ScriptPad vs Doriru
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ScriptPad
Master Japanese reading, writing, typing, and speaking with this comprehensive learning tool. It offers structured vocabulary, JLPT preparation, and interactive handwriting practice with animated stroke guides. Engage in various games to reinforce learning and improve pronunciation.
- Animated stroke order guides for characters
- Handwriting practice with drawing canvas
- Complete JLPT vocabulary (N5-N1)
- 10,000+ words with audio
- Pronunciation recording and comparison
- Six interactive learning games
- Offline functionality
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Learn Japanese: read, write, type, and speak. From your first Hiragana stroke to JLPT N1. ScriptPad is a complete Japanese learning app with over 10,000 words, all with clear audio. Study structured vocabulary units, the full JLPT vocabulary for N5, N4, N3, N2, and N1, and real world katakana words, then practice everything by writing it by hand. JAPANESE BASICS Every Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji character with animated stroke order guides. Trace each stroke on the drawing canvas and build real muscle memory. VOCABULARY, JLPT, AND KATAKANA Beginner vocabulary units with games. The complete JLPT word list from N5 to N1 with example sentences, flashcards, and handwriting practice. Katakana words from menus, konbini shelves, and city signs. Every word plays audio with the correct reading, even for tricky kanji. WRITE BY HAND A drawing canvas for every word. Character outlines guide your strokes. Stroke order animations show exactly how each character is written. Works beautifully with Apple Pencil on iPad. SPEAK, TYPE, AND PLAY Record yourself and compare your pronunciation. Practice typing Japanese with instant feedback. Make words stick with games: picture matching, character building, bingo, word blocks, word invaders and more. FEATURES 10,000+ Japanese words with audio Complete JLPT vocabulary: N5, N4, N3, N2, N1 Example sentences with audio Katakana words practice Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji stroke order animations Flashcards and handwriting practice Speak and compare pronunciation recording 6 practice games Kanji mode: toggle between Kana and Kanji Word meanings in English, Chinese, Korean and more iPad Writing Mode with Apple Pencil support 14 page themes Works on iPhone and iPad Fully offline, no internet required One time purchase, no subscription Whether you are a beginner learning Hiragana or preparing for the JLPT exam, ScriptPad is your Japanese writing practice app. Start writing Japanese today.
Doriru
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Learn Japanese the way students in Japan do: by writing it, stroke by stroke. Doriru is named after ドリル, the drill workbooks Japanese students practice kanji in. Tell it where you are and it lays out a path of small, clear steps, from your first hiragana to N1 kanji. Ten minutes a day is enough to start. WRITE EVERY CHARACTER • Animated stroke-order guides for kana and kanji • Practice grids with center guides, like a Japanese drill book • With a stylus, strokes respond to pressure and speed, and you choose the line thickness A PATH THAT STARTS WHERE YOU ARE • Starting from zero, know a little, preparing for JLPT N5 or past your first JLPT: Doriru builds your route from your answer • Small milestones of hiragana, katakana, words and kanji, level by level up to N1 • New to Japanese? A short guide explains how its three scripts work 6 WAYS TO PRACTICE • Flashcards for kana, kanji and vocabulary • Kanji quiz and reading quiz • Vocabulary puzzle: drag the syllables into place to spell each word's reading 2,100+ KANJI. 2,800+ WORDS. • Kanji by JLPT level (N5–N1) or by school grade • Complete hiragana and katakana • Vocabulary from N5 to N3 • Search kanji by character, meaning or reading • Everything lives on your device: no account, no connection needed BUILD THE HABIT • Set a daily goal and keep your streak • Watch every character move from studied to mastered • Bookmark the characters you want to come back to COMFORTABLE TO USE • Light and dark mode • Clean layouts for phone and tablet • Modern or classic Japanese font FREE AND PRO Free: hiragana, katakana, JLPT N5 and grade 1 kanji, and N5 vocabulary, with writing practice and every game. Doriru Pro unlocks every kanji and vocabulary level, unlimited bookmarks and the classic font. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
ScriptPad and Doriru are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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. ScriptPad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Doriru sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ScriptPad ships an update every 3 weeks, Doriru every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ScriptPad | Doriru |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 495 MB | 110 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Hugo Alberto Garza Jr | Juan Carlos Mayoral |
In-app purchases
ScriptPad
- Japanese Learning Premium$6.99
Doriru
- Doriru Pro7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Doriru Pro7 Days trial$17.991 Year








