Comparison

TOPIK Buddy vs TOPIK Note

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

Head to head
About

TOPIK Buddy

Prepare for the TOPIK test with daily AI-powered practice questions and detailed explanations. Get personalized feedback and track your progress towards your target score. Study smarter, not harder, with just a few minutes each day.

Highlights
  • Daily 5-question study sets
  • Detailed answer explanations
  • AI tutor for grammar and strategy
  • Practice by question type and level
  • Full past paper mock tests
  • Vocabulary word book
  • Progress tracking and score prediction
Features
Read full description

Don't study harder for the TOPIK test. Just 5 questions a day. TOPIK Buddy is your AI exam partner for the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean). No thick workbooks, no long hours at a desk. Solve a few questions, see why each answer is right or wrong, and you're done for the day. Aim for one level higher on your next TOPIK, a little every day, together. ■ 5 QUESTIONS A DAY, THAT'S IT • "Today's Study" picks your questions, so you never have to decide what to study • A few minutes is enough: on the bus, at lunch, before bed • Your streak and exam D-Day countdown show how far you've come ■ WANT MORE? KEEP GOING 5 questions is enough, but you can always do more. • Practice by question type in Listening and Reading across all TOPIK levels, from TOPIK I (Levels 1–2) to TOPIK II (Levels 3–6) • TOPIK practice test: solve full past papers round by round, like a real mock test • New past and practice questions are added regularly • Korean Vocabulary Word Book: learn words from TOPIK questions, a little every day ■ EXPLANATIONS YOU UNDERSTAND • See why the right answer is right and why each wrong answer is wrong • Translations of the question and passage after you answer • Full listening scripts: read along with the audio and replay any line • Hint mode highlights key Korean words and shows what they mean ■ A 1:1 AI TUTOR WHEN YOU'RE STUCK • Ask about the question in front of you: "Why is this the answer?" or "What's the difference between these two grammar points?" • Friendly, clear answers about Korean grammar, vocabulary and exam strategy ■ WE'LL REMIND YOU • Forgot today's questions? Buddy sends you a gentle reminder • No messages late at night, and you can turn reminders off anytime in settings ■ SEE WHERE YOU STAND • Solve 35 questions to see your predicted Listening and Reading scores • Compare them with your target level and find your weak question types • With Buddy Pass, questions you miss are saved to your Review Notes so you can go over them ■ CHEAPER THAN A CLASS, EASIER THAN A WORKBOOK Start for free with up to 9 questions a day. When you want more, a Buddy Pass (30 or 90 days) unlocks unlimited daily sets, AI tutor questions and full diagnostic reports. It's a one-time purchase, not a subscription, so you'll never be charged automatically. ■ 16 APP LANGUAGES TOPIK Buddy speaks English, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai, Burmese, Bengali, Uzbek, Mongolian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Spanish, French and German. 5 questions today. One step closer to your next level. --- TOPIK Buddy is an independent study app. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED), which administers the TOPIK exam.

About

TOPIK Note

Master Korean vocabulary for the TOPIK exam with intelligent spaced repetition and diverse learning methods. Practice with real exam questions and track your progress with detailed statistics. Tailored to all TOPIK levels, this app ensures efficient study by focusing on words that matter most.

Highlights
  • Spaced repetition system (SM-2)
  • 4 learning methods per word
  • Audio pronunciation for words and sentences
  • Native Korean definitions and examples
  • Practice with real TOPIK exam questions
  • Progress tracking and statistics
  • Multi-language interface
Features
Read full description

You already know you want to pass TOPIK. The real question is how — without burning study time on words that won't move your score, or losing a week to reviews you didn't need. TOPIK Note sorts 9,000+ Korean words by exact TOPIK level and schedules your reviews for you, so every minute goes to the words that count. Study what matters, when it matters. The app remembers what you know and what you don't. SM-2 spaced repetition (8-stage intervals) tracks every answer and adjusts your schedule automatically. Hard words come back sooner. Words you've nailed space out further — so you're never drilling something you already own. FOUR WAYS TO LEARN EACH WORD • See the Korean word, pick the meaning • See the meaning, pick the Korean word • Fill in the missing word in a sentence • Read a Korean sentence and choose what it means Same word, four angles. By the time it sticks, you can use it in context — not just spot it on a flashcard. With 36,000+ quizzes, you won't run out. HEAR EVERY WORD Tap the speaker on any word or example sentence to hear how it's pronounced. Reading Korean is half the work — knowing how it sounds is the other half. MADE BY KOREANS, REVIEWED BY KOREANS Every definition and example is written and checked by native Koreans — no clumsy machine translations to unlearn later. EVERY TOPIK LEVEL, ONE APP • Beginner (Level 1–2) — foundational words • Intermediate (Level 3–4) — everyday and compound words • Advanced (Level 5–6) — academic and nuanced vocabulary Pick your level. Switch anytime. The app adapts to your pace. GRAMMAR BUILT ON WORDS YOU ALREADY KNOW 210 TOPIK grammar points — from beginner particles to advanced connectives (79 beginner, 94 intermediate, 37 advanced). Every example sentence is built from vocabulary you've already studied, so a grammar point arrives as a sentence you can actually say, not a rule to memorize. • Fill-in-the-blank, conjugation, and meaning quizzes for every point • Spot a grammar pattern inside any word's example sentence and tap straight through to its explanation • Reviews are scheduled the same way as vocabulary — the grammar you keep missing comes back sooner PRACTICE REAL TOPIK EXAMS Vocabulary gets you ready. Past exams tell you if you're ready. • 1,700+ real TOPIK I & II questions pulled from 21 past exam papers — 878 reading and 850 listening • Listening questions play the original exam audio. Answer first, then read the full transcript to see exactly what you missed • Submit your answer, then read an explanation that walks you through the correct choice — available in English, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) • "My answered questions" keeps everything you've tried, sorted by wrong and right, so you can drill your weak spots • Exam stats: overall accuracy, separate TOPIK I and II progress, a 30-day trend, and a breakdown by question type TRACK YOUR PROGRESS A stats dashboard that earns its space: • Daily study streak • Accuracy across each quiz type and TOPIK level • Wrong Notes — every word you miss, collected automatically so you can target your weak spots No vanity metrics. Just signals for where to focus next. STUDY ON YOUR TERMS Bookmark words you want to revisit. Set a daily reminder — even five minutes a day compounds over weeks. YOUR LANGUAGE, YOUR INTERFACE App interface in English, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional). Word definitions in all of those plus Korean. The Korean stays Korean — only the explanations change. You've decided to learn Korean. TOPIK Note makes sure your time goes to the right words, in the right order. Terms of Use (EULA): https://topik-note.com/en/terms-of-service.html Privacy Policy: https://topik-note.com/en/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

TOPIK Buddy4 screens
TOPIK Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: TOPIK Buddy at 100% against TOPIK Note's 63%. TOPIK Buddy also leads on ads (none vs shown). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. TOPIK Buddy sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and TOPIK Note sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TOPIK Buddy ships an update every 8 days, TOPIK Note every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
TOPIK Buddy versus TOPIK Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTOPIK BuddyTOPIK Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (53 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better62.5% of reviews
Number of ratings—53 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size102 MB156 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKoylabs corporationJihoon LEE

Customer experience

TOPIK Buddy

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

TOPIK Note

All ratings53 ratings
Positive98.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral9.4%
Negative28.1%

In-app purchases

9 purchases

TOPIK Buddy

One-time9
  • 3-Day Starter Pass$0.99
  • AI Credits 10$4.99
  • 30-Day Pass$9.99
Show 6 more
  • AI Credits 30$9.99
  • 30-Day Pass$12.99
  • 90-Day Pass$19.99
  • 30-Day Pass$19.99
  • 90-Day Pass$24.99
  • 90-Day Pass$39.99
6 purchases

TOPIK Note

Subscriptions2
  • Premium (Monthly)$10.991 Month
  • Premium (Annual)$64.991 Year
One-time4
  • Premium Lifetime - 60% OFF$31.99
  • Premium Lifetime - 50% OFF$39.99
  • Premium Lifetime - 30% OFF$55.99
Show 1 more
  • Premium (Lifetime)$79.99

Questions

Is TOPIK Buddy free?
TOPIK Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TOPIK Note free?
TOPIK Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TOPIK Buddy or TOPIK Note have ads?
TOPIK Note shows ads; TOPIK Buddy does not.
Which is updated more often, TOPIK Buddy or TOPIK Note?
TOPIK Buddy ships an update every 8 days, and TOPIK Note every 4 days. Most recently, TOPIK Buddy was updated on November 5, 2026 and TOPIK Note on November 5, 2026.

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