# Nihongo vs UDictionary Translator

The clearest difference is ads: Nihongo at none against UDictionary Translator's shown. Nihongo also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 59%). UDictionary Translator's advantage is ratings volume (9.3K vs 1.9K) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.6). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nihongo sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and UDictionary Translator sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Nihongo holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.9K and 9.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Nihongo's written reviews are positive against 59% of UDictionary Translator's.

Nihongo ships an update weekly, UDictionary Translator fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nihongo | UDictionary Translator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongo-japanese-dictionary/id881697245/reviews)** | [4.6 (9.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/udictionary-translator/id1319771553/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1.9K | **9.3K** |
| Positive reviews | **91.3% of reviews** | 58.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 528 MB | 557 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | +12 |
| Developer | [Serpenti Sei Japan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767544234) | [Youdao (Hong Kong) Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1319771552) |

## What reviewers say

### Nihongo

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

This app acts as an offline Japanese dictionary, translator, and reading assistant. It helps users learn Japanese by identifying words in daily life, translating text from images or pasted content, and creating flashcards for vocabulary building. Features include a comprehensive dictionary, OCR photo lookup, and a reading assistant with furigana support.

**Highlights:** Offline Japanese dictionary, Picture-to-text translation (OCR), Automatic flashcard generation, Furigana and romaji support, Search by English, Japanese, or romaji, Kanji lookup by radicals, Safari extension for web pages

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nihongo Pro (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Nihongo Pro (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Nihongo Pro (3 Months) | $11.99 | per 3 months |
| Nihongo Pro (Annual) | $49.99 | per year |
| 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


### UDictionary Translator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/udictionary-translator/id1319771553)

Translate text, voice, and images across 108 languages. This app offers a comprehensive dictionary with native examples and pronunciation guides. Premium features include camera translation, a translate keyboard, and offline mode for seamless communication.

**Highlights:** Text translation in 108 languages, Voice translation with 47 accents, Authoritative built-in dictionaries, Camera translation via photo, Translate Keyboard for in-app use, Offline translation mode

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| U Dictionary PRO | $2.49 | per 7 days |
| U Dictionary PRO-1 week | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| U Dictionary PRO-1 month | $5.99 | per month |
| U Dictionary PRO | $9.99 | per month |
| U-Dictionary PRO Monthly | $16.99 | per month |
| U Dictionary PRO-1 month | $16.99 | per month |
| U Dictionary PRO-1 year | $29.99 | per year |
| U Dictionary PRO-1 year | $56.99 | per year |
| U Dictionary PRO-1 year | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Excellent translation accuracy
- 🌐 Supports multiple languages
- 📚 Comprehensive dictionary with examples
- 🤖 Helpful text-to-speech feature
- 🔍 Useful scanning and translation capabilities

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Excessive paywall and in-app purchases
- 🐛 Occasional translation failures or errors
- 🔌 Requires internet connection for full functionality
- 🕰️ Slow performance and lag at times
- 📱 Limited features in free version

**Reported bugs**

- Translation unavailable due to 'no internet connection' error when online
- Scanning feature not working consistently
- Keyboard translation not functioning properly
- App crashes or freezes unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- Offline mode for all translation features
- Customizable text-to-speech voice options
- Ability to save favorite words or translations
- More language support, especially for less common languages
- Improved grammar and sentence structure analysis


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nihongo free?

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

### Is UDictionary Translator free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Nihongo or UDictionary Translator?

Nihongo is rated higher. Nihongo averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while UDictionary Translator averages 4.6 from 9.3K ratings.

### Do Nihongo or UDictionary Translator have ads?

UDictionary Translator shows ads; Nihongo does not.

### Which is updated more often, Nihongo or UDictionary Translator?

Nihongo ships an update weekly, and UDictionary Translator fortnightly. Most recently, Nihongo was updated on November 11, 2026 and UDictionary Translator on November 11, 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.*