Navi Japan vs NihonMaster
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Navi Japan
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Discover Japan like never before β with Navi Japan! Navi Japan is your trusted companion to explore higher education, student life, and future career opportunities in Japan. Whether you're just curious or ready to apply, Navi Japan supports you at every step. Explore Top Japanese Universities & Courses Access Verified Scholarships & Application Guidance Connect with Expert Counselors via Chat or Sessions Track Your Applications, Deadlines & Docs Easily Get Visa, Accommodation, and Pre/Post-Departure Support Attend Cultural Events, Competitions & Webinars Localized for Indian & South Asian students Whether you're a student, parent, or counselor β Navi Japan is your bridge to a brighter future in Japan.
NihonMaster
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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
Verdict
Navi Japan and NihonMaster are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters β price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them β neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Navi Japan ships an update every 10 days, NihonMaster every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and July 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Navi Japan | NihonMaster |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 5 days β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 14.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sannam S4 Acumen India Private Limited | joppe montezinos |
In-app purchases
Navi Japan
No in-app purchases
NihonMaster
No in-app purchases





