# Luminous E vs Nihongo

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nihongo at 91% against Luminous E's 24%. Nihongo also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 6). Luminous E's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Luminous E sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Nihongo sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Nihongo holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nihongo has 1.9K 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 91% of Nihongo's.

Luminous E ships an update every 5 weeks, Nihongo weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Luminous E | Nihongo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminous-e-j-dictionary/id600480308/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-japanese-dictionary/id881697245/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **1.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 23.5% of reviews | **91.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 1021 MB | 492 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [English Channel, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/597837764) | [Serpenti Sei Japan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767544234) |

## 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 |


### Nihongo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-japanese-dictionary/id881697245)

This app is an offline Japanese study tool that functions as a dictionary, translator, and flashcard creator. It helps users learn Japanese by analyzing text from their surroundings, such as signs and menus, and creating personalized study materials.

**Highlights:** Offline Japanese dictionary, Picture-to-text translation (OCR), Automatic flashcard creation, Reading assistant with furigana/romaji, Spaced repetition flashcards, Search in English, Japanese, or romaji

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nihongo Pro (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Nihongo Pro (3 Months) | $11.99 | per 3 months |
| Nihongo Pro (Annual) | $49.99 | per year |
| Pitch Accents | $9.99 | one-time |
| Nihongo Pro (Lifetime) | $179.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent dictionary
- 👍 Comprehensive features
- 🔒 Offline compatibility
- 👍 Helpful example sentences
- 👍 Intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 💰 Subscription model could be expensive
- 🔍 Difficult to manage flashcards

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing issues when tapping on kanji
- Font size problems
- Inconsistent OCR and translation accuracy

**Requested features**

- Handwriting input support
- Customizable flashcard settings
- Monolingual dictionary feature
- Improved backup and sync functionality
- Statistics and progress tracking


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Luminous E free?

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

### Is Nihongo free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Luminous E or Nihongo?

Nihongo is rated higher. Luminous E averages 4.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Nihongo averages 4.8 from 1.9K ratings.

### Do Luminous E or Nihongo have ads?

Neither Luminous E nor Nihongo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Luminous E or Nihongo?

Luminous E ships an update every 5 weeks, and Nihongo weekly. Most recently, Luminous E was updated on September 21, 2026 and Nihongo on September 29, 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.*