Comparison

JEDict vs DaKanji

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

Head to head
About

JEDict

This app helps users learn Japanese kanji and words through various search methods, including readings, English translations, and graphemes. It features handwritten recognition, OCR, stroke order animations, and JLPT lists for comprehensive study.

Highlights
  • Kanji and word search
  • Handwritten kanji recognition
  • Kanji search by graphemes
  • Japanese OCR
  • Kanji stroke order animation
  • JLPT lists
Features
Read full description

JEDict is Japanese kanji and word searching application. It uses the dictionaries from Monash University FTP Archive. The following features are supported: • Kanji and word search by Japanese reading or English translation • Handwritten kanji recognition of all 6355 kanji • Kanji search by graphemes • Japanese optical character recognition • Word by word translation • Japanese kanji stroke order with kanji vector graphics • JLPT lists

About

DaKanji

Learn Japanese with this comprehensive tool. Look up words in a multi-language dictionary, identify Kanji by drawing them, and add pronunciation guides to text. Organize your studies with custom word lists and practice with audio and mnemonics.

Highlights
  • Kanji recognition by drawing
  • Multi-language dictionary
  • Furigana addition to text
  • Customizable word lists
  • Kana table with mnemonics
  • Anki integration
Read full description

Are you learning Japanese? Then you need to try DaKanji! Use the built-in dictionary to look up words in many languages, search Kanjis by simply drawing them, add furigana to texts, and much more! Feature overview: * Recognize 6500+ Kanji and all Kana offline by just drawing them * Use the inbuilt dictionary to look up words offline * Multi-language support: en, es, de, fr, ... * Detailed information about words: pitch accent, related words, ... * Detailed information about Kanji: radicals, JLPT, ... * Example sentences * Drawing or radical-based kanji lookup * 6000+ audios * Create word lists to organize your studies * Kana table with audios and mnemonics * Anki integration to send dictionary entries to Anki * Read any text with ease by adding furigana, spaces, and more to texts * Use it on all your devices: Phone, Tablet or Laptop it doesn't matter!

Screenshots

JEDict4 screens
DaKanji4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: DaKanji at 4.7 against JEDict's 3.0. DaKanji also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and monetization model 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. JEDict sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. DaKanji asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DaKanji holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DaKanji has 12 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of JEDict's written reviews are positive against 77% of DaKanji's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JEDict ships an update every 3 months, DaKanji every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
JEDict versus DaKanji: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJEDictDaKanji
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)4.7 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.6% of reviews76.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings212 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB139 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSergey KurkinDario Klepoch

Customer experience

JEDict

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive70.6%
Neutral5.9%
Negative23.5%

DaKanji

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative23.1%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

JEDict

One-time2
  • JEDict Pro$19.99
  • OSX Basic$23.99
None

DaKanji

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is JEDict free?
JEDict is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DaKanji free?
DaKanji is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, JEDict or DaKanji?
DaKanji is rated higher. JEDict averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while DaKanji averages 4.7 from 12 ratings.
Do JEDict or DaKanji have ads?
Neither JEDict nor DaKanji shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JEDict or DaKanji?
JEDict ships an update every 3 months, and DaKanji every 5 weeks. Most recently, JEDict was updated on September 14, 2026 and DaKanji on September 12, 2026.

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