# Dictionary.com vs Nihongo

Dictionary.com and Nihongo both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 91% of Nihongo's written reviews are positive against 26% of Dictionary.com's. Nihongo also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). Dictionary.com's advantage is ratings volume (328K vs 1.9K) and chart position (#129 vs unranked). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Dictionary.com sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Nihongo sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 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 Dictionary.com against 4.8 for Nihongo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dictionary.com has 328K ratings behind it against 1.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 26% of Dictionary.com's written reviews are positive against 91% of Nihongo's.

Dictionary.com ships an update monthly, Nihongo weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dictionary.com | Nihongo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (328K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dictionarycom-english-words/id308750436/reviews) | [4.8 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-japanese-dictionary/id881697245/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **328K** | 1.9K |
| Positive reviews | 25.7% of reviews | **91.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#129** | — |
| Size | 35 MB | 492 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Curiosity Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/332510497) | [Serpenti Sei Japan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767544234) |

## What reviewers say

### Dictionary.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dictionarycom-english-words/id308750436)

**Currently charting:** #129 Top Free · Reference (US App Store)

Access over 2 million trusted definitions and synonyms for English words. Enhance your vocabulary with daily new words, example sentences, and audio pronunciations. This app provides grammar tips and editorial content to deepen your understanding of the English language.

**Highlights:** 2 million+ definitions and synonyms, Word of the Day, Example sentences, Audio pronunciations, Grammar tips, Search history

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rhyming Dictionary | $1.99 | one-time |
| Grammar & Tips | $1.99 | one-time |
| Idioms & Phrases | $1.99 | one-time |
| Example Sentences | $2.99 | one-time |
| Science Dictionary | $2.99 | one-time |
| Encyclopedia | $2.99 | one-time |
| Offline Dictionary | $2.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Power Pack | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Robust dictionary and thesaurus
- 🤓 Helpful resources like blogs and articles
- 💡 Useful word games and puzzles
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🤩 Great for expanding vocabulary

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent search results and missing definitions
- 💸 Aggressive ads even after paid upgrades
- 🤯 Frequent crashes and performance issues
- 🤔 Confusing layout changes and UI issues
- 🤷‍♀️ Paid features not always working as expected

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working as expected
- Inconsistent behavior when tapping on words
- Offline dictionary not downloading properly
- Frequent crashes and freezes on various devices
- Paid features not unlocking or resetting unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- Dedicated section to display all forms of a word
- Ability to create and manage custom word lists
- Improved offline mode with more functionality
- Better integration with other productivity apps
- More language support beyond just English


### Nihongo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-japanese-dictionary/id881697245)

This app is an offline Japanese study tool that functions as a dictionary, translator, and flashcard creator. It helps users learn Japanese by analyzing text from their surroundings, such as signs and menus, and creating personalized study materials.

**Highlights:** Offline Japanese dictionary, Picture-to-text translation (OCR), Automatic flashcard creation, Reading assistant with furigana/romaji, Spaced repetition flashcards, Search in English, Japanese, or romaji

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nihongo Pro (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Nihongo Pro (3 Months) | $11.99 | per 3 months |
| Nihongo Pro (Annual) | $49.99 | per year |
| Pitch Accents | $9.99 | one-time |
| Nihongo Pro (Lifetime) | $179.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent dictionary
- 👍 Comprehensive features
- 🔒 Offline compatibility
- 👍 Helpful example sentences
- 👍 Intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 💰 Subscription model could be expensive
- 🔍 Difficult to manage flashcards

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing issues when tapping on kanji
- Font size problems
- Inconsistent OCR and translation accuracy

**Requested features**

- Handwriting input support
- Customizable flashcard settings
- Monolingual dictionary feature
- Improved backup and sync functionality
- Statistics and progress tracking


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dictionary.com free?

Dictionary.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Nihongo free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Dictionary.com or Nihongo?

Dictionary.com and Nihongo are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 328K and 1.9K ratings respectively.

### Do Dictionary.com or Nihongo have ads?

Dictionary.com shows ads; Nihongo does not.

### Which is updated more often, Dictionary.com or Nihongo?

Dictionary.com ships an update monthly, and Nihongo weekly. Most recently, Dictionary.com was updated on September 28, 2026 and Nihongo on September 26, 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.*