Comparison

Kīpaepae vs Hākilo

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Kīpaepae

Learn Hawaiian with over 400 vocabulary words, 700 practice sentences, and 100 everyday phrases. Features comprehension exercises, read-along books, and mini-lessons with progress tracking. Supports male or female voice options for practice.

Highlights
  • Vocabulary and phrases
  • Reading and listening comprehension
  • Mini-lessons and quizzes
  • Personal stats tracking
  • Leaderboard
  • Male/female voice options
  • Read-along books
Features
Read full description

With over 400 vocabulary words and illustrations, 700 practice sentences, 100 everyday phrases, multiple reading and listening comprehension exercises and over 20 read along books, ‘Aha Pūnana Leo’s Kīpaepae app was designed to be used as a supplement to our in-person Hui Kīpaepae ‘ohana classes or as a standalone practice tool for any learner of ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. The app features mini-lessons, practice exercises and quizzes with personal stats tracking streaks and points earned along with a leaderboard for our Pūnana Leo and community members. Choose a male or female voice to help you work through the practice exercises. This app was created to provide our Pūnana Leo parents with a strong foundation from which they can build upon to increase the possibility that ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i will become the primary language of communication within the ‘ohana over the course of their child’s K-12 Hawaiian Medium Education (HME) school career. Certain functions like the Leaderboard requires an internet connection.

About

Hākilo

This app guides users through a daily observation practice rooted in Hawaiian epistemology. It uses the Papakū Makawalu framework to prompt reflection on the sky, earth, natural cycles, and internal state. Entries can be made via voice or text, with photo support, and a history view for review.

Highlights
  • Daily observation prompts
  • Papakū Makawalu framework
  • Voice and text input
  • Photo capture
  • Calendar-backed history
  • In-app reference section
  • Place-based identity profile
Features
Read full description

Hākilo's foundation is the Hawaiian practice of kilo - the deep, intentional observation of the world around and within us - and the Papakū Makawalu framework. A DAILY KILO Each day, Hākilo guides your observation through the three main knowledge houses of the Papakū Makawalu framework & an internal check to see how your internal state connects with the environment: • Papahulilani — the space above your head to where the stars sit (sky, wind, temperature, air) • Papahulihonua — the earth and oceans (ground, water, shoreline, land) • Papahanaumoku — all things that give birth, regenerate, and procreate (plants, birds, insects, cycles) • Na'au — how you are feeling internally and what you are grateful for today Answer each question by voice, by typing, or both. Tap the microphone to speak what you observed and Hākilo will transcribe it for you. You can also take a photo on each layer. REVIEW YOUR PRACTICE A calendar-backed history view shows every entry you've made. Open any past day to read, edit, or delete it. LEARN THE FOUNDATIONS An in-app reference section explains: • Papakū Makawalu — the framework that organizes the four daily questions • Kilo — the practice itself • Kaulana Mahina — the Hawaiian lunar calendar, with all 18 moon phases across the three anahulu • Kau — the two primary seasons, Wela and Ho'oilo PLACE-BASED IDENTITY Set up your profile with the place identifiers meaningful to a kilo practice: your mauna, 'āina/moku, wai, and kula. PRIVACY YOU CAN VERIFY • All entries are encrypted at rest using AES-256-GCM. • Hākilo is free, ad-free, and contains no third-party trackers, analytics, or attribution SDKs. • Your kilo is yours alone. There is no public feed and no sharing with other users in this release. • You can delete your account, including all entries and photos, from inside the app at any time. WHO IT'S FOR Students, educators, cultural practitioners, and community members who want to build a daily observation practice rooted in Hawaiian epistemology. Hākilo is built and maintained by the Purple Mai'a Foundation. Mahalo to the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation and the cultural practitioners whose teachings inform the Papakū Makawalu content shown in the app. Support: kokua@purplemaia.org

Screenshots

Kīpaepae4 screens
Hākilo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hākilo at monthly against Kīpaepae's every 3 months. Kīpaepae's advantage is ratings volume (30 vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Kīpaepae against 5.0 for Hākilo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kīpaepae has 30 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kīpaepae ships an update every 3 months, Hākilo monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Kīpaepae versus Hākilo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKīpaepaeHākilo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (30 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings30 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size717 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAha Punana Leo, Inc. (Apps)MAI A PURPLE FOUNDATION

In-app purchases

None

Kīpaepae

No in-app purchases

None

Hākilo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Kīpaepae free?
Kīpaepae is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hākilo free?
Hākilo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Kīpaepae or Hākilo?
Hākilo is rated higher. Kīpaepae averages 4.9 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while Hākilo averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Kīpaepae or Hākilo have ads?
Neither Kīpaepae nor Hākilo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kīpaepae or Hākilo?
Kīpaepae ships an update every 3 months, and Hākilo monthly. Most recently, Kīpaepae was updated on November 3, 2026 and Hākilo on October 31, 2026.

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