Comparison

Aikido Weapons vs ShotokanKata

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

Head to head
About

Aikido Weapons

Learn Aikido techniques using traditional weapons like the bokken and jo. View detailed demonstrations from multiple angles, perfect for practice anywhere. Includes a free trial.

Highlights
  • Bokken techniques
  • Jo staff techniques
  • Multi-angle video demonstrations
  • On-the-go training
  • Free trial available
Features
Read full description

Learn aikido weapons work, movement by movement. Ken and jo are trained at a distance, where a few centimeters change everything. Every technique is filmed from three angles and shown again in slow motion, so the detail becomes visible. 120 TECHNIQUES, 600 VIDEOS, TWO WEAPONS • Aikiken — 42 techniques of ken work • Aiki jo — 78 techniques of jo work THREE ANGLES AND SLOW MOTION Front, side, top. Every technique is filmed from these three angles, and you switch between them with a single tap. Multiview brings them together on one screen. Slow motion replays the movement at the speed where the gesture becomes readable. FINDING A TECHNIQUE Type the name of what you are looking for. Each result shows its full path: you know where it comes from before you open it. AT THE DOJO, WITHOUT A NETWORK Videos for a module download the first time you play it. Tatami floors are rarely well covered: once the module is loaded, everything stays readable with no connection. YOUR PLAYLIST Gather the techniques you are working on right now and find them again in one gesture. Useful before a grading, or to pick up a series session after session. WHO IT IS FOR For the practitioner approaching weapons for the first time, the one preparing an examination that includes them, the teacher building a class. You come back to a technique as many times as you need. KEN AND JO The ken is a wooden sword; the jo a staff about one meter thirty long. Two weapons, two distances, two repertoires of techniques. NO SUBSCRIPTION 84 videos are free to watch, with no account to create. After that, a single payment unlocks the full version, once and for all. Take a weapon, open a technique, watch again.

About

ShotokanKata

Master martial arts sequences with detailed illustrations and adjustable animation speeds. Track your progress, zoom into details, and practice in various modes to perfect your kata forms. Supports multiple languages.

Highlights
  • Detailed kata illustrations
  • Adjustable animation speeds
  • Zoomable graphics
  • Progress tracking to-do list
  • Portrait and landscape modes
  • Multiple background options
Features
Read full description

*** We are constantly improving our App. Thus we are thankful for every hint. *** Discover our App ShotokanKata! Have you already experienced this situation? You study a kata form, than let it slide and soon you forget the sequence. So it happens often, that the student forgets the next step in the middle of the kata form. „If I only had the chance to look the sequence up real quick, then I would master it pretty soon again.“ Even prospects and beginners can easily follow the kata sequences because of many illustrations. This App is supposed to be nothing else, than the required support and even more: • Which kata did I study last ? The list with the kata forms is build as a to-do-list. Depending on your progress, you can hook a kata off to change its order for a better overview. •The portrait mode allows you to recognize and study important details, since illustrations are bigger. • Illustrations can be zoomed in. • Two final techniques are always bound with three movements inbetween. Thus you can exactly follow how to get from one technique to another. • 3 different animation speeds and free scrolling allow you to adjust the app to the individual learning progress. • Landscape mode offers you a view of multiple graphics at one time to be able to better follow the sequences. • Eight freely eligible backgrounds put you in the right training mood. • Always available legend allows you to look up the symbols really fast. This App contains 3 Shôtôkan-Kata inc. 3 Enbusens: Taikyoku shodan Heian shodan Heian nidan The upgrade to "ShotokanPro" contains additional 24 Shôtôkan-Kata: Heian sandan Heian yondan Heian godan Tekki shodan Tekki nidan Tekki sandan Bassai dai Bassai shô Kankû dai Kankû shô Empi Hangetsu Jion Jitte Ji’in Chinte Gankaku Nijû shi ho Sôchin Wankan Meikyô Gojû shi ho dai Gojû shi ho shô Unsu Enbusens: Contain all Enbusens for each Kata We wish you a lot of fun at practicing and hope that we could support you a little bit ! Available in german, english, french, italian and spanish.

Screenshots

Aikido Weapons4 screens
ShotokanKata4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ShotokanKata at 4.8 against Aikido Weapons's 3.0. ShotokanKata also leads on ratings volume (46 vs 1) and review sentiment (81% vs 67%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Aikido Weapons sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and ShotokanKata sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ShotokanKata holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ShotokanKata has 46 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Aikido Weapons's written reviews are positive against 81% of ShotokanKata's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Aikido Weapons versus ShotokanKata: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAikido WeaponsShotokanKata
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (1 ratings)4.8 (46 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews81.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings146 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.412.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB121 MB
Age rating+44+
Developeribudokan ltdSpectra-Verlag

Customer experience

Aikido Weapons

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral11.1%
Negative22.2%

ShotokanKata

All ratings46 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive81.5%
Neutral1.9%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Aikido Weapons

One-time2
  • Aiki Jo / Suburi and Kata$3.99
  • Aiki Ken / Advanced Variations$3.99
10 purchases

ShotokanKata

One-time10
  • Sochin$1.99
  • Heian godan$1.99
  • Heian sandan$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Heian yondan$1.99
  • Tekki shodan$1.99
  • Tekki nidan$1.99
  • Bassai dai$1.99
  • Kanku dai$1.99
  • Empi$1.99
  • All kata unlocked$19.99

Questions

Is Aikido Weapons free?
Aikido Weapons is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ShotokanKata free?
ShotokanKata is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Aikido Weapons or ShotokanKata?
ShotokanKata is rated higher. Aikido Weapons averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while ShotokanKata averages 4.8 from 46 ratings.
Do Aikido Weapons or ShotokanKata have ads?
Neither Aikido Weapons nor ShotokanKata shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Aikido Weapons or ShotokanKata?
Aikido Weapons ships an update every 3 months, and ShotokanKata every 3 months. Most recently, Aikido Weapons was updated on November 5, 2026 and ShotokanKata on November 6, 2026.

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