# Soroban vs StudyBuddy

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StudyBuddy at none against Soroban's 3. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Soroban sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. StudyBuddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

Soroban ships an update every 4 days, StudyBuddy weekly. Both last shipped on November 8, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Soroban | StudyBuddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soroban-japanese-abacus-math/id6743341778/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **26** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 165 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SIC Company Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1800842356) | [果 孙](https://appshunter.io/developer/1820822445) |

## What reviewers say

### Soroban

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soroban-japanese-abacus-math/id6743341778)

Master the Japanese abacus and mental math with step-by-step video lessons and interactive practice. Progress through various calculation challenges and create custom worksheets for targeted learning.

**Highlights:** Step-by-step video lessons from teachers, Abacus addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, Mental calculation and Flash Anzan practice, Four distinct practice dojos with levels, Customizable audio dictation creation, Printable or shareable practice worksheets, Times tables and number familiarity games

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $56.99 | per year |


### StudyBuddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/studybuddy/id6747350120)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Soroban free?

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

### Is StudyBuddy free?

StudyBuddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Soroban or StudyBuddy have ads?

Neither Soroban nor StudyBuddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Soroban or StudyBuddy?

Soroban ships an update every 4 days, and StudyBuddy weekly. Most recently, Soroban was updated on November 8, 2026 and StudyBuddy on November 8, 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.*