# Nihongo Learn vs Hanzi Pen

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hanzi Pen at none against Nihongo Learn's 2. Hanzi Pen also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). Nihongo Learn's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.2). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Nihongo Learn against 5.0 for Hanzi Pen. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Nihongo Learn ships an update monthly, Hanzi Pen fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nihongo Learn | Hanzi Pen |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-learn/id6759975922/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanzi-pen/id6769551367/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 15 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stephen Dudley](https://appshunter.io/developer/1882062889) | [Alexander Knue](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896517402) |

## What reviewers say

### Nihongo Learn

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-learn/id6759975922)

Master Japanese with interactive lessons covering kana, kanji, vocabulary, and grammar. Practice with AI conversation partners, mock exams, and spaced repetition. Offers guided paths from beginner to advanced levels.

**Highlights:** Interactive kana and kanji learning, 2,000+ kanji with stroke order, JLPT N5-N1 vocabulary and grammar, AI conversation practice, Spaced repetition system (SRS), JLPT mock exams, Progress tracking and analytics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $19.99 | per year |


### Hanzi Pen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanzi-pen/id6769551367)

Master Chinese characters through guided writing practice with per-stroke feedback. Features spaced repetition, etymology, example sentences, and measure-word coaching. Supports HSK vocabulary and handwriting search.

**Highlights:** Guided stroke-order writing practice, Per-stroke feedback on writing, Spaced repetition system (SRS), Character etymology and decomposition, Real-world example sentences, Measure-word coaching, Handwriting search

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nihongo Learn free?

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

### Is Hanzi Pen free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Nihongo Learn or Hanzi Pen?

Nihongo Learn and Hanzi Pen are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Nihongo Learn or Hanzi Pen have ads?

Neither Nihongo Learn nor Hanzi Pen shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Nihongo Learn or Hanzi Pen?

Nihongo Learn ships an update monthly, and Hanzi Pen fortnightly. Most recently, Nihongo Learn was updated on October 8, 2026 and Hanzi Pen on October 15, 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.*