Ringotan vs JBP I 4th
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ringotan
Master Japanese Kanji by practicing writing. This app uses advanced input detection and spaced repetition to help you learn quickly and effectively. Focuses on the physical act of writing characters, not just recognition.
- Learn Kanji by writing
- Advanced input detection
- Spaced repetition system (SRS)
- Focus on writing, not just reading
- Frequent updates with new features
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Learn Kanji by actually writing it! Ringotan is the first app built from the ground up to teach you how to WRITE Japanese Kanji, not just read them. By combining advanced input detection with industry-standard SRS (spaced repetition) algorithms, Ringotan ensures you learn as fully and quickly as possible. ----------------- Ringotan is free for a limited time. We update frequently, so be sure to check back for new features!
JBP I 4th
This app provides supplementary study materials for the Japanese for Busy People I Revised 4th Edition textbook. It features flashcards with pronunciation, adjustable playback speed for dialogues and speaking practice, quizzes, and settings for Hiragana/Romaji display.
- Electronic flashcards with pronunciation
- Adjustable playback speed for dialogues
- Speaking practice exercises
- Lesson quizzes
- Hiragana/Romaji display options
- Progress tracking for memorized words
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This App is a supplementary study material complementing the Japanese for Busy People I Revised 4th Edition textbook. Use the Lite version, when you study lessons L1 through L5 in the textbook. Each lesson consists of the following segments: WORD POWER TARGET DIALOGUE SPEAKING PRACTICE(S) ADDITIONAL STUDIES QUIZ A BREAK SETTINGS *Choose Hiragana or Roma-ji on each page. ■WORD POWER Word Power is an electronic ""flash cards"" with sound feature for pronunciation. Check off Memorized, once you learn a word. You can later come back and study just the words you have yet to memorize or all of the words in the lesson. Go to Play and choose auto to automatically scroll through images accompanied by sound. Slide the green button to change the setting. ■TARGET DIALOGUE Study the Target Dialogue using the adjustable playback speed. ■SPEAKING PRACTICE(S) Study the Speaking Practice(s) using the adjustable playback speed. ■ADDITIONAL STUDIES This segment includes additional and important materials not covered in the Word Power, Target Dialogue, and Speaking Practice(s) segments. ■QUIZ Take the Quiz on what you have learned. Repeat until you get all the answers right. You can also go back to review the incorrect answers. ■A BREAK Take a break and enjoy of Japanese sceneries. ■SETTINGS The following settings are available: ・Default Hiragana or Roma-ji display in the Target Dialogue, Speaking Practices, and Quiz segments ・Word Power auto play speed ・Clearing the words checked off in Word Power ・Erasing the Quiz score
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Ringotan at Free against JBP I 4th's $2.99. Ringotan also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (567 vs 1). JBP I 4th's advantage is chart position (#186 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases 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
Ringotan is free to download; JBP I 4th costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ringotan holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ringotan has 567 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 96% of Ringotan's written reviews are positive against 100% of JBP I 4th's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
| Parameter | Ringotan | JBP I 4th |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (567 ratings) — better | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 95.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 567 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #186 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.2 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 206 MB | 80 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Pflughoeft | Association for Japanese-Language Teaching |
Customer experience
Ringotan
JBP I 4th
Bugs and requests
Ringotan
Reported bugs
2 issues- Occasional issues with stroke order recognition
- Some kanji pronunciations not accurately represented
Requested features
5 requests- Add dark mode option
- Allow users to create and save custom kanji lists
- Provide more detailed keyword hints before writing
- Implement device sync to continue progress across platforms
- Add notification system to remind users of upcoming reviews
JBP I 4th
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Ringotan
No in-app purchases
JBP I 4th
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Ringotan free?
Is JBP I 4th free?
Which has better reviews, Ringotan or JBP I 4th?
Do Ringotan or JBP I 4th have ads?
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