Comparison

Bubuling Nihongo vs Academic English Phrases

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

Head to head
About

Bubuling Nihongo

This app helps you learn Japanese vocabulary through curated paths and interactive quizzes. It offers features like word lookups, handwriting input, and progress tracking to make studying efficient and engaging.

Highlights
  • Curated vocabulary study paths
  • Instant word lookups
  • Multiple quiz modes
  • Handwriting input for kanji
  • Progress tracking
  • Study reminders
  • Cross-device progress sync
Features
Read full description

Bubuling makes Japanese vocabulary study clear, fast, and consistent. Build your wordbook with curated learning paths, look up words instantly, and practice with quiz modes that keep you engaged every day. What you can do in Bubuling: - Study curated vocabulary, including JLPT-focused sets and beginner-friendly lists - Search by kanji, kana, romaji, or meaning - Learn each word with readings, examples, related words, and conjugation support - Use handwriting input to find kanji when you can’t type it - Practice with multiple quiz modes: spelling, meaning, listening, and conjugation - Save words to My Words and track your learning progress - Sync your progress across devices when signed in - Get study reminders so you stay on pace Bubuling Pro: - Unlimited bookmarks in My Words - Access to current and future Pro features - Monthly, yearly, and lifetime purchase options available as in-app purchases Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Academic English Phrases

Features
Read full description

Academic English Phrases is an app for Japanese students to learn academic English phrases with. The contents’ source is the Academic Chunks of English (ACE) resource, which is an academic phrase list that is the first of its kind in regard to methodology (a unique concgramming method), its large scale, its inclusion of original example sentences for each unit that aim to avoid adding additional learning burden with their context, and the manual checking of each item to decide whether or not it should be included. This resource is also unique in that it is freely available and users can search for multi-word units or examples sentences that contain specific words using the following online interface: https://jamesmartinrogers.wixsite.com/smartsmart/academic-english-phrase-5k More can be read about how this resource was created in the following publication: Rogers, J., Daulton, F., Dickinson, P., Muller, A., Reid, G., & Stoeckel, T. (2021). The creation and application of a large-scale corpus-based academic multi-word unit list. English for Specific Purposes, 62(4), 142-157. This resource is also being further developed through a Type C Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science Grants-in-Aid.

Screenshots

Bubuling Nihongo3 screens
Academic English Phrases1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Academic English Phrases at none against Bubuling Nihongo's 3. Academic English Phrases also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.4). Bubuling Nihongo's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Bubuling Nihongo sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Academic English Phrases asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bubuling Nihongo ships an update fortnightly, Academic English Phrases every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Bubuling Nihongo versus Academic English Phrases: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBubuling NihongoAcademic English Phrases
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.411.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size165 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCodingmiao PTE. LTD.james rogers

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Bubuling Nihongo

Subscriptions2
  • Pro (1 Month)$0.991 Month
  • Pro (1 Year)7 Days trial$5.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro (Lifetime)$69.99
None

Academic English Phrases

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bubuling Nihongo free?
Bubuling Nihongo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Academic English Phrases free?
Academic English Phrases is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Bubuling Nihongo or Academic English Phrases have ads?
Neither Bubuling Nihongo nor Academic English Phrases shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bubuling Nihongo or Academic English Phrases?
Bubuling Nihongo ships an update fortnightly, and Academic English Phrases every 3 months. Most recently, Bubuling Nihongo was updated on September 7, 2026 and Academic English Phrases on September 11, 2026.

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