HiNative vs Kanji Study
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HiNative
Connect with native speakers worldwide to ask questions about languages and cultures. Get pronunciation help, writing corrections, and cultural insights. Learn and help others in over 110 languages.
- Ask questions via audio or text
- Get writing corrections from natives
- Post pictures for context
- Connect with speakers from 170+ countries
- Supports over 110 languages
- Premium features for enhanced learning
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**Over 5,000,000 Users Worldwide!!** HiNative is a global Q&A community for language learners and people that are curious about the world. Ask questions, get answers, and connect with native speakers from over 170 different countries! FEATURES Audio Uploads - Want to check your pronunciation? Curious about a certain region's accent? Need some handy phrases for your upcoming trip? Just record your questions and ask: let the world hear you! Correction Function - Have your writing corrected by native speakers!When you post in your target language, native speakers will show you natural ways to say what you want to say. You can receive corrections to your messages with friends, work emails, journal entries, speeches, etc. Pictures - Not sure how to write something? No problem! It's easier to ask some questions by posting a picture: signs, menus, labels, and even that rad Chinese character you're considering getting a tattoo of--just snap a picture and ask away. Unlike a dictionary or web search, HiNative gives you customized example sentences, responses to your follow-up questions, and tips to improve your pronunciation. With HiNative, you also get access to the best resource for language learning: native speakers. And as a native speaker yourself, you can help out too! HiNative supports over 110 languages, bringing the entire world to your fingertips. It's never been this easy to connect, help, and learn. ------ HiNative is run by the creators of Lang-8, one of the most successful and popular language learning websites around, with over a million users worldwide. ------ HiNative PREMIUM Premium features include the following. 1: Play every voice answer, even those posted in response to other users' questions. This gives you even more opportunity to hear native speakers pronounce the language you're learning. 2: Use bookmarks to gather your favorite questions and answers into a simple, searchable list. Never lose track of important questions. 3: Receive 10 Premium tickets per month to help your questions stand out. Questions asked with a ticket stick to the top of the question feed, get highlighted, and receive more answers on average. 4: Search. Everything's better with search. Search your old questions and bookmarks to find the information you want, faster. 5: Follow any question that you're interested in. You'll receive notifications when anyone responds to a question you follow. This makes it easier to stay up-to-date with the questions you really care about. 6: If a feature you want isn't listed above, email us at support@hinative.com, and we'll see what we can do :) Payment information: Premium Subscriptions cost $11.40 USD per month. - Payment will be charged to a user's iTunes Account upon confirmation of purchase. - Subscription will renew automatically unless Auto-Renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. - A user's account will be charged for the following month if their subscription is not cancelled 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user, and Auto-Renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. - Subscriptions for the current month cannot be canceled. Premium Terms of Use: https://lang8.notion.site/HiNative-Premium-Service-Terms-of-Use-183a44cf58b1800f81abfb35bd68470b Privacy Policy: https://lang8.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-183a44cf58b1802c851acddb39445b95?pvs=74 FAQ about Premium: https://lang8.notion.site/Tell-me-about-the-features-included-with-a-HiNative-Premium-subscription-13ea44cf58b180a9afa4ef6414b11914 How to cancel a Premium subscription: https://lang8.notion.site/How-do-I-cancel-my-Premium-subscription-13ea44cf58b18044acfce96b11c71473
Kanji Study
This app teaches Japanese kanji by focusing on vocabulary words. It offers writing practice with stroke detection and spaced repetition reviews for effective memorization. Learn kanji readings naturally through over 5,000 JLPT-aligned words.
- Vocabulary-first kanji learning
- Writing lessons with stroke detection
- Spaced repetition reviews
- Full JLPT N5-N1 coverage
- Audio pronunciation
- Offline functionality
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Most kanji apps show you a character and its readings and expect you to memorize them cold. Kanji Study takes a different approach: you learn kanji through the vocabulary words they appear in. By studying real JLPT words, over 5,000 of them across N5 to N1, you absorb kanji readings naturally, one word at a time, the way they actually appear in Japanese. What makes it different: Vocabulary-first learning: master readings through words, not rote memorization Writing lessons with stroke detection: learn correct stroke order and get instant feedback Spaced repetition reviews: English → Japanese and Japanese → English, including writing quizzes Full JLPT coverage: structured levels from N5 through N1 Audio pronunciation: hear every word read aloud Works offline: no internet connection required Ideal for JLPT test prep, Japanese language students, or anyone preparing to live or work in Japan.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Kanji Study at every 2 days against HiNative's fortnightly. HiNative's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.5). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. HiNative sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per month and Kanji Study sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for HiNative against 4.7 for Kanji Study. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.1K and 7.2K respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 68% and 67% positive.
HiNative ships an update fortnightly, Kanji Study every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.
| Parameter | HiNative | Kanji Study |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (9.1K ratings) | 4.7 (7.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 68.4% of reviews — better | 67.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 9.1K — better | 7.2K |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 134 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lang-8, Inc | Luli Languages LLC |
Customer experience
HiNative
Kanji Study
User reviews
HiNative
From 9.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Helpful for language learning
- 🤝 Friendly and welcoming community
- ⚡ Quick response times
- 💡 Ability to help others learn languages
Room to improve
- 💰 Excessive paywalls and premium features
- 🔍 Limited free question templates
- 🗣️ Inability to listen to audio responses without premium
- 🗑️ Outdated or incorrect answers from users
Kanji Study
From 7.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great app for learning kanji
- 👍 Effective review system
- 💡 Organized by JLPT levels
- 👍 Affordable one-time purchase
- 👍 Helps with writing practice and muscle memory
Room to improve
- 🐛 Sensitive kanji recognition, sometimes doesn't accept correct strokes
- 🐛 Review sessions can get very long and tedious
- 🐛 Inconsistent kanji definitions and translations
- 🐛 Lack of syncing progress across devices
Bugs and requests
HiNative
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent app crashes or freezes
- Inconsistent notification behavior
- Issues with landscape orientation
- Difficulty changing language settings
Requested features
4 requests- Private messaging or chat functionality
- Ability to filter or search past questions
- Moderation system to ensure quality answers
- More language options and dialects
Kanji Study
Reported bugs
3 issues- Certain kanji not recognized correctly
- App crashing or freezing, especially during long review sessions
- Progress not syncing across devices
Requested features
4 requests- Option to customize review sessions (select specific kanji, JLPT levels, etc.)
- Add both on and kun readings for kanji
- Implement sentence practice and vocabulary exercises
- Add support for more languages (e.g. Russian)
In-app purchases
HiNative
- HiNative Premium Monthly plan7 Days trial$4.491 Month
- HiNative Premium Monthly plan1 Month trial$4.491 Month
- HiNative Premium Monthly plan7 Days trial$9.991 Month
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- HiNative Premium Monthly plan1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- HiNative Premium Yearly plan7 Days trial$34.991 Year
- HiNative Premium Yearly plan1 Month trial$34.991 Year
- HiNative Premium Yearly plan7 Days trial$83.991 Year
- HiNative Premium Yearly plan1 Month trial$83.991 Year
- Hinative Coin$0.99
- Hinative Coin$8.99
Kanji Study
- Level 1$9.99
- Level 2$12.99
- Level 3$14.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Level 4$14.99
- Level 5$14.99
- All Levels3 variants$29.99









