# MasterNihongoN5 vs BALCOM Nihongo

The clearest difference is update cadence: BALCOM Nihongo at every 6 weeks against MasterNihongoN5's every 5 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MasterNihongoN5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and BALCOM Nihongo sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

MasterNihongoN5 ships an update every 5 months, BALCOM Nihongo every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MasterNihongoN5 | BALCOM Nihongo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Size | 22 MB | 102 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Victor Lagunas](https://appshunter.io/developer/1592032166) | [Horizontal Line Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1781901735) |

## What reviewers say

### MasterNihongoN5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/masternihongon5/id6737253015)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nihonga Premiere Pro | $0.99 | one-time |


### BALCOM Nihongo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balcom-nihongo/id6738698251)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| N3 Course - Part 2 | Free | one-time |
| N3 Course - Part3 | Free | one-time |
| N3 Course - Part 1 | Free | one-time |
| N5 Course - Part 3 | Free | one-time |
| N5 Course - Part 2 | Free | one-time |
| N5 Course - Part3 | Free | one-time |
| N4 Course - Part 1 | Free | one-time |
| N4 Course - Part 2 | Free | one-time |
| N5 Course - Part 1 | Free | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MasterNihongoN5 free?

MasterNihongoN5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BALCOM Nihongo free?

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

### Do MasterNihongoN5 or BALCOM Nihongo have ads?

Neither MasterNihongoN5 nor BALCOM Nihongo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MasterNihongoN5 or BALCOM Nihongo?

MasterNihongoN5 ships an update every 5 months, and BALCOM Nihongo every 6 weeks. Most recently, MasterNihongoN5 was updated on October 16, 2026 and BALCOM Nihongo on October 25, 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.*