# Ringotan vs grsly

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ringotan | grsly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (567 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ringotan/id1633001064/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **567** | — |
| Positive reviews | 95.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 206 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.2** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Daniel Pflughoeft](https://appshunter.io/developer/1633001066) | [Satchel Spencer](https://appshunter.io/developer/1518702931) |

## What reviewers say

### Ringotan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ringotan/id1633001064)

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.

**Highlights:** Learn Kanji by writing, Advanced input detection, Spaced repetition system (SRS), Focus on writing, not just reading, Frequent updates with new features

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Effective kanji learning system
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🔓 No ads or paywalls
- 💡 Customizable settings and integration with other resources
- 🎨 Visually pleasing and engaging

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Keyword hints not always clear enough
- 🔀 Limited ability to customize word lists
- 🔆 Light mode only, no dark mode option
- 🔍 Difficulty identifying which kanji is being tested at times

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional issues with stroke order recognition
- Some kanji pronunciations not accurately represented

**Requested features**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grsly/id6748623431)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| grsly pro | $4.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ringotan free?

Ringotan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is grsly free?

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

### Do Ringotan or grsly have ads?

grsly shows ads; Ringotan does not.

### Which is updated more often, Ringotan or grsly?

Ringotan ships an update every 3 days, and grsly every 6 weeks. Most recently, Ringotan was updated on October 14, 2026 and grsly on October 8, 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.*