Ringotan vs Kana Bento
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!
Kana Bento
Learn Hiragana and Katakana through an engaging drag-and-drop game. Practice matching characters to their Romaji with native speaker audio. Ideal for beginners and those reviewing Japanese scripts.
- Drag-and-drop kana matching
- Native speaker audio
- Romaji, Hiragana, and Katakana recognition
- Timed challenges
- Focus on core kana
- Distraction-free design
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Master Hiragana and Katakana the fun way; no flashcards, no rote memorization. Just the core 46 Hiragana and Katakana kanas. Kana Bento turns kana practice into a fast-paced drag-and-drop game. Drag each character to its matching Romaji (or vice versa), with all three scripts, Hiragana, Katakana, and Romaji, in play so you build real recognition, not just memorization. • Hear authentic native speaker pronunciation for every kana, with both male and female voices • Race against the clock and watch your completion time improve as you learn • Train on Hiragana, Katakana, or both • Clean, distraction-free design built for quick daily practice Whether you're just starting Japanese or brushing up before a trip, JLPT exam, or anime binge, Kana Bento makes kana stick.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Ringotan at Free against Kana Bento's $2.99. Ringotan also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (567 vs 1). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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; Kana Bento 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: 98% of Ringotan's written reviews are positive against 100% of Kana Bento's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Ringotan ships an update every 3 days, Kana Bento every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ringotan | Kana Bento |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (567 ratings) — better | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 97.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 567 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.2 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 206 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Pflughoeft | Adrian Gray |
Customer experience
Ringotan
Kana Bento
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
Kana Bento
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Ringotan
No in-app purchases
Kana Bento
No in-app purchases
