Comparison

JLPT N5 vs Nihongo Flow

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

Head to head
About

JLPT N5

Features
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Sit a full JLPT N5 before test day. A full 90-minute mock exam with the official format and scoring — 180 points, pass at 80, and the same per-section thresholds the examiners use. 578 questions. Two-voice Japanese audio. Not generic flashcards. Start free with a short diagnostic that tells you where you stand today. WHAT YOU PRACTICE • Reading — Language Knowledge and authentic passages, 60 minutes, scored out of 120 • Listening — clear spoken Japanese at real exam pace, 30 minutes, scored out of 60 WHY IT WORKS • Full-length, timed mock exams that mirror the official N5 format and scoring • A 0–100 pass-readiness score that pinpoints your weak spots • Every answer explained instantly, in your own language • One card at a time — calm, focused, never overwhelming • Daily streaks to keep the habit alive Start with five minutes a day and build from there. Free to download. One optional, one-time purchase unlocks every card and the full mock exams — no subscription, pay once. Includes in-app purchases. Independent study tool — not affiliated with the JLPT organisation.

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 • Your learning path takes you through the most common words: 2,000, 4,000 or more than 5,800, you choose. • Every word comes back just before you would forget it (spaced repetition). • Practice with flashcards, multiple choice or romaji typing, or say the word out loud and Apple speech recognition checks your pronunciation. • The memory heatmap shows which words are solid and which are fading. HIRAGANA, KATAKANA, KANJI • 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. • Handwriting (Premium): write kana and kanji with your finger and get an instant check of stroke count and size. SENTENCES AND GRAMMAR • Grammar from N5 to N1: 52 lessons and a level check for your grammar level. • 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 • Baby Path: picture first, then the word, the way toddlers learn. • Topic Path: nature, seasons, home and more. • Slang & Colloquial: how people in Japan really talk, with the textbook version for comparison. Includes crude expressions, clearly marked. • Business Japanese & Keigo: 463 forms and terms in 29 chapters. • Immersion: short texts on anime, travel, daily life, news and business. Tap a word to add it to your vocabulary. • 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+ • Chat with Sensei in Japanese or English, as a friendly teacher, an anime character or a business mentor. • Voice call with Sensei (Ultra Maxx): you speak, Sensei listens and answers out loud. • Plus "Teacher explains", example sentences, the Sentence Puzzle, an AI check for your sentences, text correction and "Your level today". • 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 and Hokkaidō Densetsu. "Nihongo Flow Ultra Maxx" is Premium plus the voice call with Sensei, up to 15 minutes a day. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS • "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. • 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. • Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase or, with a trial, when the trial ends. • 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. • 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

JLPT N54 screens
Nihongo Flow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Nihongo Flow at none against JLPT N5's shown. Nihongo Flow also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. JLPT N5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Nihongo Flow sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JLPT N5 ships an update every 3 weeks, Nihongo Flow daily. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
JLPT N5 versus Nihongo Flow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJLPT N5Nihongo Flow
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB95 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperYingwen WangLEONARD SCHAPER

In-app purchases

1 purchases

JLPT N5

One-time1
  • JLPT N5 Pro$9.99
4 purchases

Nihongo Flow

Subscriptions4
  • Nihongo Flow Premium (Monthly)3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Nihongo Flow Ultra Maxx$29.991 Month
  • Nihongo Flow Premium (Yearly)3 Days trial$79.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Nihongo Flow Ultra Maxx$299.991 Year

Questions

Is JLPT N5 free?
JLPT N5 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 JLPT N5 or Nihongo Flow have ads?
JLPT N5 shows ads; Nihongo Flow does not.
Which is updated more often, JLPT N5 or Nihongo Flow?
JLPT N5 ships an update every 3 weeks, and Nihongo Flow daily. Most recently, JLPT N5 was updated on October 24, 2026 and Nihongo Flow on October 31, 2026.

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