N4 vs Sumiyomi
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
N4
Master JLPT N4 grammar with this app. It organizes sentence patterns with clear explanations in Chinese and provides practice questions. Easily mark difficult words for review to improve your exam performance.
- JLPT N4 grammar organization
- Detailed sentence pattern explanations
- Chinese language explanations
- Word marking for review
- Over 300 practice questions
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1. The grammatical explanations are aligned with the new Japanese Language Proficiency Test standards, including various sentence patterns, and fully comply with the new test guidelines. Contains over 300 grammar practice questions. 2. Allows learners to easily master the material in their spare time. 3. Compiles all sentence patterns required for the JLPT N4 reading section, organized in a simple and easy‑to‑understand way, with detailed explanations of each pattern. No professional grammar terminology beyond the learning scope is used. The app can be comfortably operated with one hand, making learning more efficient. 4. Includes detailed explanations. Through repeated practice with various question types, learners can achieve complete mastery. Whenever they encounter difficulties, they can always review the explanations to fully grasp the meaning and usage of each grammar pattern. 5. When encountering difficult or hard‑to‑memorize vocabulary, users can mark words with three different types of symbols. By tapping on any symbol‑marked word, they can repeatedly reinforce their practice. 6. In addition to providing Chinese translations for the example sentences within the grammar explanations, the app also allows users to check explanations anytime they encounter something they don't understand. This effectively helps learners master key grammar points and sentence structures, strengthening their overall grasp of grammar patterns. 7. Supports iPhone 4 and above, as well as all iPad models.
Sumiyomi
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Read the Japanese you already have. Paste a sentence or scan a photo, add furigana, and save useful words for daily review. READ AT YOUR OWN PACE • See hiragana readings above kanji, or switch to Kana and Romaji. • Tap words to check their readings, hear pronunciation and save them. Look up meanings with an installed system dictionary or open Jisho online. • Listen to Japanese text at your preferred speed. Edit the source without losing your place in the reading flow. FROM PHOTO TO READABLE TEXT Recognize Japanese in a photo or screenshot. Compare the original image with the recognized text, zoom in, correct mistakes, then add readings. KEEP THE WORDS YOU WANT TO LEARN Save words while reading and return for spaced review. Reveal the reading, choose Forgot, Fuzzy or Got it, and continue later with your progress saved. History, search, CSV export and Home and Lock Screen widgets help you revisit what you have read. FREE CORE TOOLS, OPTIONAL PREMIUM Core reading tools, word review and single-image OCR are free, with no ads. Optional Premium adds batch image and PDF OCR for up to 20 pages, saved document projects and iCloud sync for history, favorite words and review progress. Saved projects let you proofread, resume from your last-read page and export text. Readings and OCR run on your device. Online lookups and iCloud sync need an internet connection. Document projects and original images stay on this device and do not sync through iCloud. Designed for iPhone and iPad, with light and dark themes and 15 interface languages, including Italian. Reading assistance is not a translation service; automatically generated readings and OCR may need correction. Turn reading into your own study materials Save words with their original sentences and document page references. Add your own meanings and notes, organize cards by material, review due words in context, and export text for desktop Anki. Keep up to 10 context cards for free; Premium lets you create more without this cap. Existing cards remain usable after expiry. Anki export does not transfer review schedules. • Select several words from the current page and save their context cards together. • Rename materials, move cards between materials and fill in meanings one after another. • Switch between sentences for the same word during review and edit the current sentence’s meaning. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Sumiyomi at Free against N4's $9.99. Sumiyomi also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). N4's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On 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
Sumiyomi is free to download; N4 costs $9.99 up front. Sumiyomi sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. N4 asks for nothing beyond the download.
N4 ships an update every 6 months, Sumiyomi every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | N4 | Sumiyomi |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yamase & Touwa Japanese Insititute | 昶 黄 |
In-app purchases
N4
No in-app purchases
Sumiyomi
- Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
- Premium Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year









