NBackCalc vs ShogiStep
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NBackCalc
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NBackCalcは、認知科学で実証されたNバック課題をベースにした計算トレーニングアプリです。 【NBackとは?】 N個前の計算問題の答えを記憶しながら、新しい計算問題を解く二重課題です。「覚える」と「計算する」を同時に行うことで、ワーキングメモリ(作業記憶)を効率よく鍛えられます。 【特徴】 ・1〜10バックまで対応。自分のレベルに合わせて調整可能 ・加算・減算・乗算・除算から使用する演算を自由に選択 ・制限時間・問題数をカスタマイズ ・広告なし・完全無料 【こんな人におすすめ】 ・マルチタスクが苦手な人 ・あたふたしてしまいがちな人 ・物忘れが多いと感じている人
ShogiStep
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Learn openings. Play with confidence. Know how the pieces move, but feel lost in the opening? Remember a sequence in practice, then forget it in a game? ShogiStep: Learn Openings helps you study Japanese chess openings by moving pieces on a board with your cat coach. Developed by a Learning Engineering PhD and amateur shogi 2-dan, with commentary supervised by a shogi 5-dan. Understand the ideas, recall the moves, and build your opening knowledge through hands-on practice. UNDERSTAND WHY EACH MOVE MATTERS Openings are sequences refined through games and study. Memorizing moves alone can leave you unsure when an opponent chooses a different line. Learn what a move prepares, what threat it prevents, and how it helps your pieces work together. Your cat coach explains the ideas alongside the board, making positions easier to follow than notation alone. LEARN MODE: ONE MOVE AT A TIME Highlights show which piece to move and where to place it. Tap or drag to play while reading the commentary. Tap a square reference in the explanation to light up that square on the board. Enlarge the commentary for easier reading. TEST MODE: RECALL, PLAY, REVIEW Try the opening without move guides. A mistake does not end your attempt: after two mistakes, a hint helps you continue. Review the commentary after a correct move. At the end, check your first-try accuracy and mistakes, then practice again. FIND YOUR OPENING AMONG 53 LESSONS Start with Primitive Climbing Silver, Bishop Exchange Reclining Silver, and Double Wing Attack. Explore familiar systems and surprise attacks through five optional packs of 10 lessons each: • Static Rook: Side Pawn Capture, Yagura, Gangi, Twisting Rook, Right King, and more. • Ranging Rook: Opposing Rook, Third File Rook, Fourth File Rook, Fujii System, Quick Ishida, and more. • Central Rook: Sente and Gote Gokigen Central Rook, Horned Silver Central Rook, Superfast S-37, and more. • Opposing Strategies & Study: Double Ranging Rook, Right Fourth File Rook, Quick-Attack Climbing Silver, Maruyama Vaccine, and more. • Surprise & Fighting Openings: Pac-Man, Demon Slayer, New Demon Slayer, Iijima's Bishop Pullback, Tsukada Special, Ureshino, and more. FOLLOW THE PROS BEYOND THE OPENING Step through professional games or watch them autoplay. Choose Sente or Gote and move the pieces yourself to follow the game. Try the first game free; the Pro Games Pack adds 10 more. PRACTICE IN YOUR SPARE MOMENTS Learn and Test progress is saved separately so you can resume later. Switch sides to practice your opponent's moves, too. Commentary is provided for the recommended side only; it is not shown when practicing the opposite side. Available in Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese. Adjust background music and sound effects in Settings. START FREE. CHOOSE ONE-TIME PURCHASES. Three opening lessons and the first professional game are free. Optional purchases include: • Five opening packs, with 10 lessons each • Pro Games Pack: 10 additional games • Ad removal • Complete Set: all five packs, 10 additional pro games, and ad removal All purchases are one-time purchases, with no monthly fees or automatic renewals. Choose individual packs or unlock the Complete Set. Restore previous purchases in Settings. Understand a move. Recall it. Play it. Build confidence in your opening with your cat coach. SPECIAL THANKS Commentary supervision: 枡本 秀男 — Representative of エデュ将棋教室; Japan Shogi Association-certified shogi instructor; shogi 5-dan. Music provided by: Music-Note.jp URL: http://www.music-note.jp/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: NBackCalc at none against ShogiStep's shown. ShogiStep's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. NBackCalc sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ShogiStep sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
NBackCalc ships an update every 2 days, ShogiStep daily. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NBackCalc | ShogiStep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days | Daily — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | YOSHINORI KONNO | REBRON |
In-app purchases
NBackCalc
- 開発者を応援する$0.99
ShogiStep
- Pro Games Pack$0.29
- Remove Ads$0.49
- Opposing Formations Pack$1.99
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- Surprise Openings Pack$1.99
- Static Rook Pack$1.99
- Ranging Rook Pack$1.99
- Central Rook Pack$1.99
- Complete Set$7.99









