Comparison

Nihondex vs NihonMaster

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

Head to head
About

Nihondex

Master Japanese vocabulary, grammar, and kanji with a structured learning path. Utilizes spaced repetition for efficient memorization and includes interactive games and reading practice. Offers detailed progress tracking and social features to enhance your learning journey.

Highlights
  • Spaced repetition system (SRS)
  • Kana games
  • Conjugation practice
  • Reading comprehension
  • Island Builder game
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

Master Japanese from zero to fluent, at your own pace. Nihondex is a structured Japanese learning app that takes you from absolute beginner to advanced level. No fluff, no endless loops just steady, measurable progress built around proven spaced repetition science. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN • 7,500+ vocabulary words organized by JLPT level (N5 to N1) • 800+ grammar patterns with interactive exercises and real examples • 4,000+ kanji characters with stroke order and readings • All 92 hiragana and katakana characters through fun, interactive games • Japanese conjugation: plain, polite, negative, past, te-form and more • Reading comprehension with graded stories from N5 to N1 HOW IT WORKS Every day you learn a batch of new vocabulary and grammar points. Nihondex's spaced repetition system (SRS) then schedules your reviews at the perfect moment right before you forget. This daily loop is how real progress is built. KEY FEATURES • Smart SRS reviews that adapt to your learning pace • Kana games combining memory, writing, and speed drills • Conjugation practice with all major verb forms • Reading practice with tap-to-look-up vocabulary • Island Builder earn coins and decorations as you progress, build and customize your own Japanese island • Detailed progress tracking and statistics • Daily goals to keep your streak alive • Leaderboards and social features to learn with friends Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

NihonMaster

Features
Read full description

I'm Joppe. I built Nihon Master because I was learning Japanese and the apps I was using were not doing it for me. Duolingo got me started but I was not really learning past hiragana. Anki is great if you build your own deck. Wanikani is great for kanji. I wanted one place that actually teaches the language. So I built it for myself. A few friends started using it. Then strangers. Now it's here. This is not a flashcard deck, and it is not a gamified drill machine. It is a real curriculum backed by real tools, built specifically for Japanese, where kana and kanji are first-class instead of a language pack bolted on the side. What's inside. A guided journey from absolute beginner through JLPT N1. Hiragana, katakana, kanji, vocabulary, grammar, reading practice. Every lesson has a clear point and you finish it knowing something you did not know an hour ago. Around 2,000 kanji with stroke animations, writing practice, and readings ordered by what you actually need first. Spaced repetition built on FSRS (the same algorithm Anki adopted in 2024) instead of the 1987 SM-2 formula most apps still ship. Twelve sub-skills tracked separately, so you can see whether your particles are fine and your kanji readings are the problem, instead of one meaningless overall number. Mock JLPT tests for every level, in the same shape as the real exam. Useful for the test itself and for figuring out where you actually stand. Native-quality Japanese audio on every vocabulary item, generated by VOICEVOX, an open-source Japanese TTS that does not sound like a robot. A sentence generator that builds sentences only from words and grammar you have already learned, so you never get jumped by kanji you have never seen. What's not inside. Streaks engineered to guilt you into opening the app at 11:59 PM. A heart system that locks you out until you wait or pay. A subscription that holds half the content behind a paywall. Ads of any kind. Everything works offline. No sign-in. No account. Your progress lives on your device. There are no servers, and that is intentional. I am one person making this in my spare time. If you have an idea, a feature request, a bug to report, or you just want to tell me which kanji is annoying you this week, please do. There is a Discord linked inside the app and an Instagram at @nihonmaster.official. I read everything. If Duolingo is working for you, honestly that is great, keep doing that. This app is for the people who tried Duolingo, kept the streak alive for six months, and realised they still could not read anything. Have fun with it. Let me know what you think. nihonmaster.com

Screenshots

Nihondex4 screens
NihonMaster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NihonMaster at none against Nihondex's 3. On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Nihondex sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. NihonMaster asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nihondex ships an update weekly, NihonMaster every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Nihondex versus NihonMaster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNihondexNihonMaster
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (18 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings18 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas Mauranjoppe montezinos

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Nihondex

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Yearly$71.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$129.00
None

NihonMaster

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nihondex free?
Nihondex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NihonMaster free?
NihonMaster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Nihondex or NihonMaster have ads?
Neither Nihondex nor NihonMaster shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nihondex or NihonMaster?
Nihondex ships an update weekly, and NihonMaster every 5 days. Most recently, Nihondex was updated on October 10, 2026 and NihonMaster on October 14, 2026.

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