Comparison

Routine JLPT vs Lingoreel

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

Head to head
About

Routine JLPT

Features
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Studying can wait until later. But you check your phone every day, right? While you watch videos, check messages, or scroll through social media, Routine JLPT brings Japanese words to you. In other apps, on your home screen, and on your lock screen, too. Here's what a day could look like. Review 10 words on your lock screen while waiting for the elevator. Practice 20 words with example sentences playing in the background on your train ride to work. See 10 more in your home screen widget whenever you pick up your phone. And practice another 20 as words pop up between stretches of watching YouTube. Without setting aside a study session, you've had 60 moments of vocabulary practice in one day. ā–  Words come to you while you use other apps Choose the apps you often use and how often you'd like to practice. As you use your selected apps, a learning screen appears at the interval you've set. Take a moment to recall the meaning, check it, and get back to what you were doing. You can make time for a word without waiting to feel like studying. ā–  Practice right on your home screen Add a learning widget to your home screen. A word while you're looking for an app. Another when you return to your home screen. Check words and keep practicing in the widget without opening Routine JLPT. ā–  Meet Japanese words on your lock screen You pick up your phone to check the time, and there's a Japanese word, too. Look at a word and check its meaning on your lock screen. While waiting for the elevator or for a friend to arrive, you have another chance to practice. ā–  Listen to example sentences when you're not looking at the screen Keep learning on your commute, on a walk, or with your phone in your pocket. With example sentences playing in the background, you can hear how words are used in context. ā–  Make your routine fit your day Choose what to study and your daily learning amount. Set which apps will show you words and how often they'll appear. Move past words you know and revisit the ones you're unsure about. Continue the learning you started in the app through widgets and other learning features outside the app. Build your own JLPT vocabulary routine into your everyday life. Note: The daily learning amount above is an example. Actual practice counts depend on your settings and usage. Learning outside the app requires setup and permissions. Display behavior and available features may vary by operating system and device. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Lingoreel

Features
Read full description

Learn a language from the podcasts you actually want to listen to. Lingoreel turns any podcast into a language lesson: sentence-by-sentence subtitles with a translation in your own language, and an AI tutor you can ask the moment you miss something. ANY PODCAST • Curated shows for learners of English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German and Mandarin — or search any podcast • Import shows from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts and other apps with a share link • Most Recent: the newest episode of every show you follow, with new-episode alerts SUBTITLES AND TRANSLATIONS • Transcripts that follow the audio, sentence by sentence • Translations into your language: English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Simplified or Traditional Chinese • Bilingual, original-only or blind listening ASK WHILE LISTENING • Didn't catch it? Squeeze your AirPods (or tap) and ask • Explanations of any sentence, in your language WORDS THAT STICK • Tap a word to look it up; it goes into your wordbook • Spaced-repetition review with the original sentence and audio • Shadowing: repeat after the speaker and get a score A PLAN FOR EVERY DAY • About 20 minutes of clips at your level • Streaks and weekly reports on listening, vocabulary and pronunciation APPLE WATCH • The current sentence and its translation on your wrist • Episodes sync to your watch for phone-free listening (Pro) Use Lingoreel free as a podcast player, no account needed. Lingoreel Pro unlocks unlimited questions, offline downloads, watch sync and your full report history. Lingoreel Pro is an auto-renewing monthly or yearly subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Service: https://www.lingoreel.com/en/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.lingoreel.com/en/privacy

Screenshots

Routine JLPT4 screens
Lingoreel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Lingoreel at none against Routine JLPT's shown. Lingoreel also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 days). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Routine JLPT sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.79 per month and Lingoreel sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Routine JLPT ships an update every 4 days, Lingoreel every 2 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
Routine JLPT versus Lingoreel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRoutine JLPTLingoreel
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size508 MB19 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperSUNIL KIMXIAODONG LI

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Routine JLPT

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Plus$1.791 Month
  • Annual Plus$12.901 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Plus$25.90
4 purchases

Lingoreel

Subscriptions2
  • Lingoreel Pro Ā· Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Lingoreel Pro Ā· Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • 10 Subtitle Credits$2.99
  • 30 Subtitle Credits$6.99

Questions

Is Routine JLPT free?
Routine JLPT is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lingoreel free?
Lingoreel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Routine JLPT or Lingoreel have ads?
Routine JLPT shows ads; Lingoreel does not.
Which is updated more often, Routine JLPT or Lingoreel?
Routine JLPT ships an update every 4 days, and Lingoreel every 2 days. Most recently, Routine JLPT was updated on November 6, 2026 and Lingoreel on November 6, 2026.

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