# Nihongo Lessons vs Japanese Writer

The clearest difference is update cadence: Nihongo Lessons at every 3 weeks against Japanese Writer's every 4 months. Nihongo Lessons also leads on ratings volume (129 vs 4). Japanese Writer's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 85%) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nihongo Lessons sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Japanese Writer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Nihongo Lessons against 4.8 for Japanese Writer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nihongo Lessons has 129 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Nihongo Lessons's written reviews are positive against 100% of Japanese Writer's.

Nihongo Lessons ships an update every 3 weeks, Japanese Writer every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nihongo Lessons | Japanese Writer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (129 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-lessons/id1640204242/reviews) | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/japanese-writer/id6468586928/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **129** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 84.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 258 MB | 73 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Serpenti Sei Japan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767544234) | [trainchinese B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1443075140) |

## What reviewers say

### Nihongo Lessons

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-lessons/id1640204242)

This app helps learners of all levels achieve Japanese fluency. It uses a flashcard format to teach vocabulary, grammar, and writing systems, with advanced spaced repetition for effective retention. Content is sourced from real manga for advanced learners.

**Highlights:** Learn Hiragana and Katakana, 7000+ handcrafted sentences, Professional voice actor audio, Advanced Spaced Repetition System (SRS), Vocabulary and grammar from manga, Flashcard learning format

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Access Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| All Access Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Beginner Deck (Discounted) | $59.99 | one-time |
| Champion Deck (Discounted) | $59.99 | one-time |
| Expert Deck (Discounted) | $59.99 | one-time |
| Master Deck (Discounted) | $59.99 | one-time |
| Intermediate Deck (Discounted) | $83.99 | one-time |
| Beginner Deck (Discounted) | $101.99 | one-time |
| Beginner Deck | $119.99 | one-time |
| All Decks (Discounted) | $149.99 | one-time |
| All Decks (Discounted) | $254.99 | one-time |
| All Decks | $299.99 | one-time |
| All Decks (Discounted) | $299.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for learning Japanese
- 🚀 Well-structured and effective learning format
- 💡 Tailors lessons to user goals
- 👍 Draws from real-life material
- 👍 More intense and serious than Duolingo

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Very expensive to unlock content
- 💰 High cost for full unlock
- 💰 Unlocking sections is costly
- 💰 Pricing is a bit rough
- 💰 Content is repetitive and not varied enough

**Reported bugs**

- Explanation modal flashed and cannot be brought back
- Unclear how to interact with cards (swiping direction)

**Requested features**

- Add notifications
- Add a way to add own notecards for review
- Add meaning and context for some words in dictionary
- Add monthly subscriptions or lower prices
- Add Kanji section


### Japanese Writer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/japanese-writer/id6468586928)

Practice Japanese handwriting with an engaging game. Learn Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji through guided stroke order and smart reviews. Unlock all levels with an optional upgrade.

**Highlights:** Handwriting practice game, Learn Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, Guided stroke order, Smart review system, Character dictionary with pronunciation, JLPT level progression

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Japanese Writer Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Lifetime Upgrade | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nihongo Lessons free?

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

### Is Japanese Writer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Nihongo Lessons or Japanese Writer?

Japanese Writer is rated higher. Nihongo Lessons averages 4.8 out of 5 from 129 ratings, while Japanese Writer averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do Nihongo Lessons or Japanese Writer have ads?

Neither Nihongo Lessons nor Japanese Writer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Nihongo Lessons or Japanese Writer?

Nihongo Lessons ships an update every 3 weeks, and Japanese Writer every 4 months. Most recently, Nihongo Lessons was updated on October 30, 2026 and Japanese Writer on October 31, 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.*