# Luminous E vs Shirabe Jisho

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shirabe Jisho at 99% against Luminous E's 24%. Shirabe Jisho also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Luminous E's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Luminous E sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Shirabe Jisho sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Shirabe Jisho holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shirabe Jisho has 8.8K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Luminous E's written reviews are positive against 99% of Shirabe Jisho's.

Luminous E ships an update every 5 weeks, Shirabe Jisho every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Luminous E | Shirabe Jisho |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminous-e-j-dictionary/id600480308/reviews) | **[4.9 (8.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shirabe-jisho/id1005203380/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **8.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 23.5% of reviews | **98.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 1021 MB | 184 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [English Channel, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/597837764) | [Blazej Stanek](https://appshunter.io/developer/1005203379) |

## What reviewers say

### Luminous E

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminous-e-j-dictionary/id600480308)

This comprehensive English-Japanese and Japanese-English dictionary app offers extensive vocabulary and grammar explanations. It includes audio pronunciations, search functionalities, and export options, making it a powerful tool for all English learners.

**Highlights:** Extensive vocabulary (approx. 100,000 entries each), Audio pronunciations for words, Incremental search and spelling suggestions, Bookmark with notes, Export definitions and bookmarks, Daily vocabulary notifications, iPad multitasking and Drag & Drop support

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Luminous activation | $14.99 | one-time |


### Shirabe Jisho

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shirabe-jisho/id1005203380)

This app provides a comprehensive offline Japanese-English and English-Japanese dictionary. It includes extensive entries, kanji details with stroke order, name databases, and example sentences. Features handwriting recognition and advanced search options for efficient language learning.

**Highlights:** Offline Japanese-English dictionary, Kanji with stroke order, Japanese names database, Example sentences with translation, Handwriting recognition, Advanced search (wildcard, radicals), Kanji lists by JLPT level

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Shirabe Extras | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Comprehensive dictionary with many features
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 💡 Ability to draw kanji for lookup
- 🚀 Offline functionality
- 👍 Detailed word information including conjugations, example sentences, and JLPT levels

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Search history can get cluttered
- 👎 Lack of pitch accent information
- 👎 Some example sentences are of poor quality
- 👎 Font size can be difficult to read on smaller screens

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional crashes or freezes
- Inconsistent font sizing in search results

**Requested features**

- Ability to sync bookmarks/lists across devices
- More customization options for flashcards
- Integration with spaced repetition apps like Anki
- Addition of pitch accent information
- Improved search history management


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Luminous E free?

Luminous E is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Shirabe Jisho free?

Shirabe Jisho is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Luminous E or Shirabe Jisho?

Shirabe Jisho is rated higher. Luminous E averages 4.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Shirabe Jisho averages 4.9 from 8.8K ratings.

### Do Luminous E or Shirabe Jisho have ads?

Neither Luminous E nor Shirabe Jisho shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Luminous E or Shirabe Jisho?

Luminous E ships an update every 5 weeks, and Shirabe Jisho every 3 weeks. Most recently, Luminous E was updated on September 21, 2026 and Shirabe Jisho on September 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*