Kage Japanese Shadowing vs Phrabbit
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kage Japanese Shadowing
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Kage Japanese Shadowing is a Japanese learning app for shadowing practice, pronunciation review, and guided scenario conversation. Practice with short Japanese study texts, listen to natural Japanese audio, record your voice, and review learning feedback. The app supports learners from JLPT N5 to N1. Features: • Shadowing practice with short Japanese texts • Natural Japanese audio for listening and speaking practice • Pronunciation review with learning feedback • Guided scenario conversations for common study situations • JLPT-level recommendations and filters • Word lookup and practice history Free users can use the core learning features. Pro adds higher daily practice limits, premium Japanese audio, and expanded pronunciation review. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Phrabbit
Practice language pronunciation by listening to audio or video passages, repeating them, and comparing your speech. Offers A/B looping, waveform visualization, and subtitle synchronization for effective shadowing and sentence practice.
- A/B loop practice
- Shadowing with waveform comparison
- Subtitle synchronization
- Video and YouTube stream practice
- Speech-to-text transcription
- Background playback
- Save and bookmark practice ranges
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The surest way to make a sentence truly your own — listen, repeat, and say it out loud. Phrabbit is an A/B loop practice app for language learners. Grab any passage from an audio file, a video file, a podcast, or a YouTube stream, loop it until it clicks, and now speak along to compare your own pronunciation. ◆ Shadowing · Listen to an A/B range, then repeat it in your own voice · Play your take over the original and compare the waveforms (audio files) · The passage's subtitles appear on the shadowing screen, highlighting each line as it plays (audio files) · Shadowing gap — automatically leaves time to speak between loops, with a countdown · Shadowing also works with video files and YouTube streams · My Recordings — save your best takes and pick practice back up on the same range ◆ A/B looping right on the waveform · Set precise ranges with your fingertip while watching the waveform · Loop as much as you want, adjust speed (0.5x–2.0x) · Save important ranges as bookmarks ◆ Practice with video · Bring in video files already on your device (MP4, M4V, MOV) and loop them the same way · Attach an SRT or VTT subtitle file, show it over the video, and nudge the sync if it drifts · Sentence practice — tap a sentence card and that sentence becomes the loop. Tapping the subtitle on the video does the same, so you never mark a range by hand for a sentence · No subtitles? Mark an A/B range and convert just that part with speech recognition · Fullscreen practice — turn sideways for subtitles and range controls together · Tap a word in the subtitles to save it to your wordbook with its context · Videos are referenced, not copied, so they use almost no app storage ◆ Comfortable anywhere, anytime · Background playback — loops keep running with the screen off or while you use other apps · Sleep timer — auto-pause after 5, 15, 30, or 60 minutes · Earphone remote — the previous/next buttons step through sentences (or 5 seconds, on a file with no transcript) · Bookmark queue — tap Play All to practice saved ranges back-to-back, and skip between them from the Lock Screen · Control playback right from the Lock Screen and Control Center ◆ Speech to text (STT) · Turn speech into sentence-by-sentence text, synced to the waveform in real time · See exactly which sentence is playing as you learn · Type subtitles yourself — practice from your own script when speech recognition struggles with the audio, and your typed lines stay put even if you run recognition later · Apple Intelligence subtitle translation — translate a whole transcript on your device and read it beside the original (requires iOS 26.4 and an Apple Intelligence capable device) · On-device processing — your audio is never sent to an external server ◆ Many sources · Import audio files (mp3, m4a, and more) · Import video files (MP4, M4V, MOV) · Podcasts — browse shows curated for the language you are learning, or add one by name or RSS address · Download podcast episodes, and bring in your Apple Podcasts subscriptions · Practice any YouTube link as a stream ◆ Keep your library in order · Folders — group your material, and nest folders inside folders as deep as you like · Favorites — mark what you open most and reach it straight from Home · Search — finds what is tucked inside a folder, and shows you where it lives ◆ Tools that help you learn · Wordbook — save words you don't know and review them · AI word explanations (Beta) — tap a word in your wordbook and Apple Intelligence explains it on-device, in context · Stats — see your practice time and streak at a glance · Works on both iPhone and iPad Start free. A/B looping, playback speed, the shadowing gap, the sleep timer, and one bookmark per file or video are all free. STT, shadowing recordings, unlimited bookmarks and wordbook (including AI word explanations), background playback, podcasts, and subtitle translation are available with Premium — a one-time purchase, no subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Phrabbit at every 5 days against Kage Japanese Shadowing's fortnightly. Kage Japanese Shadowing's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, 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. Kage Japanese Shadowing sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Phrabbit sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Kage Japanese Shadowing ships an update fortnightly, Phrabbit every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 4, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Kage Japanese Shadowing | Phrabbit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | tepgu consulting | KIYOUN KIM |
In-app purchases
Kage Japanese Shadowing
- Pro Monthly1 Month trial$3.991 Month
- Pro Quarterly$10.993 Months
- Pro Yearly$29.991 Year
Phrabbit
- Phrabbit Premium$2.99
Questions
Is Kage Japanese Shadowing free?
Is Phrabbit free?
Do Kage Japanese Shadowing or Phrabbit have ads?
Which is updated more often, Kage Japanese Shadowing or Phrabbit?
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