Learn Japanese by MindSnacks vs effectLang
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Learn Japanese by MindSnacks
Master Japanese reading, writing, and conversation skills through 8 engaging games. Learn over 800 words and phrases with native speaker audio and practice three writing systems. Ideal for all ages, it makes language acquisition fun and effective.
- 8 addictive learning games
- 800+ Japanese words & phrases
- Practice Kana, Kanji, and Romaji
- Native speaker audio for pronunciation
- 50 lessons by expert instructors
- Personalized learning algorithms
- Review mode and additional challenges
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*** One of the best educational apps of the year - Apple (iTunes Rewind) *** Learning Japanese can be intimidating, but we make it easy with 8 addictive games designed to build essential reading, writing & conversation skills. When learning involves beating old high scores instead of flipping flashcards, it’s amazing how quickly you’ll start to speak, read and write Japanese. Perfect for adults and kids, our one-of-a-kind app lets you toggle between three Japanese writing systems: kana, kanji, and romaji. To help with memorization, each lesson contains up to 20 Japanese words & phrases along with matching audio clips from a professional native speaking samurai. Download today to get the first lesson absolutely free, and for all you aspiring ninja wordsmiths, upgrade to access all 50 lessons and additional side quests for 40+ hours of content. It’s time to become one with your touch screen and master the art of speaking Japanese once and for all. * PRESS * USA Today One of the top-three iOS apps that “make the process of learning new words fun.” App Storm “Japanese is a rare example of a beautifully polished and well-designed app and receives a hearty 9 out of 10 rating...It’s cheap, it’s colourful and it’s damn good fun.” App Safari "This app is not just your average, run-of-the-mill crash course... It includes complex exercises, challenges, and lessons that make the learning process fun and effective." * FEATURES * -- 8 addictive and unique games -- 800+ Japanese words & phrases to study and master -- Three ways to practice: Kana, Kanji and Romaji -- Spoken audio clips provided by a native Japanese speaker to help with pronunciation -- Hand-illustrated image library to help memorize words and symbols -- 50 Japanese lessons designed by expert instructors (upgrade required) -- Personalized learning algorithms to maximize memorization, retention & contextual usage -- Enhanced review mode lets you replay previously mastered lessons -- Additional quests & challenges will keep you motivated -- Thoughtful curriculum that may induce smiles and the occasional “booyah!!!” when achieving new high scores * WHAT OUR (SUPER AWESOME) FANS HAVE TO SAY * “I have no Japanese experience, so I was curious what would happen if I gave it a shot. I was immediately hooked and found myself learning the basics without even knowing it.” “I’ve been studying Japanese for 2 years and this is the first time I’ve come across a program I can’t wait to use everyday.” * THE SCIENCE BEHIND MINDSNACKS * At MindSnacks we like to keep it fun, but we’re serious about learning. That’s why our Japanese app includes 8 challenging games designed by education experts. Each game teaches a specific skill and helps create a well-rounded learning experience for both kids and adults that goes well beyond basic flashcards. Of course studying is only worth it if it works, so our unique algorithm reinforces the learning process using proven methods from the field of memory studies. Over time, the games adapt to your individual performance, selectively repeating Japanese words, phrases and grammatical points with which you’ve previously struggled. In other words, as you learn Japanese, the app learns about you for a more effective learning experience. Whether you’re traveling to Japan for pleasure or learning Japanese for business, MindSnacks will help with your grammar and vocab so you can become less reliant on a dictionary or translator. Great for beginning and intermediate learners of Japanese, MindSnacks is like a helpful Japanese teacher that goes where you go and teaches on your terms. * SUPPORT * For more information or support, please contact us at support@mindsnacks.com. Or if you’re feeling social, come on over and like, follow or tweet us. VISIT US: mindsnacks.com FOLLOW US: twitter.com/mindsnacks LIKE US: facebook.com/mindsnacks
effectLang
Master new languages with an effective, free system. Create custom flashcards with images and audio, and utilize spaced repetition for optimal memorization. Learn at your own pace, even offline, with a fun, game-like approach to vocabulary building.
- Custom flashcard creator
- Spaced repetition algorithm
- Image and audio integration
- Offline learning capability
- Excel import/export
- Text-to-speech pronunciation
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Build a vocabulary collection that means something to you. With effectLang, you create your own flashcards from the words and phrases you meet in class, at work or while traveling. Add context, pictures and sound, then practice with scheduled reviews. Your words, your flashcards Create decks for the subjects you want to study. Add an example sentence, a hint or a description to each card. Use tags to organize your vocabulary and choose what to practice. See and hear what you learn Attach your own photos or search for an image in the app. Record your voice or attach an audio file. You can also listen to text-to-speech pronunciation when a suitable voice is available on your device. Supported voices and their quality depend on your device and language. Know when to return Rate your answers to schedule the next review. The home screen highlights a deck with cards due for review, or shows your next scheduled date. After a completed session, see how many cards you practiced and what comes next. Optional review reminders require notification permission; delivery timing depends on your device. Study saved cards offline Your flashcards and progress are stored on your device. You can practice saved cards without an internet connection. Image search, purchases and downloading language resources require internet access. The interface is available in English, Polish and Spanish, independently of the languages on your cards. Free access and Premium The free version allows up to 2 decks with 40 flashcards per deck, plus up to 3 photo additions and 3 audio additions per day. Optional Premium removes these deck, card and daily media limits. Monthly and yearly subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled. Available plans, local prices and billing terms are shown in the app and in the store before purchase. Manage or cancel your subscription in your store account settings. Privacy policy: https://dawidwnukowski.com/apps-privacy-policy/ Terms of use: https://dawidwnukowski.com/flashcards-terms/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Learn Japanese by MindSnacks at 58% against effectLang's 0%. Learn Japanese by MindSnacks also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (436 vs 5). effectLang's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.5). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Learn Japanese by MindSnacks sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and effectLang sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
effectLang holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learn Japanese by MindSnacks has 436 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Learn Japanese by MindSnacks's written reviews are positive against 0% of effectLang's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Learn Japanese by MindSnacks ships an update every 5 weeks, effectLang every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Learn Japanese by MindSnacks | effectLang |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (436 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 58.2% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 436 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 7.1 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 114 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | MindSnacks | Dawid Wnukowski |
Customer experience
Learn Japanese by MindSnacks
effectLang
Bugs and requests
Learn Japanese by MindSnacks
Reported bugs
2 issues- Quests not tracking progress correctly
- App crashing or not working on newer devices
Requested features
5 requests- More languages beyond Japanese
- Writing practice for characters
- Grammar lessons
- Ability to customize/add own vocabulary
- More games and content updates
effectLang
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Learn Japanese by MindSnacks
- 50 Japanese Lessons$4.99
- All Language Pass Upgrade$17.99
- All Language Pass$19.99
effectLang
- Premium3 Days trial$3.491 Month
- Premium3 Days trial$21.491 Year
Questions
Is Learn Japanese by MindSnacks free?
Is effectLang free?
Which has better reviews, Learn Japanese by MindSnacks or effectLang?
Do Learn Japanese by MindSnacks or effectLang have ads?
Which is updated more often, Learn Japanese by MindSnacks or effectLang?
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