Comparison

Challenge English vs Hiragana Transit Map

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

Head to head
About

Challenge English

This app helps elementary school students develop balanced English skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It offers personalized learning levels and can help users achieve English proficiency up to the junior high school third-year level. A free trial is available without login.

Highlights
  • Personalized learning levels
  • Develop reading, writing, speaking, listening
  • Achieve junior high 3rd-year English proficiency
  • Free trial available
  • Requires Benesse service contract
Read full description

お子さま1人1人に合ったレベルで学べる小学生向け英語学習アプリ〈Challenge English〉。 「読む・書く・話す・聞く」の力をバランスよく伸ばし、中学3年生レベルの英語力まで身につけられます。 ※無料体験版はログイン不要でご利用いただけます。 ■ご利用にあたって ・本アプリは、「進研ゼミ」や「Challenge English」または他のベネッセサービスのご契約時に発行された情報を用いてログインすることができます。 ■ご注意事項 ※ご利用には「進研ゼミ」や「Challenge English」または「対象のベネッセサービス」の契約が必要です。 ※快適なご利用の為にWiFiでのご利用をお勧め致します。 ■〈Challenge English〉でのお客様の情報の取扱いについて 「サイト・アプリ」でのお客様に関する情報の取扱い」もあわせてご確認ください。 1.GPSによる位置情報、端末固有ID等、電話帳、スマートフォンに保存している写真や動画は取得しません。 2.お客様の情報を第三者に提供・送信することはありません。 3.本アプリでのお客様の情報の取扱いについては、個人情報お問い合わせ窓口(0120-924721 通話料無料、年末年始を除く、9時〜18時)にて承ります。

About

Hiragana Transit Map

Features
Read full description

Hiragana Transit Map is a child-friendly map of Japan’s railways, stations, bus stops, and public GTFS bus routes. Station and route names are shown primarily in hiragana so children can explore Japan’s transit network for themselves. Now the routes on the map can become a Sugoroku board game too. EXPLORE THE TRANSIT MAP • Browse real railway lines, stations, bus stops, and public GTFS bus routes from across Japan • Tap a station or bus stop to see its name and connecting routes • Save favorite stations and bus stops • Show or hide individual routes • Use optional location access to discover transit around you • Choose hiragana-only labels or labels with kanji from the grown-up menu PLAY SUGOROKU ON THE MAP • Start from “Play a Board Game” on the transit map • Play solo or with family and friends nearby • Begin with the included Yamanote Line course, “First Transit Map” • Roll the dice and travel through stations and bus stops • Connect nearby iPhones and iPads to play together on the same board CREATE BOARDS FROM FAVORITE AREAS In the grown-up board manager, select any map area and save it as a reusable game board on the device. Saved boards can be renamed, edited, duplicated, reordered, and deleted. DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES • No ads, account registration, subscriptions, or in-app purchases • The transit map and solo board game work offline • Location is used only to show the current position and heading, and is not sent to an external server • Nearby play uses a direct local connection and does not match players with strangers online This app does not provide timetables, fares, journey planning, delays, or other live service information. Bundled transit data reflects the public information available when it was included and may differ from current conditions.

Screenshots

Challenge English4 screens
Hiragana Transit Map4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hiragana Transit Map at every 6 weeks against Challenge English's every 4 months. Challenge English's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Challenge English ships an update every 4 months, Hiragana Transit Map every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Challenge English versus Hiragana Transit Map: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChallenge EnglishHiragana Transit Map
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews39.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB433 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperBenesse CorporationShigeyuki Kawamoto

In-app purchases

None

Challenge English

No in-app purchases

None

Hiragana Transit Map

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Challenge English free?
Challenge English is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hiragana Transit Map free?
Hiragana Transit Map is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Challenge English or Hiragana Transit Map have ads?
Neither Challenge English nor Hiragana Transit Map shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Challenge English or Hiragana Transit Map?
Challenge English ships an update every 4 months, and Hiragana Transit Map every 6 weeks. Most recently, Challenge English was updated on November 1, 2026 and Hiragana Transit Map on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons