# start japanese vs Nihongo Manabi

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: start japanese at none against Nihongo Manabi's 2. start japanese also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nihongo Manabi sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. start japanese asks for nothing beyond the download.

start japanese ships an update every 2 days, Nihongo Manabi fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | start japanese | Nihongo Manabi |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/start-japanese/id6756547778/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 6 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Takumi Nittono](https://appshunter.io/developer/1861310270) | [Chuang Lung Chien](https://appshunter.io/developer/1884049083) |

## What reviewers say

### start japanese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/start-japanese/id6756547778)

Enhance your Japanese language skills with daily exercises focused on vocabulary, listening, and pronunciation. Practice speaking using your microphone and build consistent study habits for gradual improvement.

**Highlights:** Vocabulary and phrase practice, Listening exercises with audio, Pronunciation practice with speech input, Simple daily training, Consistent study habit building

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Nihongo Manabi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-manabi/id6760352124)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nihongo Pro Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Nihongo Pro Yearly | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is start japanese free?

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

### Is Nihongo Manabi free?

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

### Do start japanese or Nihongo Manabi have ads?

Nihongo Manabi shows ads; start japanese does not.

### Which is updated more often, start japanese or Nihongo Manabi?

start japanese ships an update every 2 days, and Nihongo Manabi fortnightly. Most recently, start japanese was updated on October 24, 2026 and Nihongo Manabi on October 31, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*