Comparison

iKnow! vs OBICON

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

Head to head
About

iKnow!

Master Japanese, Chinese, and English with this app's adaptive learning engine. It offers multiple study modes and synchronizes your progress across devices for flexible learning. Ideal for anyone looking to efficiently acquire new vocabulary and sentence structures.

Highlights
  • Adaptive learning engine
  • Spaced rehearsal pattern
  • Five study modes
  • Vocabulary and sentence mastery
  • Progress synchronization
  • Audio playback with speed control
Features
Read full description

Enjoy the iKnow! experience on your phone or tablet! All your iKnow! study progress is automatically synched across devices, so you can study in the way that best matches your needs and lifestyle. “Japanese, Chinese, and English” Official courses are offered for studying Japanese, Chinese, and SAT English. The Japanese courses cover the 6,000 most commonly used words in Japanese. The Chinese courses cover the 2,000 most commonly used words in spoken Chinese and over 1,200 words commonly used in newspapers and magazines. (All Chinese courses are available in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese.) All words have sample sentences and audio. “The iKnow! Learning Engine” iKnow! presents items in a spaced rehearsal pattern optimized for efficient learning. iKnow! adapts to differences in learning speeds and item difficulty, constantly measuring memory and predicting performance across all of your items. iKnow! does this by tracking your performance and then predicting your optimal review time on an item-by-item basis. All you have to do is push the study button, and iKnow! tells you what to learn. ************** Features: - Five study modes: iKnow!, Rapid Choice, Self Check, Sentence Trainer, and Listening. - iKnow!: Master words and phrases with our patented learning algorithms. - Rapid Choice: Fast-paced quizzing and review. - Self Check: Judge yourself on what you know and how well. - Sentence Trainer: Master sentence patterns by listening and then dictating. - Listening: Listen to content on the go. You can slow down and loop any audio. - Study progress synched across supported devices.

About

OBICON

This app facilitates class attendance registration, allows users to receive notifications, and check facility congestion. Location tracking is limited to beacon-equipped classrooms and is not used for other purposes. It is developed by People Software Co., Ltd. under contract from J. F. Oberlin University.

Highlights
  • Class attendance registration
  • Receive notifications
  • Check facility congestion
  • Location-based attendance
  • Beacon technology integration
Features
Read full description

「OBICON」は、授業の出席登録、通知の受信、施設の混雑状況の確認などをおこなうアプリです。 このアプリにより位置が特定できるのは、ビーコンが設置された教室にいる場合のみです。この位置に関する情報を、他の用途に使用することはありません。 本アプリは桜美林大学からの委託によりピープルソフトウェア株式会社が開発・登録しています。 大学からの案内等をご確認の上、インストールしてください。

Screenshots

iKnow!4 screens
OBICON3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: iKnow! at 79% against OBICON's 19%. OBICON's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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

Both are free to download. iKnow! sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. OBICON asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iKnow! ships an update every 5 weeks, OBICON monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
iKnow! versus OBICON: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriKnow!OBICON
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (491 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews — better18.9% of reviews
Number of ratings491 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDMM.com LLCJ. F. Oberlin University

Customer experience

iKnow!

All ratings490 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews173 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral6.9%
Negative14.5%

OBICON

Written reviews37 reviews
Positive18.9%
Neutral2.7%
Negative78.4%

Bugs and requests

iKnow!

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Blank screens during multiple-choice questions
  • Issues with typing answers and registering input
  • Audio not playing for some example sentences

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add more languages beyond Japanese and Chinese
  • Improve community course integration
  • Implement a dark mode
  • Add more example sentences per word
  • Provide an option to learn without kanji
Show 2 more
  • Implement a notification system for review reminders
  • Add grammar drills and kanji writing practice

OBICON

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

iKnow!

One-time10
  • 3 Month Plan$23.99
  • 12 Month Plan$39.99
  • 12+1 Month Plan$39.99
Show 7 more
  • 6 Month Plan$47.99
  • 6+1 Month Plan$47.99
  • 12+3 Month Plan$54.99
  • 12 Month Plan$59.99
  • 12 Month Plan$64.99
  • 12+1 Month Plan$64.99
  • 12 Month Plan$69.99
None

OBICON

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iKnow! free?
iKnow! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OBICON free?
OBICON is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do iKnow! or OBICON have ads?
Neither iKnow! nor OBICON shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iKnow! or OBICON?
iKnow! ships an update every 5 weeks, and OBICON monthly. Most recently, iKnow! was updated on October 26, 2026 and OBICON on October 24, 2026.

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