Comparison

Migaku vs Kana Reading Trainer

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

Head to head
About

Migaku

This app helps you learn languages by making content you enjoy interactive. Click on words in subtitles or text to get instant definitions, create flashcards, and personalize study sessions. It aims to help you understand 80% of modern media with around 1,500 essential words.

Highlights
  • Interactive text and subtitles
  • One-click flashcard creation
  • Personalized study sessions
  • Data-driven courses
  • AI-powered explanations
  • Supports YouTube and pasted content
Features
Read full description

Learning languages is actually pretty simple: if you consume content you enjoy, and you understand that content, you will make progress. Period. Migaku (and its Chrome browser extension) enables you to do that: 1. Our courses take you from zero to 80% comprehension in ~6 months (10 cards/day) 2. We make text interactive: click words in your phone's YouTube subtitles to see what they mean 3. We let you make media-rich flashcards out of those words with one click 4. We make personalized study sessions out of the flashcards you create 5. Repeat! Whether you're learning Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Spanish, Italian, German, Cantonese, Portuguese, English, French or Vietnamese, Migaku equips you with the tools you need to make real progress. Migaku requires a paid subscription to access its courses, features, and AI tools. Migaku – AI Language Learning Tool ■ How languages are really learned: If you want to watch movies in other languages, then you need to learn languages with movies. If you want to read books in other languages, then you need to learn languages by reading. As you spend more time doing the things you enjoy doing in the language you're learning, you'll build the unique skills you need to more easily do those things. Unfortunately, it's difficult to read books and watch movies in another language as a beginner. And that's where Migaku comes in ■ Data-driven courses for beginners The problem with most apps and textbooks is that they teach you what someone else thinks language learners need to know, and those things may not reflect what you actually need to learn to do the things that are important to you. This matters because not all words are used equally often: while a college-educated native speaker knows ~30,000 words, you only need to know ~1,500 words to recognize 80% of the words in modern media. Our flashcard-based courses teach you these ~1,500 words—the ones that are useful to everyone, no matter their goals—plus a few hundred basic grammar points. What makes our courses special is that every "next" flashcard contains only one new word, making Migaku's learning curve super smooth. You're always learning something new, but never overwhelmed. It's a fluent language learning approach. Migaku courses are currently available for Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean. ■ Turn subtitles and text into interactive language learning opportunities Migaku makes texts interactive: just click on words to see what they mean. You can also hear audio recordings from native speakers, reference images of the term, check example sentences, get an AI explanation of what the word means in context, have AI break sentences down for you word-by-word, or see a translation of the sentence that your word appears in. Basically, Migaku lets you consume content in another language as if you knew as many words as a native speaker. Our mobile app supports YouTube, manually pasted content, and physical content like books or street signs. Our Chrome extension supports web pages and several popular streaming websites. ■ Create custom study cards or import language flashcards Find a useful looking word while consuming content? Turn it into a high-quality flashcard with one button, and Migaku's spaced repetition language practice algorithm will create personalized study sessions for you. You'll be nudged to review these flashcards periodically, ensuring you remember them. Decks designed for the Anki flashcard app can be converted for use with Migaku, too. ■ Study anywhere, even offline Migaku's courses and any flashcards you make are available offline and automatically sync between all of your devices. ■ Learn multiple languages at once A single Migaku subscription gives you access to all of Migaku's languages and lets you use all of Migaku's features and AI language learning tools as much as you want. - - - Immerse → enjoy → improve

About

Kana Reading Trainer

Read full description

Build real Japanese reading speed with focused kana practice. Many learners memorize the hiragana and katakana charts but still struggle to read actual Japanese words quickly. Kana Reading Trainer helps bridge that gap. Instead of memorizing individual characters, you train your brain to recognize kana patterns and read words naturally. The app includes drills, quizzes, and speed exercises designed to improve reading fluency. Practice Hiragana and Katakana Reading Train with structured exercises that gradually increase reading speed and accuracy. Learn to recognize kana instantly without needing to mentally translate each character. Flash Reading Mode Practice reading kana words quickly. Words appear one after another, training your brain to recognize kana patterns instead of slowly decoding characters. This builds natural reading speed. Kana Word Drills Practice reading common Japanese words written in kana. Examples include: さくら ねこ みず コーヒー テレビ Each word includes pronunciation and optional audio support. Speed Challenge Test how fast you can read kana. Measure your reading speed and track improvement over time. Try to beat your previous score. Mixed Kana Practice Many learners struggle when hiragana and katakana appear together. This mode trains you to recognize both scripts in the same exercise. Kana Quiz Mode Multiple choice quizzes help reinforce recognition. Choose the correct reading for kana words and strengthen your recall. Perfect for Beginners Kana Reading Trainer is ideal for learners who: • already learned the hiragana and katakana charts • want to read faster • are preparing for JLPT N5 or N4 • struggle with kana reading speed Continue Learning with Yomikai Once you can read kana comfortably, the next step is reading real Japanese. Yomikai helps you practice with graded reading stories, audio narration, and vocabulary support. Visit: https://yomikai.com More Japanese Learning Apps Hiragana Practice – Learn Kana https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hiragana-practice-learn-kana/id6759808213 Katakana Practice – Learn Kana https://apps.apple.com/us/app/katakana-practice-learn-kana/id6759991781 Japanese Verb Conjugator https://apps.apple.com/us/app/japanese-verb-conjugator/id6759823197 JapanMate AI – Travel Assistant https://apps.apple.com/us/app/japanmate-ai/id6758231759 Features • Kana reading drills • Flash reading exercises • Speed challenge mode • Hiragana and katakana practice • Reading quizzes • Audio pronunciation • Offline functionality No accounts required. No tracking. Works completely offline. Start reading Japa

Screenshots

Migaku4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kana Reading Trainer at none against Migaku's 10. Migaku's advantage is device support. On price and iOS requirement 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. Migaku sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $14.00 per month. Kana Reading Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Migaku versus Kana Reading Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMigakuKana Reading Trainer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (378 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings378 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNo—
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — better—
Requires iOS16.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB44 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMigaku Inc.IAN PATRICK MAHONEY

Bugs and requests

Migaku

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unable to create new accounts in the app
  • Broken kanji course with empty cards
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline mode for learning on the go
  • Expanded support for more languages
  • Better integration with Anki and other SRS apps
  • More customization options for flashcards and reviews

Kana Reading Trainer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Migaku

Subscriptions6
  • Migaku Standard2 variants$14.001 Month
  • Migaku Standard7 Days trial$14.001 Month
  • Early Access$21.001 Month
Show 3 more
  • Migaku Standard$136.991 Year
  • Migaku Standard7 Days trial$136.991 Year
  • Early Access$179.991 Year
One-time3
  • Lifetime$289.00
  • Lifetime$344.99
  • Lifetime$359.00
None

Kana Reading Trainer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Migaku free?
Migaku is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kana Reading Trainer free?
Kana Reading Trainer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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