Comparison

Immersion Reader vs Sottaku

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

Head to head
About

Immersion Reader

Easily look up Japanese words while reading ebooks with a single tap. Import custom dictionaries and export saved vocabulary for spaced repetition learning. Offers customizable themes for a comfortable reading experience.

Highlights
  • One-tap word lookup in Japanese ebooks
  • Import Yomichan and frequency dictionaries
  • Export vocabulary to Anki
  • Light and dark mode themes
  • Lookup neighboring words
Features
Read full description

Look up Japanese words as you read! Features - One tap to look up words in Japanese Ebooks. Tabs to help you look up neighboring words - Import Yomichan dictionaries and frequency dictionaries - Export saved vocabulary to Anki via Anki Dojo - Light mode, dark mode, and other themes for the dictionary

About

Sottaku

Master Chinese, Japanese, and Korean vocabulary with this app. It offers fast lookups, audio pronunciation, spaced repetition, and interactive quizzes. A browser extension and community chat are also available for enhanced learning.

Highlights
  • Fast word and sentence lookups
  • Audio pronunciation and furigana
  • Spaced repetition flashcards
  • Quick quizzes and challenge modes
  • Community chat feature
  • Companion browser extension
Features
Read full description

Sottaku is a language learning app where you can study up to 15 languages: Japanese, Korean, Chinese, English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Russian, Latin, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Arabic, Hebrew and Hindi. Study with fast lookups, grammar explanations, audio, flashcards, quizzes and spaced repetition, then bring the language into real conversations by discovering language exchange partners and talking in Sottaku Chat. • Discover learners and native speakers for language exchange • Chat with partners and the Sottaku community • Search words and example sentences • Explore grammar guides and sentence breakdowns where available • Furigana (reading hints) and audio for reading & listening where available • Save words as flashcards and review with smart scheduling • Quick quizzes and challenge modes to stay consistent • Use our companion browser extension, Sottaku-Yomitan, to look up words while reading online (Chrome/Firefox/Edge) • Sync your progress across devices when you sign in Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Immersion Reader4 screens
Sottaku4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sottaku at 4.7 against Immersion Reader's 4.0. Sottaku also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 62%). Immersion Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Immersion Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Sottaku sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sottaku holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Immersion Reader's written reviews are positive against 80% of Sottaku's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Immersion Reader ships an update every 6 days, Sottaku every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Immersion Reader versus Sottaku: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterImmersion ReaderSottaku
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (26 ratings)4.7 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.5% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings26 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB161 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMathew ChanSottaku Inc

Customer experience

Immersion Reader

All ratings26 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative19.2%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative30.8%

Sottaku

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Immersion Reader

One-time1
  • Immersion Reader Premium$4.99
8 purchases

Sottaku

Subscriptions2
  • Sottaku Pro$14.991 Month
  • Sottaku Pro: Gift Sub$14.991 Month
One-time6
  • Sottaku: 750 Gold$9.99
  • Sottaku Pro: One Month Gift Sub$14.99
  • Sottaku: 1600 Gold$19.99
Show 3 more
  • Sottaku: 3400 Gold$39.99
  • Sottaku: 9200 Gold$99.99
  • Sottaku: 20000 Gold$199.99

Questions

Is Immersion Reader free?
Immersion Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sottaku free?
Sottaku is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Immersion Reader or Sottaku?
Sottaku is rated higher. Immersion Reader averages 4.0 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Sottaku averages 4.7 from 12 ratings.
Do Immersion Reader or Sottaku have ads?
Neither Immersion Reader nor Sottaku shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Immersion Reader or Sottaku?
Immersion Reader ships an update every 6 days, and Sottaku every 3 days. Most recently, Immersion Reader was updated on October 1, 2026 and Sottaku on October 2, 2026.

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