Comparison

Rakulingo vs Cramcard

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

Head to head
About

Rakulingo

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Your AI companion for understanding Japanese. Instantly understand any Japanese you meet. Watching anime, reading manga, playing a game, studying a textbook, or walking through Tokyo - Rakulingo explains it on the spot, in your language. STORIES Read short stories that begin in English and slowly turn Japanese. Every sentence is narrated, every word can be tapped, and each chapter teaches a few words you will meet again in the next one. A gentle way into real Japanese - no flashcards, just a story you want to finish. YOUR JAPANESE COMPANION, EVERYWHERE Rakulingo works with whatever you are doing. Studying a textbook? Get a deeper explanation. Watching Netflix? Understand every line. Reading manga? Decode every panel. Gaming on the couch? Snap a photo of the TV and understand the dialogue. Walking in Tokyo? Read every sign. One app, endless possibilities. CAPTURE JAPANESE FROM ANYWHERE β€’ Screenshot subtitles, text, or anything on screen β€’ Record audio from videos, podcasts, or conversations β€’ Photograph books, signs, menus, or handwriting β€’ Point your camera at a TV or console screen while you play β€’ Browse Japanese websites with instant help β€’ Open your own PDFs, ebooks, and videos JLPT N5 PRACTICE Practice every N5 question type, one question at a time β€” kanji readings, vocabulary, grammar, reading passages, and the full listening section. Listening questions come with real recorded audio and scene pictures: the practice material that is hardest to find on your own. Every answer gets a plain explanation of why it is right and why the others are not. Unofficial material written with AI assistance and reviewed; not affiliated with the JLPT organizers. GAME ROOM Play your own Japanese games and learn as you play. Bring a legal backup of a game you own β€” Hana sees the screen and explains it live: press Explain and the text breaks down word by word, with translations and readings one tap away. Works with a controller too. SPECIALIZED AI ASSISTANTS β€’ Sentence Explainer - a complete breakdown of grammar, particles, and vocabulary β€’ Translator - instant translation in both directions β€’ Furigana - reading guides for any kanji β€’ Japanese Teacher - ask anything, anytime β€’ Speaking Buddy - practice conversations with an AI that answers naturally and suggests how to keep the conversation going β€’ Web Browser - read Japanese sites with live help, screenshots, audio capture, and copy-paste β€’ Reader - understand your own PDFs, ebooks, images, videos, and audio OFFLINE DICTIONARY Tap any word in a reply or a story to look it up. Once downloaded, it works without internet. PERFECT FOR EVERY LEARNER β€’ Beginners - understand from day one, with explanations in your language β€’ Students - add instant, detailed explanations to your studies β€’ Immersion learners - turn entertainment into practice β€’ Advanced learners - tackle native content with nuanced support β€’ Travelers - get around Japan with confidence β€’ Casual users - quick translations whenever you need them WORKS IN YOUR LANGUAGE Explanations in 15 languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Korean, Chinese, Hindi, Polish, Dutch, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Turkish, and Thai. WHY RAKULINGO? Dictionaries translate; Rakulingo explains. Textbooks teach in isolation; Rakulingo works with real content. Classes end; Rakulingo is always with you. It is your personal Japanese expert in your pocket, ready for whatever Japanese you run into. FREE TO START Try every assistant with free credits and read the first story chapters for free. Subscribe when you want unlimited use. Understanding Japanese does not have to be hard. With Rakulingo, you are never alone on your Japanese journey. Download now and turn every encounter with Japanese into a chance to learn. By using Rakulingo, you agree to the Apple Standard Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Cramcard

Features
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See it. Hear it. Write it. Say it. Then see it again, right before you forget. Cramcard puts everything memory needs into one flashcard app: your own cards read aloud in a native voice, spaced repetition that brings them back on time, and β€” on iPad β€” a notebook beside every card for tracing answers with Apple Pencil. β–  Back right before you forget β€” spaced repetition One Master button does it all. Mastered cards come back after 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 days. Master a card enough times (5 by default) and it graduates for good; graduate a whole deck and you conquer it, with a gold badge to prove it. No "hard / good / easy" grading. β–  Quotation marks make cards speak β€” hear it, say it Wrap any phrase in double quotes β€” like "ΠΏΡ€ΠΈΠ²Π΅Ρ‚" β€” and a speaker button appears. Cramcard detects Russian, Japanese, Chinese, English, Spanish and 12+ more languages and reads each phrase in a native voice. Listen, then say it out loud. Set the speech rate per language; it plays even in silent mode. β–  NEW: iPad writing pad β€” write it On iPad, a notebook opens next to the card. Write with Apple Pencil; scroll and zoom with a finger. Β· The notebook matches the answer's language: Russian school cursive on slanted lines, English 4-line, Japanese grid, Chinese η”°ε­—ζ Ό, Korean manuscript paper Β· Write from memory on the question side, then flip β€” the answer appears as fading guide lines under your writing Β· Pens, highlighter, lasso and eraser; choose what a Pencil double-tap does; left-handed layout β–  Hands-free review Tap Play and cards flow on their own: question β†’ answer β†’ next card, waiting for the voice to finish so long sentences never get cut off. With auto-play on, leave the app and the cards keep going in a picture-in-picture window, with controls on the Lock Screen and your earphones. β–  Let AI build your decks Copy the built-in prompt into any AI chat along with your notes or a photo of your textbook, and get a file ready to import. Obsidian-style Markdown (question::answer) and CSV import as they are, and re-importing an edited file updates only the changed cards β€” your progress stays. Add photos to questions and answers. β–  Made for daily study Β· Card view or list view β€” pinch to switch Β· Random, shuffle and undo; separate text sizes for questions and answers Β· Folders, and pick up right where you left off Β· iCloud sync between iPhone and iPad Β· Hardware keyboard support Β· Light and dark mode β–  Free Every feature is free, with no sign-up. The study screen never shows ads, and one purchase removes the banner on the other screens forever. Pronunciation tip: download a high-quality voice in Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Voices β€” Cramcard automatically uses the best one installed.

Screenshots

Rakulingo4 screens
Cramcard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Rakulingo at none against Cramcard's shown. Rakulingo also leads on iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.0). Cramcard's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Rakulingo sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Cramcard sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rakulingo ships an update every 2 weeks, Cramcard every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
Rakulingo versus Cramcard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRakulingoCramcard
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days β€” better
AdsNo β€” betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.5 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size160 MB13 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperAntonio ScandaroliSEUNGHA MOON

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Rakulingo

Subscriptions3
  • Access to premium AI$3.997 Days
  • Access to premium AI$9.991 Month
  • Access to premium AI3 Days trial$95.991 Year
1 purchases

Cramcard

One-time1
  • κ΄‘κ³  영ꡬ 제거$2.99

Questions

Is Rakulingo free?
Rakulingo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cramcard free?
Cramcard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Rakulingo or Cramcard have ads?
Cramcard shows ads; Rakulingo does not.
Which is updated more often, Rakulingo or Cramcard?
Rakulingo ships an update every 2 weeks, and Cramcard every 2 days. Most recently, Rakulingo was updated on October 4, 2026 and Cramcard on October 14, 2026.

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