# Google Translate vs Nihongo

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nihongo at 91% against Google Translate's 41%. Nihongo also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3). Google Translate's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ratings volume (84K vs 1.9K). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nihongo sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Google Translate asks for nothing beyond the download.

Nihongo holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Translate has 84K ratings behind it against 1.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Google Translate's written reviews are positive against 91% of Nihongo's.

Google Translate ships an update weekly, Nihongo every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Google Translate | Nihongo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (84K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-translate/id414706506/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-japanese-dictionary/id881697245/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **84K** | 1.9K |
| Positive reviews | 41.1% of reviews | **91.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 295 MB | 491 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Google](https://appshunter.io/developer/281956209) | [Serpenti Sei Japan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767544234) |

## What reviewers say

### Google Translate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-translate/id414706506)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Free · Reference, #163 Top Free (US App Store)

Instantly translate text, voice, and images between hundreds of languages. Features include offline translation, real-time conversation translation, and the ability to save frequently used phrases.

**Highlights:** Text translation, Offline translation, Instant camera translation, Photo translation, Voice translation, Conversation translation, Phrasebook

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Spoken Cantonese & Jyutping recently added
- 🚀 Fantastic for translating on the go
- 👍 Easy to navigate
- 👍 Useful for learning languages
- 👍 Offline translation available

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inaccurate translations for some languages
- 🐛 Buggy camera/image translation
- 🐛 Inconsistent translation of formal/informal language
- 🐛 Slow performance, especially offline
- 🐛 Cluttered interface, poor UX design

**Reported bugs**

- Camera translation not working without internet connection
- Inability to select and translate specific text in images
- Inconsistent translation of words with multiple meanings
- Predictive text feature providing inaccurate suggestions

**Requested features**

- Add more language support, especially for minority languages
- Improve accuracy of translations, especially for Asian languages
- Allow manual selection of text in image translation
- Add option to toggle between formal and informal language
- Improve offline performance and functionality


### 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 Google Translate free?

Google Translate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Nihongo free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Google Translate or Nihongo?

Nihongo is rated higher. Google Translate averages 4.3 out of 5 from 84K ratings, while Nihongo averages 4.8 from 1.9K ratings.

### Do Google Translate or Nihongo have ads?

Neither Google Translate nor Nihongo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Google Translate or Nihongo?

Google Translate ships an update weekly, and Nihongo every 6 days. Most recently, Google Translate was updated on September 26, 2026 and Nihongo on September 23, 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.*