Kiku Mentor vs Setsumei
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kiku Mentor
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Short Japanese listening passages from N5 to N1, read the way Japanese is spoken. PARTICLES PRONOUNCED CORRECTLY In Japanese, は is read "wa", を is read "o" and へ is read "e" when they are particles. Many listening apps read them the way they are spelled. Kiku Mentor reads them correctly, so your ear learns the real sounds. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick your level. 2. Listen to a passage of 15 seconds to 2 minutes. 3. Follow the transcript. Tap any word to replay the audio from that word. 4. Slow the audio to 0.5x or speed it up to 1.5x. 5. Answer the comprehension questions. 6. Save new words to your review deck. WHAT YOU GET - 114 passages across N5, N4, N3, N2 and N1 - Daily conversations, announcements, news and two-person dialogues - Full transcripts with word-by-word breakdowns - Natural-sounding AI narration - Comprehension quizzes after every passage - Spaced repetition cards for the words you meet FREE N5 passages free for 7 days, then 3 a day. KIKU MENTOR PRO All levels from N5 to N1, unlimited listening, the full vocabulary review deck, and offline playback. - Annual: $39.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial - Monthly: $5.99 a month Payment is charged to your Apple ID when you confirm the purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://archmob.com/privacy
Setsumei
This app breaks down Japanese sentences into understandable grammar lessons. It highlights grammar points, provides pronunciations, and offers plain-English explanations. Users can save and review grammar points in context, with an offline sentence library available.
- Grammar highlighting in sentences
- Word pronunciations and dictionary forms
- Plain-English explanations and examples
- Offline Japanese-English sentence library
- Save and review grammar points
- JLPT level estimation
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Understand the grammar inside real Japanese sentences. Setsumei turns Japanese text into a clear, approachable grammar lesson. Type or paste a sentence, choose an example, or search the included Japanese–English sentence library. Setsumei highlights the grammar it recognizes and keeps the original sentence, readings, and explanations together. SETSUMEI PREMIUM Setsumei is free to try. A one-time purchase of Setsumei Premium unlocks: • Unlimited sentence analysis • The full N1–N5 grammar library • Unlimited spaced review • Unlimited saved sentences and grammar points No subscription. LEARN IN CONTEXT • See grammar patterns highlighted directly in the sentence • Read word pronunciations and dictionary forms • Explore plain-English meanings, formations, nuances, and examples • Use estimated JLPT levels as a study guide • Search a large offline Japanese–English sentence library BUILD YOUR GRAMMAR LIBRARY • Save useful grammar points with their sentence context • Add personal notes • Browse grammar by communicative purpose • Mark grammar as Saved or Mastered • Revisit sentence history and saved sentences • Copy and share lessons REVIEW WHAT YOU SAVE • Practice grammar in the sentence context where you found it • Recall what each pattern contributes before revealing the explanation • Use Again, Hard, and Good to space difficult points sooner and remembered points farther apart • Keep review progress on device PRIVATE BY DESIGN Grammar detection, word analysis, and contextual classification run on your device using bundled resources. Setsumei requires no account and includes no ads, third-party analytics, or paid AI service. Grammar recognition and explanations are continually being improved. JLPT levels are estimates because the current JLPT does not publish official grammar lists.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kiku Mentor at none against Setsumei's 1. Kiku Mentor also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Setsumei sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Kiku Mentor asks for nothing beyond the download.
Kiku Mentor ships an update daily, Setsumei every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Kiku Mentor | Setsumei |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 164 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Archmob Pte Ltd | Igor Kulman |
In-app purchases
Kiku Mentor
No in-app purchases
Setsumei
- Setsumei Premium$14.99









