Comparison

Cabacus vs VimKata

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

Head to head
About

Cabacus

Features
Read full description

Brought to you by cabacus.school Coming Soon: - Arithmetic challenges and exercises (+, −, ×, ÷) - More colors Want to become a math master? Cabacus is your pocket abacus! Train your brain for super-fast mental math. Easy to use. Just tap to move the beads, tap on CABACUS to reset to zero. Perfect for learning arithmetic. Visualizing numbers on the abacus makes math super easy and fun! Used for centuries, the abacus boosts math skills, concentration, and number sense. Whether you are a student, teacher, or just a curious learner, Cabacus lets you explore the power of the abacus anytime, anywhere. Develop powerful mental math abilities through interactive practice. Download Cabacus now and see why the abacus is one of humanity's greatest inventions!

About

VimKata

Learn the Vim text editor through interactive visual demonstrations and practice exercises. Build muscle memory with on-screen keyboard simulations and apply concepts to real code. Progress through levels of increasing complexity, from basic motions to advanced text editing.

Highlights
  • Visual command demonstrations
  • On-screen keyboard practice
  • Real code examples (JavaScript, Python, etc.)
  • Scored exercises with optimal solutions
  • 7 levels with 135 exercises
  • Bookmarkable practice queue
Features
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VimKata is a companion app for learning Vim. It teaches you the concepts — what commands exist, how they compose, when to use them. Your physical keyboard builds the muscle memory. Learn in the app, apply in your editor. Every command is demonstrated before you practice it. The buffer animates step by step, a keyboard replica highlights the key being pressed, and a register indicator shows what was stored. You see what a command does before you're expected to use it. A COMPANION, NOT A REPLACEMENT VimKata teaches the mental model. The phone teaches the grammar; the terminal teaches the typing. Pick it up for 10 minutes on a commute, a break, or before bed — then apply what you learned on a real keyboard. DEMO → KATA CYCLE Each exercise starts with an animated demo. A keystroke timeline tracks each step. A MacBook keyboard replica highlights the key. Then you practice on the on-screen keyboard. You never guess — you see it first, then try it. PRACTICE ON REAL CODE Exercises use real JavaScript, Python, HTML, CSS, and Markdown — not toy examples. Each exercise has a concrete editing goal: transform this code into that code. One concept per exercise. SCORE EVERY KEYSTROKE Every exercise produces a grade from S (perfect) to D (keep practicing). After completion, the app shows the optimal solution alongside yours so you can see exactly which command would have been shorter. Retry to improve your grade. 7 LEVELS, 135 EXERCISES - L1: Basic Motions — h j k l w b e 0 $ gg G f t - L2: Basic Editing — x dd dw yy p P cw o - L3: Operators + Motions — de ct df dt ye cc 3w - L4: Text Objects — diw daw ciw ci" da" ci( di( ci{ - L5: Visual Mode — v V d y c ~ o - L6: Navigation Mastery — W B E F T ; , % - L7: Quick Edits — r s J O I D C ^ ~ Levels 1–3 are free. Levels 4–7 unlock with a one-time purchase. Each level has introductory exercises (guided, one command at a time), practice exercises (realistic code, full demo), and challenge exercises (no demo, no hint, tests combined skills). VIM IS A LANGUAGE Most people learn Vim as a list of commands. VimKata teaches you the system underneath — operators compose with motions. Delete a word. Change to end of line. Yank through a character. Once this clicks, you stop memorizing and start composing. BUILD YOUR PRACTICE QUEUE Bookmark exercises for commands you're actively learning. The Saved tab on the home screen gives you quick access to your personal practice list.

Screenshots

Cabacus4 screens
VimKata4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: VimKata at Free against Cabacus's $7.99. VimKata also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 14 months). Cabacus's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

VimKata is free to download; Cabacus costs $7.99 up front. VimKata sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Cabacus asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cabacus ships an update every 14 months, VimKata fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Cabacus versus VimKata: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCabacusVimKata
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBenjamin TanAndrii Zborovskyi

In-app purchases

None

Cabacus

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

VimKata

One-time1
  • Unlock All Levels$4.99

Questions

Is Cabacus free?
Cabacus costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is VimKata free?
VimKata is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Cabacus or VimKata have ads?
Neither Cabacus nor VimKata shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cabacus or VimKata?
Cabacus ships an update every 14 months, and VimKata fortnightly. Most recently, Cabacus was updated on October 1, 2026 and VimKata on October 5, 2026.

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