Furigana Reader vs Furigana Notepad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Furigana Reader
This app automatically adds furigana (ruby annotations) to Japanese websites, providing instant readings for kanji. It offers a reader mode, dictionary lookup, and customizable display options to enhance your Japanese browsing experience.
- Automatic furigana annotations
- Reader mode for distraction-free articles
- In-page dictionary lookup
- Built-in ad and tracker blocker
- Customizable ruby text appearance
- Romaji support (Hepburn/Wapuro)
- Share and action extensions
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Furigana Reader adds furigana (ruby annotations) to any Japanese website automatically, helping you read kanji you don't know yet. FEATURES - Automatic Furigana: Browse any website and get instant hiragana or romaji readings above kanji - Reader Mode: View articles in a clean, distraction-free layout with furigana - Dictionary Lookup: Tap any annotated word in reader mode to look up its definition - Ad Blocker: Built-in ad and tracker blocking for a cleaner browsing experience - Customizable: Adjust ruby text size, color, and opacity to your preference - Romaji Support: Choose between Hepburn and Wapuro romanization styles - Share Extension: Open pages from Safari or any browser via the share sheet - Action Extension: Quick-open the current page with furigana from Safari's toolbar - Dark Mode: Full support for light and dark appearances HOW IT WORKS Furigana Reader accurately analyzes Japanese text and generates readings in real time. The engine handles complex cases including counters, dates, and special number readings. PERFECT FOR - Japanese language learners at any level - Reading news, blogs, and articles in Japanese - Anyone who encounters unfamiliar kanji while browsing
Furigana Notepad
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Furigana Notepad is a notepad that lets you give any word in your notes the reading (furigana / ruby text) you like, and keeps it. Creative readings such as η΄ζγγ‘γγγ, or readings for kanji you cannot read yet: you decide. Built for novel and script drafts, dialogue readings, and Japanese study. Select text and add a reading. Register readings you use often in a dictionary, and they appear automatically from then on. Assign a dictionary per folder to switch readings by project or by textbook. β Manual ruby Select any range of text and give that one spot its own reading β useful when the same kanji is read differently depending on context, such as a character's line in a novel. You can register it to the dictionary from the same dialog. β Automatic furigana Register a word and its reading, and matching text in your notes gets ruby text automatically. Assign a dictionary per folder to keep multiple stories or study sets separate. Reorder a folder's dictionaries to set their priority; when the same word is in more than one, the reading from the higher one is used. Words in the Shared Dictionary apply to every memo regardless of folder settings. β Live ruby preview while editing Split the editor into two panes. The lower pane shows your text with ruby applied as you type, so you can check the result without switching to view mode. β Select and copy in view mode Select the body text and copy it as plain text. When you want ruby text included, use the novel-site notation export instead. β Novel-site ruby notation export Supports four formats: Narou-style (ο½kanjiγrubyγ), pixiv, Alphapolis, and HTML. Converts your text so it can be pasted straight into novel submission sites. β Import from novel-site notation Paste text written in Narou-style, pixiv, Alphapolis, or HTML ruby notation, and it becomes a note with ruby text applied. The format is detected automatically, and the readings it contains can be registered to a dictionary in one go. β PDF export with furigana Create a PDF with ruby text, choosing vertical or horizontal writing, paper size (A4 / B5), typeface (Mincho / Gothic), font size, characters per line, line spacing, and margins. Share, save, or print it (Premium feature). β Note management Full-text search, pinning, a trash (auto-deletes after 30 days, with undo), and autosave are all built in. Folders can be nested without limit, sorted by name or update time, and moved by dragging. β Your data and Premium No account required. Memos are stored on your device and never uploaded to our servers (OS backups follow your device settings). The free version shows ads. Watch a video for 24 hours ad-free, or buy Premium once for permanent ad-free use and PDF export. See the privacy policy for how ads and crash reporting handle data. Whether you're writing a novel or studying Japanese, the readings are yours to decide. Service names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Furigana Notepad at every 2 days against Furigana Reader's every 3 weeks. Furigana Notepad also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Furigana Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Furigana Notepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Furigana Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, Furigana Notepad every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Furigana Reader | Furigana Notepad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | β |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 days β better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | β |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Akito | QuickServe Corporation |
In-app purchases
Furigana Reader
- Remove Ads$0.99
Furigana Notepad
- Premium$2.99
Questions
Is Furigana Reader free?
Is Furigana Notepad free?
Do Furigana Reader or Furigana Notepad have ads?
Which is updated more often, Furigana Reader or Furigana Notepad?
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