium averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Nihongo Lessons averages 4.8 from 126 ratings.

### Do Numbiro Premium or Nihongo Lessons have ads?

Neither Numbiro Premium nor Nihongo Lessons shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Numbiro Premium or Nihongo Lessons?

Numbiro Premium ships an update every 3 months, and Nihongo Lessons every 3 weeks. Most recently, Numbiro Premium was updated on October 5, 2026 and Nihongo Lessons on October 17, 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.*