Miaru vs Nihongo Rush
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Miaru
This app makes language learning a consistent habit with short, practical lessons. It focuses on reading, listening, and building sentences from the start, using native audio and smart review techniques. Interactive conversations and gamified elements like streaks and daily goals keep users engaged.
- Bite-size lessons
- Native-quality audio
- Smart review system (SRS)
- Interactive conversations
- Streaks and daily goals
- Learn Japanese, Spanish, English
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Miaru turns language learning into a daily habit you actually keep. Every lesson is short, focused, and hands-on — you read, listen, and build real sentences from day one. No filler. No endless flashcard grind. WHY IT WORKS • Bite-size lessons that fit a coffee break • Native-quality audio on every word, sentence, and conversation • Smart review (SRS): what you miss comes back at exactly the right moment • Interactive conversations that teach how the language is really used • Streaks, daily goals, and XP that keep you coming back LEARN JAPANESE — PROPERLY • Master hiragana and katakana from zero • Every Jōyō kanji with animated stroke order • Everyday Japanese: real conversations for real situations • 300+ lessons from your first character to confident reading MORE LANGUAGES • Spanish — practical, everyday Spanish from zero • English — built for speakers of 30+ languages • Learn in your language: Miaru speaks 35 locales FREE TO START New lessons free every day. Unlock everything with Miaru Premium — unlimited lessons across all courses. $19.99/month or $179.99/year. Subscriptions auto-renew until canceled; manage anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy: https://miaru.co/privacy • Terms: https://miaru.co/terms Meet Luffy, your study buddy — and make today day one of your streak.
Nihongo Rush
Learn Japanese vocabulary and grammar through an engaging arcade-style game. Progress through various districts, master words with spaced repetition, and improve listening skills with spoken audio. Daily challenges and achievements encourage consistent practice.
- Arcade-style learning gameplay
- Spaced repetition for vocabulary retention
- Listening comprehension exercises
- JLPT N5 and N4 level content
- Daily quests and achievements
- Spoken Japanese words and sentences
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Learn Japanese like it's the best arcade game in town. Nihongo Rush turns vocabulary into short runs on the train line from Tokyo to Fukuoka: answer fast, keep the combo alive, catch the EXPRESS, and come back speaking. Hachi, the shiba station master, rides with you. HOW A RUN WORKS Every run is six legs of quick questions with a bonus station between them. Right answers build your combo and multiply your score; wrong ones cost a heart. Catch the EXPRESS at combo 20, grab a golden ticket for x5, choose your train at the fork (LOCAL, RAPID or MYSTERY), and finish with a bonus spin. BONUS STATIONS • MATCH — pair Japanese with English against the clock • LISTEN — no romaji, just your ears • CROSSING — tap the right sign as the words roll by • IZAKAYA — customers order in Japanese, you serve the right dish REAL JAPANESE, SPOKEN ALOUD • Six cities, 48 districts, 325 packs — each one a pattern plus five words • About 1,600 words and 1,500+ example sentences covering JLPT N5 and N4 • Every word and sentence is voiced; LISTEN stations train your ear • Build sentences tile by tile from the words you already know • Romaji on or off; hiragana and katakana packs for beginners LEARNING THAT STICKS Words you got right come back a little later, and later again, until they are learned. Words you struggle with come back sooner. Your Cards collection shows what you have met and what you have mastered, district by district. DAILY RHYTHM Daily quests, achievements and a streak. One run a day adds up; a reminder from Hachi at the time you pick, if you want one. NIHONGO RUSH PRO The whole app is one subscription: monthly, or yearly with a 7-day free trial. No ads, no locked packs, no energy meter. Prices are shown in the app. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase, or after the free trial. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings at any time. Terms: https://nihongorush.com/terms Privacy: https://nihongorush.com/privacy Support: support@nihongorush.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Miaru at 5.0 against Nihongo Rush's 3.0. Miaru also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Miaru sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and Nihongo Rush sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Miaru holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Miaru | Nihongo Rush |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Every 3 days |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 254 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Miaru LLC | Egemen Denizeri |
Customer experience
Miaru
Nihongo Rush
In-app purchases
Miaru
- Premium Monthly$19.991 Month
- Premium Yearly$179.991 Year
Nihongo Rush
- Monthly$9.991 Month
- Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year








