Comparison

No Gi Essentials vs Aikido Weapons

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

Head to head
About

No Gi Essentials

Learn submission grappling techniques and strategies from a renowned instructor. This comprehensive app features private lessons, live rolling footage, and detailed analysis for beginners and intermediates.

Highlights
  • Submission grappling instruction
  • Techniques and strategies
  • Private lessons
  • Live rolling footage
  • Detailed analysis
  • Beginner and intermediate focus
Features
Read full description

Submission grappling, or no gi jiu jitsu, is a timeless expression of the art. In this stunning app, Roy Dean explains the techniques and strategies that make all the difference for beginning and intermediate players. 12 private lessons are featured, plus live rolling footage and analysis. This is a large app, designed for multiple viewings. Chapters include: Welcome Essential Movements Essential Grips Takedowns Armdrag Kimura Guillotine Guard Options Mount Options Sidemount Escapes Opening the Guard Leglock Techniques Leg Combinations No Gi Essentials Rolling Analysis “The more you improve, the more you’ll get out of No Gi Essentials. It is quite possibly Roy Dean’s best DVD to date, an impressive achievement considering the high standard he has set in the past.” -Can Sonmez Slideyfoot.com “If you want smaller details on making your armbar better, tightening your footlocks, or even a few more ideas than you already have, this is a bargain. Consider it the most well thought out 2hr private lesson on no gi grappling you’ll ever get, at one quarter the price!” -Paul Pedrazzi Norcal BJJ Roy Dean holds black belts in several arts, including Judo, Aikido, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is renown for his clear instruction and precise technique.

About

Aikido Weapons

Learn Aikido techniques using traditional weapons like the bokken and jo. View detailed demonstrations from multiple angles, perfect for practice anywhere. Includes a free trial.

Highlights
  • Bokken techniques
  • Jo staff techniques
  • Multi-angle video demonstrations
  • On-the-go training
  • Free trial available
Features
Read full description

Learn aikido weapons work, movement by movement. Ken and jo are trained at a distance, where a few centimeters change everything. Every technique is filmed from three angles and shown again in slow motion, so the detail becomes visible. 120 TECHNIQUES, 600 VIDEOS, TWO WEAPONS • Aikiken — 42 techniques of ken work • Aiki jo — 78 techniques of jo work THREE ANGLES AND SLOW MOTION Front, side, top. Every technique is filmed from these three angles, and you switch between them with a single tap. Multiview brings them together on one screen. Slow motion replays the movement at the speed where the gesture becomes readable. FINDING A TECHNIQUE Type the name of what you are looking for. Each result shows its full path: you know where it comes from before you open it. AT THE DOJO, WITHOUT A NETWORK Videos for a module download the first time you play it. Tatami floors are rarely well covered: once the module is loaded, everything stays readable with no connection. YOUR PLAYLIST Gather the techniques you are working on right now and find them again in one gesture. Useful before a grading, or to pick up a series session after session. WHO IT IS FOR For the practitioner approaching weapons for the first time, the one preparing an examination that includes them, the teacher building a class. You come back to a technique as many times as you need. KEN AND JO The ken is a wooden sword; the jo a staff about one meter thirty long. Two weapons, two distances, two repertoires of techniques. NO SUBSCRIPTION 84 videos are free to watch, with no account to create. After that, a single payment unlocks the full version, once and for all. Take a weapon, open a technique, watch again.

Screenshots

No Gi Essentials3 screens
Aikido Weapons4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Aikido Weapons at Free against No Gi Essentials's $19.99. No Gi Essentials's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 3.0) and review sentiment (87% vs 67%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Aikido Weapons is free to download; No Gi Essentials costs $19.99 up front. No Gi Essentials sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Aikido Weapons sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

No Gi Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: No Gi Essentials has 13 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of No Gi Essentials's written reviews are positive against 67% of Aikido Weapons's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

No Gi Essentials ships an update every 2 months, Aikido Weapons every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
No Gi Essentials versus Aikido Weapons: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNo Gi EssentialsAikido Weapons
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (13 ratings) — better3.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews87.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB9 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperROYDEAN TV LLCibudokan ltd

Customer experience

No Gi Essentials

All ratings13 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive87.0%
Neutral13.0%
Negative0.0%

Aikido Weapons

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral11.1%
Negative22.2%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

No Gi Essentials

One-time1
  • Access The Full Version$19.99
2 purchases

Aikido Weapons

One-time2
  • Aiki Jo / Suburi and Kata$3.99
  • Aiki Ken / Advanced Variations$3.99

Questions

Is No Gi Essentials free?
No Gi Essentials costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Aikido Weapons free?
Aikido Weapons is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, No Gi Essentials or Aikido Weapons?
No Gi Essentials is rated higher. No Gi Essentials averages 4.1 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Aikido Weapons averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.
Do No Gi Essentials or Aikido Weapons have ads?
Neither No Gi Essentials nor Aikido Weapons shows ads.
Which is updated more often, No Gi Essentials or Aikido Weapons?
No Gi Essentials ships an update every 2 months, and Aikido Weapons every 3 months. Most recently, No Gi Essentials was updated on October 16, 2026 and Aikido Weapons on October 4, 2026.

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