Learn Korean vs Kimchi Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Learn Korean
Master the Korean language with interactive exercises for Hangul and vocabulary. Practice reading, writing, speaking, and typing with guided feedback and smart review systems. Track your progress and build a vocabulary of over 1600 words.
- Interactive Hangul learning paths
- Over 1600 essential vocabulary words
- Smart spaced repetition system
- Guided writing and speaking exercises
- Korean typing practice
- Progress tracking
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Learn Korean step by step with Jamo Korean. Build real Korean skills with: • Hangul, including pronunciation and writing • Korean vocabulary with native example sentences • Korean grammar explained clearly • Korean stories for reading practice • Smart spaced repetition powered by FSRS Practice speaking, typing, writing, multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blank exercises so you can remember what you learn and use it naturally. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Kimchi Reader
Learn Korean through immersion with real media like YouTube videos and e-books. Instantly look up word definitions, grammar, and Hanja meanings. Mine sentences for flashcards and sync with Anki for spaced repetition.
- Immerse with YouTube and e-books
- Instant tap-to-define dictionary
- Sentence mining for flashcards
- Anki sync for spaced repetition
- Smart content recommendations
- Monolingual dictionary access
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IMPORTANT: Kimchi Reader is free to download, but it requires an active subscription to use. New users can start a 7-day free trial with just an email - no credit card required. --- Start learning Korean by enjoying the content you already love. Kimchi Reader is a powerful tool (not a course) built to help you immerse using real Korean media. READ & WATCH ANYTHING Immerse yourself in Korean on YouTube or by importing your own e-books (EPUB) and text files. INSTANT DICTIONARY ON TAP Every word is clickable. Tap any word to instantly see: - Detailed definitions (including a monolingual dictionary) - Grammar breakdowns - Hanja meanings - Frequency ratings, so you learn the important words first POWERFUL SENTENCE MINING Found a sentence you want to remember? Mine it. The app creates a rich flashcard with the word, its definition, and a video screenshot for full context. SYNC WITH ANKI Use the desktop add-on to seamlessly import your mined sentences into Anki for long-term memorization with spaced repetition. SMART RECOMMENDATIONS Mark words as "Known" and let the system find the perfect book or show for you from its massive content database. No more guessing what to study next. WHO IS THIS FOR? Learners who already know Hangul and some basic vocabulary. It is designed to take your immersion-based learning to the next level. BUILT BY A LEARNER, FOR LEARNERS This app was coded by a solo developer (me) who is also learning Korean and was tired of mediocre tools. Every feature is built to solve real problems learners face. If you have any questions, please join the Discord. There is always someone from the friendly community (real humans) online to help.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Learn Korean at free with in-app purchases against Kimchi Reader's subscription. Learn Korean also leads on ratings volume (223 vs 12) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Learn Korean sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Kimchi Reader sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Learn Korean against 4.9 for Kimchi Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learn Korean has 223 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 97% of Learn Korean's written reviews are positive against 100% of Kimchi Reader's.
Learn Korean ships an update every 9 days, Kimchi Reader every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Learn Korean | Kimchi Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (223 ratings) | 4.9 (12 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 97.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 223 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 128 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | John Dykes | Kimchi Reader Sàrl |
Customer experience
Learn Korean
Kimchi Reader
In-app purchases
Learn Korean
- Monthly Plan$6.991 Month
- Quarterly Plan$17.993 Months
- Annual Plan$49.991 Year
- Unlimited Access$19.99
Kimchi Reader
- Kimchi Reader 30 Days Access$12.99
- Kimchi Reader 365 Days Access$99.99
Questions
Is Learn Korean free?
Is Kimchi Reader free?
Which has better reviews, Learn Korean or Kimchi Reader?
Do Learn Korean or Kimchi Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, Learn Korean or Kimchi Reader?
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