Gengou vs Fast Memo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Gengou
Quickly convert between Japanese era names and Christian era years. Features include era and year searches, period and era pickers, and the ability to display text in Japanese or English.
- Era and Year Search
- Period Picker
- Era Picker
- Christian Era Year Picker
- Japanese Era Year Picker
- Show This Year Button
- Dual Language Support (JP/EN)
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"Gengou" is a quick reference of the Japanese era system. This application has functions as below. - Era and Year Search - Period picker - Era picker - Christian era year picker - Japanese era year picker - Show this year button - Texts can be shown in Japanese or English independently of the default language setting. - Application badge can show this year number in the Japanese era or the Christian era. The Japanese era system identifies a year by the combination of the era name (Gengou or Nengou) and the year number within the era. For example, A.D. 2001 is Heisei 13. Please note that two Gengou schemes were used in Parallel from 1331 to 1392 during Nanboku-chō period. This application would be very useful if you are working with the governments, municipal offices and/or certain companies in Japan.
Fast Memo
This app provides a simple and intuitive way to jot down quick notes and reminders, functioning like a digital pen and paper. It focuses on essential note-taking without unnecessary features, allowing for easy entry and retrieval of keywords. Memos can be easily shared via email or other cloud services for further organization.
- Quick memo entry
- Keyword-based organization
- Email memo sharing
- Evernote integration
- Google Drive upload
- Widget support
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Fast Memo is a very handy editor, like a pen and sheet of paper, always by your side. Just tap the Fast Memo icon, and you will be able to take a memo. If you run out of toothpaste tonight and need to buy some tomorrow, take a memo. A single word, toothpaste, should be enough to remind you. You don't need to enter dates or organize your memos. Unnecessary features and functions are a nuisance when you just want to take memos. All you have to do is simply keep entering keywords and scroll down. Fast Memo is software for this simple task. Saved logs can be searched not only by word search, but also by meaning with “AI Smart Search.” This feature lets AI find notes with similar meanings, even when the text does not match exactly like a word search. It uses the OS’s on-device AI and does not communicate with external servers. You can manage your notes by sending them to Google Drive, Evernote, iCloud, or Mail. You can add a widget to check your notes from the Lock Screen while shopping. By installing FastMemo 2, you can use two FastMemo apps. On iPad, FastMemo is also useful for writing slightly longer text with a Bluetooth keyboard. If you have any inquiries or requests, please email us. We also welcome reviews of Fast Memo. email : info@bbcddc.com X(Twitter) : http://x.com/bbcddc
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Fast Memo at 5.0 against Gengou's 3.8. Fast Memo also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 42 months) and review sentiment (76% vs 66%). Gengou's advantage is ratings volume (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Gengou costs $0.99 and Fast Memo $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Fast Memo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Gengou's written reviews are positive against 76% of Fast Memo's.
Gengou ships an update every 42 months, Fast Memo every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Gengou | Fast Memo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| Rating | 3.8 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.1% of reviews | 76.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 42 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Masayuki Akamatsu | bbcddc |
Customer experience
Gengou
Fast Memo
In-app purchases
Gengou
No in-app purchases
Fast Memo
No in-app purchases
