Comparison

NihonGo vs Nihongo Flow

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

Head to head
About

NihonGo

Features
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Master Japanese step by step β€” from your first hiragana letter to real conversations. NihonGo isn't just a flashcard app. It's a complete Japanese course, built for the parts of the language generic apps skim over. Whether you're here for anime, manga, J-pop, JLPT prep, Tokyo travel, or heritage reasons β€” NihonGo meets you at your level and walks you through the tricky parts with clarity. A COMPLETE JAPANESE COURSE β€’ Structured unit-by-unit curriculum β€” beginner to conversational β€’ Four lesson types per unit: Recognize, Practice, Produce, Master β€’ Per-unit guidebooks with grammar notes and culture tips β€’ 100% offline β€” zero data use, learn on the train JAPANESE-SPECIFIC, NOT GENERIC β€’ Kana explorer β€” hiragana + katakana with mnemonics and native audio β€’ Kanji root explorer β€” high-frequency kanji + the words built from them β€’ Keigo explorer β€” 敬θͺž in casual, polite, respectful, and humble side by side β€’ Wasei-eigo gallery β€” Japan's English with origin stories (ァラγƒͺγƒΌγƒžγƒ³, γƒžγ‚€γƒšγƒΌγ‚Ή, γƒ‰γƒ³γƒžγ‚€) β€’ Grammar drills β€” particles, te-form, conjugation, keigo quick drills JLPT-READY β€’ N5 + N4 vocabulary packs aligned to official exam ranges β€’ Targeted drills for grammar + counters + mimetic words SIX WAYS TO PRACTICE β€’ Flashcards with native Japanese audio on every word β€’ Multiple-choice, word-matching, word-building β€’ Listen-and-pick, listen-and-build, true/false β€’ Spaced repetition (SRS) β€” cards return exactly when you'd forget β€’ Themed sentence packs for real-life conversations β€’ SmartPacks β€” curated vocab around anime, J-pop, business, news β€’ Custom decks β€” build your own from any word you meet BUILT TO KEEP YOU GOING β€’ Daily challenges β€” a fresh mini-goal every day β€’ Streaks with Streak Freeze for sick days β€’ 50 levels, XP rewards, and 40+ achievements β€’ Celebratory session-complete moments β€’ Smart reminders that adapt to your pace β€’ Statistics that track every word, streak, and session LEARN IN YOUR LANGUAGE Interface in English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Malay, and Filipino. WHO IT'S FOR β€’ Absolute beginners β€” start from こんにけは β€’ Anime and manga fans β€” finally catch what's actually being said β€’ Travelers β€” restaurant, train, and shopping phrases you'll use β€’ JLPT N5 and N4 candidates β€’ Heritage learners reconnecting with the language NihonGo is free to start. A Pro subscription unlocks JLPT packs, kanji roots, premium SmartPacks, and unlimited custom decks β€” but the core curriculum, kana, keigo, wasei-eigo, daily practice, and streak system stay free forever. ζ—₯本θͺžγ€ε§‹γ‚γ‚ˆγ† β€” let's begin. Terms of Use: https://app4a.github.io/learn-japanese/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://app4a.github.io/learn-japanese/privacy.html

About

Nihongo Flow

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Nihongo Flow teaches you hiragana, katakana and kanji, builds a vocabulary that sticks, and shows you how Japanese sentences work. A few minutes a day is enough. Explanations are in English or German. VOCABULARY THAT STICKS β€’ Your learning path takes you through the most common words: 2,000, 4,000 or more than 5,800, you choose. β€’ Every word comes back just before you would forget it (spaced repetition). β€’ Practice with flashcards, multiple choice or romaji typing, or say the word out loud and Apple speech recognition checks your pronunciation. β€’ The memory heatmap shows which words are solid and which are fading. HIRAGANA, KATAKANA, KANJI β€’ Hiragana and katakana with all basic and voiced characters, plus 40 N5 kanji with on and kun readings. Quizzes and typing drills in rounds of 10. β€’ Handwriting (Premium): write kana and kanji with your finger and get an instant check of stroke count and size. SENTENCES AND GRAMMAR β€’ Beginner grammar: は vs が, particles, ます forms, the て-form, adjectives, question words. β€’ Sentence Blocks: see how a sentence snaps together from colored blocks, build your own from words you've learned, and stack verb endings from polite to passive. MORE PATHS β€’ Baby Path: picture first, then the word, the way toddlers learn. β€’ Topic Path: nature, seasons, home and more. β€’ Slang & Colloquial: how people in Japan really talk, with the textbook version for comparison. Includes crude expressions, clearly marked. β€’ Business Japanese & Keigo: 463 forms and terms in 29 chapters. β€’ Immersion: short texts on anime, travel, daily life, news and business. Tap a word to add it to your vocabulary. β€’ Hokkaidō Densetsu (Premium): travel across Hokkaidō in 18 stations, with culture cards, Ainu culture, a collector's album and a dice race against rivals. SENSEI: AI FEATURES FOR AGES 16+ β€’ Chat with Sensei in Japanese or English, as a friendly teacher, an anime character or a business mentor. β€’ Voice call with Sensei (Premium): you speak, Sensei listens and answers out loud. β€’ Plus "Teacher explains", example sentences, the Sentence Puzzle, an AI check for your sentences, text correction and "Your level today". β€’ AI features use Claude by Anthropic. They are available from age 16, and only after you agree once. You can withdraw consent anytime in Settings, and you can report any AI answer. Everything else works without AI. KEEP GOING Streaks, levels and XP, "What to learn today?", a Japanese proverb every day and your own avatar. No ads. Speak Japanese? Settings > Course also offers a German course with a Japanese interface. WITHOUT A SUBSCRIPTION OR WITH PREMIUM You need an account with email and password. Without a subscription you learn with energy: each answer uses one point, and energy refills over time. AI features have a daily limit. "Nihongo Flow Premium" gives you unlimited energy, all AI features with no daily limit, handwriting practice, the voice call with Sensei and Hokkaidō Densetsu. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS β€’ "Nihongo Flow Premium" is an auto-renewable subscription, billed monthly (1 month) or yearly (1 year). Prices vary by country and are shown in the app before you buy. β€’ You can try Premium free for 3 days, once per Apple Account. Unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends, it converts to the plan you chose. β€’ Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase or, with a trial, when the trial ends. β€’ The subscription renews automatically for another month or year unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Renewal is charged within the 24 hours before the period ends. β€’ You can manage and cancel it anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://nihongo-flow.app/privacy.html

Screenshots

NihonGo4 screens
Nihongo Flow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Nihongo Flow at every 2 days against NihonGo's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. NihonGo sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Nihongo Flow sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NihonGo ships an update every 2 months, Nihongo Flow every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
NihonGo versus Nihongo Flow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNihonGoNihongo Flow
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size86 MB64 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperNam ChoLEONARD SCHAPER

In-app purchases

3 purchases

NihonGo

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$39.99
2 purchases

Nihongo Flow

Subscriptions2
  • Nihongo Flow Premium (Monthly)3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Nihongo Flow Premium (Yearly)3 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is NihonGo free?
NihonGo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nihongo Flow free?
Nihongo Flow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do NihonGo or Nihongo Flow have ads?
Neither NihonGo nor Nihongo Flow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NihonGo or Nihongo Flow?
NihonGo ships an update every 2 months, and Nihongo Flow every 2 days. Most recently, NihonGo was updated on October 5, 2026 and Nihongo Flow on October 6, 2026.

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