# Kakehashi vs NihonMaster

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NihonMaster at none against Kakehashi's 4. NihonMaster also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Kakehashi sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. NihonMaster asks for nothing beyond the download.

Kakehashi ships an update fortnightly, NihonMaster every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kakehashi | NihonMaster |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (89 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kakehashi-for-wanikani/id6757765444/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **89** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 199 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pedro Ortego](https://appshunter.io/developer/1773012596) | [joppe montezinos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1890497008) |

## What reviewers say

### Kakehashi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kakehashi-for-wanikani/id6757765444)

This app helps users bridge the gap between learning Japanese vocabulary and using it in real-world contexts. It offers practice with authentic content like anime dialogue, news articles, and song lyrics, mapping knowledge to JLPT and Joyo levels. Features include customizable study modes, progress tracking, and offline caching.

**Highlights:** Practice with anime, news, and song lyrics, Customizable study modes, Progress tracking for JLPT and Joyo levels, Offline caching for study anywhere, Camera OCR for instant text learning, MyAnimeList sync

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy me a coffee | $2.99 | one-time |
| Buy me a beer | $4.99 | one-time |
| Buy me lunch | $9.99 | one-time |
| Generous tip | $19.99 | one-time |


### NihonMaster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihonmaster/id6761620677)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Kakehashi free?

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

### Is NihonMaster free?

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

### Do Kakehashi or NihonMaster have ads?

Neither Kakehashi nor NihonMaster shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Kakehashi or NihonMaster?

Kakehashi ships an update fortnightly, and NihonMaster every 5 days. Most recently, Kakehashi was updated on October 24, 2026 and NihonMaster on October 14, 2026.

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