Comparison

KanaGo vs Doriru

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

Head to head
About

KanaGo

Features
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Learn to read and write Japanese step by step: hiragana, katakana and kanji from N5 to N1. LEARN • Every hiragana and katakana, with dakuten (が, ぱ…) and combinations (恍悃, しょ…). • Stroke order animations for every character. • Almost 900 kanji sorted by JLPT level and by theme, with meanings and on and kun readings. PRACTICE • Short sessions of 10, 20 or 40 questions, with a summary at the end and a review of your mistakes. • Three difficulty levels: pick the answer, type it, or draw the character. • AI handwriting recognition that works offline. • Choose which kana rows to practice, and whether to practice kanji meanings or readings. • Practice focuses more on the characters you miss. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS • Per-character stats: see which ones you've mastered and which need work. • Daily streak and accuracy over time. AND MORE • Built-in Japanese dictionary. • Import your own vocabulary lists from CSV. • Dark mode. • Available in 11 languages. KANAGO PREMIUM One-time purchase, no subscription: • No ads. • Kanji from every JLPT level (N4 to N1). N5 is free. • Hard difficulty with drawing. • Your own materials. • Backup of your stats.

About

Doriru

Features
Read full description

Learn Japanese the way students in Japan do: by writing it, stroke by stroke. Doriru is named after ćƒ‰ćƒŖćƒ«, the drill workbooks Japanese students practice kanji in. Tell it where you are and it lays out a path of small, clear steps, from your first hiragana to N1 kanji. Ten minutes a day is enough to start. WRITE EVERY CHARACTER • Animated stroke-order guides for kana and kanji • Practice grids with center guides, like a Japanese drill book • With a stylus, strokes respond to pressure and speed, and you choose the line thickness A PATH THAT STARTS WHERE YOU ARE • Starting from zero, know a little, preparing for JLPT N5 or past your first JLPT: Doriru builds your route from your answer • Small milestones of hiragana, katakana, words and kanji, level by level up to N1 • New to Japanese? A short guide explains how its three scripts work 6 WAYS TO PRACTICE • Flashcards for kana, kanji and vocabulary • Kanji quiz and reading quiz • Vocabulary puzzle: drag the syllables into place to spell each word's reading 2,100+ KANJI. 2,800+ WORDS. • Kanji by JLPT level (N5–N1) or by school grade • Complete hiragana and katakana • Vocabulary from N5 to N3 • Search kanji by character, meaning or reading • Everything lives on your device: no account, no connection needed BUILD THE HABIT • Set a daily goal and keep your streak • Watch every character move from studied to mastered • Bookmark the characters you want to come back to COMFORTABLE TO USE • Light and dark mode • Clean layouts for phone and tablet • Modern or classic Japanese font FREE AND PRO Free: hiragana, katakana, JLPT N5 and grade 1 kanji, and N5 vocabulary, with writing practice and every game. Doriru Pro unlocks every kanji and vocabulary level, unlimited bookmarks and the classic font. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

KanaGo4 screens
Doriru4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Doriru at none against KanaGo's shown. KanaGo's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 4 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. KanaGo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Doriru sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KanaGo ships an update daily, Doriru every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
KanaGo versus Doriru: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKanaGoDoriru
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB110 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperArturo CompteJuan Carlos Mayoral

In-app purchases

1 purchases

KanaGo

One-time1
  • Premium access$0.99
2 purchases

Doriru

Subscriptions2
  • Doriru Pro7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Doriru Pro7 Days trial$17.991 Year

Questions

Is KanaGo free?
KanaGo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Doriru free?
Doriru is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do KanaGo or Doriru have ads?
KanaGo shows ads; Doriru does not.
Which is updated more often, KanaGo or Doriru?
KanaGo ships an update daily, and Doriru every 4 weeks. Most recently, KanaGo was updated on October 17, 2026 and Doriru on October 24, 2026.

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