Comparison

Learn Japanese (Beginners) vs Sparkden

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

Head to head
About

Learn Japanese (Beginners)

Master Japanese with a comprehensive, self-paced course designed for beginners. Learn vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation through interactive exercises and native audio. Study offline anytime, anywhere, with no daily limits.

Highlights
  • Offline Japanese course
  • Learn alphabet and vocabulary
  • Native audio recordings
  • Interactive exercises
  • Review mode
  • Weekly user ranking
Features
Read full description

Want to learn Japanese in an easy and flexible way? With over 30 million downloads worldwide, the BNR Languages apps help you study Japanese in a practical, simple, and independent way. The complete course allows you to start from scratch, learn the alphabet, build your vocabulary, and practice reading, writing, and listening with native audio recordings. Study on your own, at your own pace, with no daily limits, and use the review mode to reinforce everything you've already learned. Perfect for anyone who wants to learn Japanese quickly — whether for travel, study, work, or to communicate better with family and friends. Find out why our app is the ideal choice to study anytime, anywhere: - Offline Japanese course — from beginner to advanced levels. - Study independently, at your own pace, without the need for teachers. - No time limits or daily activity restrictions. - Interactive exercises with images that make learning easier. - Review mode to practice and refresh the content. - Native audio recordings with adjustable playback speed. - Different types of exercises: reading, writing, and listening. - Intuitive and easy-to-use interface for all ages. - Join the weekly ranking and compete with other users. - The app works completely offline — no internet connection needed. - All content is available for free. Download now and start learning Japanese in a simple, practical, and flexible way — at your own pace! Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Sparkden

Features
Read full description

Sparkden is the apple game — a gentle place for children to play, learn, and imagine. DRAW A RAMP, ROLL THE APPLE HOME Draw a slope with your finger, press play, and watch the apple roll into the basket. Steeper means faster. Nothing is scripted: it is a real 2D physics engine, and kids push on the world and watch it push back. FIFTY LEVELS, NINE GARDENS Meadow — one slope, then longer, then a basket up on a post and a log in the way. Orchard — a bouncy mushroom, a branch to dive under, a stump to arc over. Windy hill — the wind pushes the apple along, and a windmill turns across the path. Pond — apples float! Roll it into the water and the current sails it home. Sky — one helium balloon makes the apple light; two lift it, and you tap to pop them over the basket. Moon — everything falls slowly, and more than one apple has to get home. Grove — trees, mushrooms and a little wind. Dusk — sunset ponds, then balloons in the last light. Night — moonlight, slow falls, and every apple home. A WINDING PATH, WITH LITTLE GAMES IN BETWEEN The levels run along a path, garden by garden. Between apple levels there are little games: drag glowing sparks into a jar, put the numbers in a line, stack a block tower that stands, sort coloured apples into matching baskets, tap stars in order, send butterflies home. SAVED PROGRESS Every solved stop earns up to three stars and lights up the next. Progress is saved on the device, so the game picks up right where your child left off. Stars from earlier versions stay on the same first twenty-one puzzles. SAFE TO FAIL Falling is never a failure — the apple just hops back to the start. Try again is the point. SAFE BY DESIGN 100% free. No ads, ever. No accounts, ever. Play on the device — nothing to sign up for, nothing collected. Sparkden is for kids roughly ages 3–8. An adult nearby is recommended for the youngest.

Screenshots

Learn Japanese (Beginners)4 screens
Sparkden4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sparkden at none against Learn Japanese (Beginners)'s 9. Sparkden also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Learn Japanese (Beginners) sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Sparkden asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Learn Japanese (Beginners) ships an update monthly, Sparkden weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Learn Japanese (Beginners) versus Sparkden: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLearn Japanese (Beginners)Sparkden
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (48 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings48 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size170 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBNR LANGUAGES INC.Olga Shestakova

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Learn Japanese (Beginners)

Subscriptions6
  • Premium$1.991 Month
  • Unlock all categories$3.991 Month
  • Unlock all categories$5.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Premium$19.991 Year
  • Unlock all categories$24.991 Year
  • Unlock all categories$44.991 Year
One-time3
  • Remove Ads$3.99
  • Unlock categories - lifetime$59.99
  • Unlock categories - lifetime$69.99
None

Sparkden

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Learn Japanese (Beginners) free?
Learn Japanese (Beginners) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sparkden free?
Sparkden is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Learn Japanese (Beginners) or Sparkden have ads?
Learn Japanese (Beginners) shows ads; Sparkden does not.
Which is updated more often, Learn Japanese (Beginners) or Sparkden?
Learn Japanese (Beginners) ships an update monthly, and Sparkden weekly. Most recently, Learn Japanese (Beginners) was updated on October 25, 2026 and Sparkden on October 19, 2026.

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