Ringotan vs grsly
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!
grsly
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Learn Japanese dynamically with spaced-repetition. Includes 3200 concepts (so far) including: verb/adjective conjugation patterns, counters, dates and times, vocab up through JLPT n4 and beyond, and hiragana / katakana (skippable). Grsly uses Apple’s Standard End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ringotan at none against grsly's 1. Ringotan also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks). On price 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
Both are free to download. grsly sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Ringotan asks for nothing beyond the download.
Ringotan ships an update every 3 days, grsly every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ringotan | grsly |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (567 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 95.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 567 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.2 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 206 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Daniel Pflughoeft | Satchel Spencer |
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
grsly
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Ringotan
No in-app purchases
grsly
- grsly pro$4.991 Month
