# ManabuLab vs Nihongo Diary

The clearest difference is ratings volume: ManabuLab at 74 against Nihongo Diary's 1. Nihongo Diary's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ManabuLab sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and Nihongo Diary sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Nihongo Diary holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ManabuLab has 74 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

ManabuLab ships an update weekly, Nihongo Diary every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ManabuLab | Nihongo Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (74 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manabulab-learn-japanese/id6759396325/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-diary/id6786536553/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **74** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 223 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [CAGATAY TURKILERI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1878427428) | [Tetta Taguchi](https://appshunter.io/developer/6786536555) |

## What reviewers say

### ManabuLab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manabulab-learn-japanese/id6759396325)

Master Japanese alphabets, kanji with mnemonics, and everyday vocabulary. Build grammar understanding and reading skills from the start with structured lessons and a smart review system. Designed for beginners to develop real language proficiency.

**Highlights:** Hiragana & Katakana mastery, Kanji with visual mnemonics, Everyday vocabulary building, Clear grammar explanations, Reading & listening practice, Smart review system

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly ManabuLab Premium | $12.99 | per month |
| Yearly ManabuLab Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Lifetime ManabuLab Premium | $99.99 | one-time |


### Nihongo Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-diary/id6786536553)

Practice writing Japanese daily with AI-powered corrections and explanations. Connect with a community of learners for feedback and motivation, helping you build a consistent study habit and improve fluency.

**Highlights:** Daily Japanese writing prompts, AI-powered text correction with furigana, Detailed explanations for mistakes, Community feedback and interaction, Streak tracking and motivation tools, Word-tap translation

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro | $19.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ManabuLab free?

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

### Is Nihongo Diary free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ManabuLab or Nihongo Diary?

Nihongo Diary is rated higher. ManabuLab averages 4.7 out of 5 from 74 ratings, while Nihongo Diary averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do ManabuLab or Nihongo Diary have ads?

Neither ManabuLab nor Nihongo Diary shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ManabuLab or Nihongo Diary?

ManabuLab ships an update weekly, and Nihongo Diary every 10 days. Most recently, ManabuLab was updated on October 31, 2026 and Nihongo Diary on October 25, 2026.

---

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