# Japandix vs Nihongo

The clearest difference is ads: Nihongo at none against Japandix's shown. Nihongo also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 1). Japandix's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 91%) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.6). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Japandix sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Nihongo sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Japandix holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nihongo has 1.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Japandix's written reviews are positive against 91% of Nihongo's.

Japandix ships an update every 5 months, Nihongo weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Japandix | Nihongo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/japandix/id725198784/reviews)** | [4.8 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-japanese-dictionary/id881697245/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **1.9K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 91.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 39 MB | 492 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dreams Come True Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/526596466) | [Serpenti Sei Japan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767544234) |

## What reviewers say

### Japandix

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/japandix/id725198784)

This app serves as a digital appendix for diaries, offering a wealth of information on Japanese living, etiquette, and culture. It includes details on manners, calendars, unit conversions, and various trivia. Users can bookmark content and view it offline, with language switching between Japanese and English.

**Highlights:** Extensive Japan-related content, Index search functionality, Bookmark management (MyList), Offline viewing, Language switching (Japanese/English), Information on manners and etiquette, Living and trivia sections

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade | $0.99 | one-time |


### Nihongo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-japanese-dictionary/id881697245)

This app is an offline Japanese study tool that functions as a dictionary, translator, and flashcard creator. It helps users learn Japanese by analyzing text from their surroundings, such as signs and menus, and creating personalized study materials.

**Highlights:** Offline Japanese dictionary, Picture-to-text translation (OCR), Automatic flashcard creation, Reading assistant with furigana/romaji, Spaced repetition flashcards, Search in English, Japanese, or romaji

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nihongo Pro (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Nihongo Pro (3 Months) | $11.99 | per 3 months |
| Nihongo Pro (Annual) | $49.99 | per year |
| Pitch Accents | $9.99 | one-time |
| Nihongo Pro (Lifetime) | $179.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent dictionary
- 👍 Comprehensive features
- 🔒 Offline compatibility
- 👍 Helpful example sentences
- 👍 Intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 💰 Subscription model could be expensive
- 🔍 Difficult to manage flashcards

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing issues when tapping on kanji
- Font size problems
- Inconsistent OCR and translation accuracy

**Requested features**

- Handwriting input support
- Customizable flashcard settings
- Monolingual dictionary feature
- Improved backup and sync functionality
- Statistics and progress tracking


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Japandix free?

Japandix is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Nihongo free?

Nihongo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Japandix or Nihongo?

Japandix is rated higher. Japandix averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Nihongo averages 4.8 from 1.9K ratings.

### Do Japandix or Nihongo have ads?

Japandix shows ads; Nihongo does not.

### Which is updated more often, Japandix or Nihongo?

Japandix ships an update every 5 months, and Nihongo weekly. Most recently, Japandix was updated on October 26, 2026 and Nihongo on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*