Comparison

Flash Mental Math (Anzan) vs Simple Soroban (Abacus)

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

Head to head
About

Flash Mental Math (Anzan)

This app helps users of all ages improve their mental math and calculation speed. Numbers flash on screen briefly, training quick thinking and concentration. It's ideal for children preparing for abacus certification, students needing math test prep, or adults seeking brain training.

Highlights
  • Flash number display for quick thinking
  • Adjustable difficulty levels
  • Global and classroom rankings
  • No account registration required
  • Supports multiple languages
  • Intuitive interface for children
Features
Read full description

A flash anzan trainer built around precise timing. The numbers keep an exact rhythm and the sound lands with them, so even at high speed you can keep your mind on the calculation. THREE THINGS ABOUT THIS APP Precise display and sound The moment each number appears is worked out from the time since the start, on every frame, so the spacing never drifts however many numbers there are. The sound plays at the same moment the number changes. From 20 Kyu to 20 Dan, step by step You start with 2 one-digit numbers and work up as the count grows and the time shrinks. Test Mode puts you through the same 40 grades as the abacus, from 20 Kyu to 20 Dan. Ten questions, seven right to pass. Compete with your class Set the same Room ID and you see a ranking of just that room. A soroban class or a family can share one Room ID and keep practising against people they know. There is a global ranking too. MAIN FEATURES Stages 1 to 6 digits, 350 steps per digit, 2,100 in all. The count of numbers and the speed change little by little. Test Mode 40 grades from 20 Kyu to 20 Dan. Ten questions a round, seven right to pass. Grades you pass are recorded. From 20 Kyu to 17 Kyu the first number appears as abacus beads. Rankings Five rankings: stages cleared, test grade, attempts, login streak and total logins. Global and room, both. No account and no sign-in. You can change your display name and Room ID in the settings. Custom Mode (monthly plan) Choose the digits, the count of numbers, the seconds and how many questions run back to back. Digits 1 to 7, numbers 2 to 30, seconds in steps of 0.1, and 1 to 30 questions. Display settings Four text colours and two fonts. Light and dark modes. Login streak Counts the days you keep coming back, and the total. You can compare those in the rankings too. WHO IT IS FOR • People learning at a soroban class who want to practise flash anzan at home • People who want grades to aim at while they practise • Teachers who want their students practising on the same terms • Adults who want to work their head FREE AND THE MONTHLY PLAN All 2,100 stages, Test Mode and the rankings are free. The monthly plan removes the ads and unlocks Custom Mode. QUESTIONS Do I need an account? No. Open it and practise. A display name is given to you and you can change it in the settings. What age is it for? Once you can add numbers. It starts at 2 one-digit numbers in 4 seconds. Can a soroban class use it? Yes. Set the same Room ID and the ranking covers just that class. Can I practise multiplication or division? No. This app is addition only. LANGUAGES Japanese, English, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and Italian. It follows the language of your device. Note: the Kyu and Dan grades in Test Mode are our own yardstick inside the app. They are not connected to any examining body. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Simple Soroban (Abacus)

Learn and practice Japanese abacus calculations with interactive tutorials and multiple modes. Customize your abacus experience and improve mental math skills with this completely free educational tool.

Highlights
  • Interactive tutorials for arithmetic
  • Freeform, Relax, Challenge, and Anzan modes
  • Configurable 7 or 9-column soroban
  • Multiple color themes
  • No ads or in-app purchases
  • Mental calculation training
Features
Read full description

Simple Soroban is a complete Japanese abacus in your pocket. Whether you are discovering the soroban for the first time or training for serious mental calculation, everything is included and everything is free. It's multi-touch and configurable, so it feels like a real soroban. LEARN Step-by-step interactive tutorials teach you addition, subtraction, multiplication and division from scratch. No prior knowledge needed: you will learn how to read the beads, manipulate numbers, use complements, and carry across columns at your own pace. PRACTICE Freeform mode: a realistic soroban, for homework, checkout sums or just playing with numbers Relax mode: solve calculations at your own pace and earn badges as you progress Challenge mode: race the clock and push your calculation speed to the next level Anzan mode: hides the beads so you manipulate the soroban in your mind, a technique used by mental calculation champions in Japan MAKE IT YOURS Choose between a 7-column or 9-column soroban Multiple color themes Plenty of settings to adapt the abacus to how you practice FREE, REALLY No ads. No in-app purchases. No accounts. No data collection. Simple Soroban is completely free, with nothing to unlock and nothing tracking you. Already trusted by millions of learners on Android, now available on iPhone. Whether you are a student learning arithmetic, a teacher looking for a classroom tool, or an adult keeping your mind sharp, Simple Soroban gives you the full path from your first bead flick to calculating entirely in your head.

Screenshots

Flash Mental Math (Anzan)4 screens
Simple Soroban (Abacus)4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simple Soroban (Abacus) at none against Flash Mental Math (Anzan)'s 1. Simple Soroban (Abacus) also leads on ads (none vs shown). Flash Mental Math (Anzan)'s advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.3). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Flash Mental Math (Anzan) sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Simple Soroban (Abacus) asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Flash Mental Math (Anzan) against 5.0 for Simple Soroban (Abacus). Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 3 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Flash Mental Math (Anzan) versus Simple Soroban (Abacus): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlash Mental Math (Anzan)Simple Soroban (Abacus)
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Number of ratings33
Update frequencyEvery 10 days—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.3
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSIC Company LimitedBruno Takahashi Carvalhas de Oliveira

Customer experience

Flash Mental Math (Anzan)

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Simple Soroban (Abacus)

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Flash Mental Math (Anzan)

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription$0.991 Month
None

Simple Soroban (Abacus)

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flash Mental Math (Anzan) free?
Flash Mental Math (Anzan) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simple Soroban (Abacus) free?
Simple Soroban (Abacus) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Flash Mental Math (Anzan) or Simple Soroban (Abacus)?
Flash Mental Math (Anzan) and Simple Soroban (Abacus) are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Flash Mental Math (Anzan) or Simple Soroban (Abacus) have ads?
Flash Mental Math (Anzan) shows ads; Simple Soroban (Abacus) does not.

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