Remembering the Kanji vs Satori Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Remembering the Kanji
This app provides flashcards and review tools for learning Japanese kanji using the Heisig method. It offers customizable study lists, mnemonic story saving, stroke order animations, and drawing practice. Learn kanji readings and jukugo, and review lessons from the companion books.
- Flashcards and review slides
- Customizable study lists
- Mnemonic story saving
- Animated stroke order diagrams
- On-screen drawing practice
- Learn kanji readings and jukugo
- Offline access
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"Remembering the Kanji" (Official flashcard and review app for the Heisig method) is a kanji learning App to complement the bestselling kanji books “Remembering the Kanji” (Volumes I, II & III), by Dr. James W. Heisig. * Now updated for Edition 6 of Volume I. For over 40 years, users have benefited from the highly effective Heisig Method for learning Japanese kanji. With this sole official “Remembering the Kanji” app, you now have review slides and flashcards for over 3,000 kanji available on your mobile device! This App is available only on the App Store! Reviews for the Heisig Method: ***** “Fastest way to learn all 2000” — L.S. (Texas) ***** “A great gem in kanji learning” — Z.N. ***** “Fantastic for achieving literacy” — S.C. (Michigan) ***** “It's actually fun! And ‘fun’ matters!” — F.T. ***** “I'd recommend this for serious learners of Japanese” — E.H. (Illinois) What is special about this App? - It is portable, allowing for review anywhere, anytime, without the need for an internet connection. - It is the first and only authorized "Remembering the Kanji" App. - It is customizable to your needs and preferences. - It has an easy-to-use interface. - It is reasonably priced. What this great App can help you with: - Creating your own study lists and generating flashcards for you to review what you have learned — You’ll love the flashcards function! - Saving notes for your own imaginative mnemonic stories for each kanji in "Remembering the Kanji" Volume I. Whenever you need to jog your memory to recall the story behind a kanji — refer to the App! - Learning the stroke order of each and every kanji with fantastic animated diagrams! - Practicing drawing each kanji with your finger on screen, and comparing your result with a written form of the kanji. - Learning the readings (pronunciations) of each and every kanji in "Remembering the Kanji". Also, learn the readings of kanji combination words (jukugo). - Reviewing each lesson for Volumes I, II & III of the "Remembering the Kanji" books with easy-to-use review slides. - Looking up the meaning of primitive elements quickly. - Looking up kanji by stroke number. - Searching for key words and finding the kanji you want in an instant. Take your kanji knowledge to the next level with this convenient and easy-to-use App! Copyright Notice: Kanji data is Copyright © 2013 James W. Heisig KanjiVG data is Copyright © 2013 Ulrich Apel
Satori Reader
Enhance your Japanese reading and listening skills with engaging stories written by native speakers. Features adaptive kanji, smart definitions, and spaced repetition to build vocabulary. Get clarity with friendly annotations and human feedback.
- Compelling stories by native speakers
- Audio narration by voice actors
- Adaptive kanji presentation
- Smart word definitions
- Friendly annotations
- Spaced repetition vocabulary review
- Human feedback and support
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Ready to take your Japanese reading and listening comprehension to the next level? Welcome to Satori Reader. COMPELLING STORIES Read from a growing library of engrossing stories written by native speakers for intermediate students, across genres such as fantasy, slice-of-life, thrillers, documentaries, news, and more. AUDIO Tap any sentence to hear it read aloud by native voice actors (no robots!). ADAPTIVE KANJI USAGE Crack the chicken-and-egg problem of reading kanji with our unique presentation engine, which adjusts the Japanese text to accommodate your actual knowledge. This allows you to challenge yourself for the kanji you should know without being overwhelmed by what you don't. SMART DEFINITIONS Tap any word for a definition. This is more than just an automated lookup. Satori Reader shows the actual sense of each word as it's being used in the sentence. For example, the particle の has many uses: it can indicate possession; it can turn the preceding verb or phrase into a noun; it can stand in for another word; and more. We show you exactly what is happening in every instance of every word. FRIENDLY ANNOTATIONS Gray underlines indicate longer annotations that break down tricky expressions, provide cultural background, or help you to read between the lines. Our editors work hard to anticipate what might be confusing and proactively help you to make sense of things. Good-bye, confusion. Hello, clarity! SPACED REPETITION SYSTEM (SRS) The built-in spaced repetition review system helps you to build your vocabulary. Create review cards instantly as you read. Each card you create takes along a snapshot of the sentence in which you encountered the word, further helping to cement it in your memory. You can even play back the audio of that sentence while reviewing the word! HUMAN FEEDBACK Still confused about something? Just ask in the discussion section below each episode. Our team of friendly human beings is ready to help. Satori Reader is built by a team that cares. Our goal is to bring satori (enlightenment) into your Japanese reading life. Set up a free account today, and let's get started. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS ▪ OPTIONS: Download the app for free and enjoy unlimited access to the first two episodes of each series (new series released regularly), plus complete access to special series such as Closeup: Obon Society. Subscribed for unlimited access to the entire Satori Reader library of more than 1200 episodes (new episodes released each week), including crystal-clear audio, helpful annotations, and real human feedback. Try your first month FREE (limit one per customer; cannot be used in combination with other introductory offers; offers subject to change). ▪ EXTRAS: Your subscription to Satori Reader comes with complimentary web access, as well as access to Satori Reader on all your smartphones and tablets. ▪ PRIVACY POLICY: https://www.satorireader.com/privacy ▪ TERMS OF SERVICE: https://www.satorireader.com/terms ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS ▪ Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase (following any trial period). ▪ Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. ▪ Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. ▪ Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. ▪ Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. ▪ Cancel your subscription at any time. If you cancel, you will retain full access to Satori Reader for the period you paid for and you will not be billed again. If you have any questions, write to support@satorireader.com for speedy assistance. Thank you for your business!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Satori Reader at Free against Remembering the Kanji's $10.99. Satori Reader also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.4) and review sentiment (90% vs 62%). Remembering the Kanji's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Satori Reader is free to download; Remembering the Kanji costs $10.99 up front. Satori Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Remembering the Kanji asks for nothing beyond the download.
Satori Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Satori Reader has 218 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Remembering the Kanji's written reviews are positive against 90% of Satori Reader's.
Remembering the Kanji ships an update every 2 months, Satori Reader every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 18, 2026.
| Parameter | Remembering the Kanji | Satori Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $10.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.4 (24 ratings) | 4.8 (218 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 61.9% of reviews | 90.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 24 | 218 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Mirai Apps | Brak Software, Inc. |
Customer experience
Remembering the Kanji
Satori Reader
User reviews
Remembering the Kanji
From 24 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📚 Excellent companion to Heisig books
- ✍️ Stroke order animations and writing practice
- 🎯 Organized by lessons for easy review
- 📋 Customizable study lists
- 💾 Ability to add personal stories and notes
Room to improve
- 📖 No Heisig stories included (copyright issues)
- 🔄 Lacks spaced repetition system (SRS)
- 📱 Portrait mode only, no landscape support
- 🔍 Search defaults to numbers instead of letters
- 💾 Data loss after updates (study lists, stories)
Satori Reader
From 218 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent for improving reading and listening skills
- 👍 Detailed grammar and vocabulary explanations
- 🎨 Customizable display settings for kanji/furigana
- 💡 Integrated spaced repetition flashcard system
- 🎧 High-quality voice acting and audio
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional app crashes or sync issues
- 🕰️ Lack of speed control for audio playback
- 💰 Subscription-based model can be expensive
- 🔍 Limited search/navigation functionality
Bugs and requests
Remembering the Kanji
Reported bugs
12 issues- Study lists and stories deleted after updates
- Backup crashes on iOS devices
- App crashes when adding multiple kanji to study list
- Flashcard progress not saving
- Import function crashes with CSV files
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Stroke order differs from book for some kanji
- App crashes on older devices (iPhone 3G, iPad 2)
- Flashcard settings reset when switching modes
- Lessons skip kanji from book
- Notes not displaying on flashcards
- Study list progress not resuming after pause
- Occasional crashes during flashcard function
Requested features
16 requests- Include Heisig stories from the book
- Add spaced repetition system (SRS/Anki-style)
- Landscape/split-screen support for iPad
- Search default to alphabetical letters
- Expand story/notes display area
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Clickable primitive elements linking to related kanji
- Progress tracking and resume functionality
- Audio pronunciation support
- Kanji compound meaning translations on flashcards
- Highlight/bold/italicize text in story area
- Drawing practice integrated into flashcard review
- Sync progress across devices
- RTK 3 support
- Visual progress indicators and motivation features
- Backup to cloud storage
- Timed repetition system
Satori Reader
Reported bugs
2 issues- Login issues and account creation problems
- Syncing and loading delays on some devices
Requested features
4 requests- Dark mode option
- Ability to loop audio playback
- Kanji lookup/learning tools integration
- More advanced/diverse content selection
In-app purchases
Remembering the Kanji
No in-app purchases
Satori Reader
- Satori Reader Monthly1 Month trial4 variants$8.991 Month
- Satori Reader Annual1 Month trial$89.991 Year
- Satori Reader Annual1 Year trial3 variants$89.991 Year
Questions
Is Remembering the Kanji free?
Is Satori Reader free?
Which has better reviews, Remembering the Kanji or Satori Reader?
Do Remembering the Kanji or Satori Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, Remembering the Kanji or Satori Reader?
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