Best app to learn Japanese: every app that teaches it, compared
こんにちはkon-nee-chee-wah“hello” in Japanese
Start with Pimsleur ($131.96 a year) to speak before you can read, and learn hiragana and katakana free in Duolingo's Characters section. Add Busuu ($72.99 a year) for a course from A1 to B2, LingQ for manga and anime, and italki when you want a Japanese speaker to correct you.
Prices checked 6 Sept to 20 Oct 2026 · How we check
Our picks
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to the app makers' own sites earn us nothing. Commissions never affect which apps we recommend. Affiliate disclosure and how the data is collected.
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Best to speak before you can read
Pimsleur
Audio course
$131.96 a year$11 a month, billed yearly · All Access
Why it's here. Half-hour audio lessons get you answering aloud, which suits a commute or a walk. Download lessons before you leave and you can practise without a connection.
Free: No free tier; 7-day free trial on subscriptions.
Skip it if you want to read and write, or want something free: it is audio first, with a 7-day trial.
Audio lessons that need no kana: you speak before you read.
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Best structured course
Busuu
Course app
$72.99 a year$6.08 a month, billed yearly · Premium
Why it's here. A structured course gives you a path through lessons, with corrections from native speakers. You can start with a free account before deciding whether the paid extras are useful.
Free: Free account with the complete course in each language, community feedback and basic progress tracking.
Skip it if you want live conversation with a person; Busuu has no live lessons.
Japanese from A1 to B2.
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Best for manga and anime
LingQ
Immersion (video, audio, reading)
$119.99 a year$10 a month, billed yearly
Why it's here. Import manga scripts, anime subtitles or articles and save the words you don't know, so the Japanese you want to read becomes your lessons.
Free: Free account capped at 20 saved words and phrases, 5 lessons created from imported content, and 1 audio playlist.
Skip it if you want grammar taught step by step: LingQ is reading and listening with your own word lists.
Japanese texts and audio, plus anything you import.
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Best for a Japanese speaker to correct you
italki
Tutor marketplace
$3 to $10 a lessontypical for 30 minutes in Japanese; each teacher sets a rate
Why it's here. Choose a teacher for the language and conversation you need, then pay lesson by lesson. You get a real person to practise with without committing to an app subscription.
Free: No free tier; discounted trial lesson with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.
Skip it if you want one fixed price or an app to study alone: each teacher sets their own rate.
104 languages
51 of the 99 apps we cover list Japanese; 24 of them are free to keep using and 21 more free to try.
Japanese needs a plan for speaking and a plan for reading: an audio course alone will not get you through a manga page. For kanji, WaniKani teaches them with mnemonics and timed reviews, free for its first three levels.
What a year of Japanese costs
Every app that teaches Japanese and sells a yearly plan, cheapest first, from the plans on each app's own pages. Not on it: LingoHut, which is free; italki, Pingo AI, Praktika and Preply, which publish no yearly price in dollars, and Assimil, Gus on the Go, Michel Thomas Method, Rocket Languages and StoryLearning, bought once rather than by the year.
The yearly planPaying month to month for 12 monthsA price range; the app doesn't say which plan costs what
- Duolingoevery course free; Super's plan lengths not given $0 · Super $9.99 to $119.99 in the App Store
- uTalkone language; $29.99 on some visits $24.99 · $47.88 if you pay monthly
- Language Reactorall its languages · free tier $39.95 · $71.40 if you pay monthly
- Tandemall its languages · free tier $39.99
- Mondlyone language · free tier $47.99 · $119.88 if you pay monthly
- Readlangall its languages · free tier $48 · $72 if you pay monthly
- Human Japaneseone language $49 · $60 if you pay monthly
- Beelinguappall its languages · free tier $49.90 · $95.88 if you pay monthly
- Renshuurenshuu pro · free tier $49.99
- BunproJapanese grammar and vocabulary, every feature · free tier $50 · $60 if you pay monthly
- Memriseall its languages · free tier $61.99 · $299.88 if you pay monthly
- Dropsall its languages · free tier $69.99 · $132 if you pay monthly
- Readleall its languages · free tier $69.99 · $179.88 if you pay monthly
- MosaLinguaall its languages $71.88 · $119.88 if you pay monthly
- Busuuall its languages · free tier $72.99
- Jumpspeakall its languages $79
- Clozemasterall its languages · free tier $79.99 · $155.88 if you pay monthly
- HelloTalkall its languages · free tier $79.99 · $155.88 if you pay monthly
- Langotalkall its languages $79.99 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- Lingvistall its languages $79.99 · $119.88 if you pay monthly
- Lingopieall its languages $83.88
- Speakall its languages $83.99 · $215.88 if you pay monthly
- Satori Readerthe whole library · free tier $89 · $108 if you pay monthly
- WaniKanithe whole course (all 60 levels) $89 · $108 if you pay monthly
- Lingall its languages · free tier $89.99 · $203.88 if you pay monthly
- Fluent Foreverall its languages · free tier $95.88 · $143.88 if you pay monthly
- LingoDeerall its languages · free tier $95.99 · $179.88 if you pay monthly
- Migakuall 11 languages and every feature $96 · $120 if you pay monthly
- Teacher AIall its languages $97 · $180 if you pay monthly
- Skritterevery deck · free tier $99.99 · $179.88 if you pay monthly
- LingQall its languages · free tier $119.99 · $179.88 if you pay monthly
- Talkpalall its languages · free tier $119.99 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- Univerbalall its languages $119.99 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- Mango Languagesall its languages about $120 · $167.88 if you pay monthly
- Pimsleurall its languages $131.96 · $251.40 if you pay monthly
- FluentUall its languages $143.99 · $359.88 if you pay monthly
- Transparent Language Onlineone language $149.95 · $299.40 if you pay monthly
- Languaall its languages · free tier $149.99 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- Rosetta Stoneall its languages $159 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- Dinolingoall 50 languages, up to 6 children $199 · $228 if you pay monthly
- Glossikaone language about $199 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
Three scripts, in the order you meet them
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1Hiragana
あ い う え おa · i · u · e · o
46 basic characters for Japanese sounds and grammar endings. Learn these first. Duolingo's free Japanese course drills them in its Characters section.
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2Katakana
ア イ ウ エ オa · i · u · e · o
The same sounds in a second set, used for words borrowed from other languages. Taught in the same Duolingo Characters section.
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3Kanji
日 本 語ni · hon · go: “Japanese”
Characters that carry meaning; the 2,136 jōyō kanji are the set for everyday reading. WaniKani teaches kanji and the words built from them with mnemonics and timed reviews, free for its first three levels; Skritter has you write each kanji stroke by stroke.
How far each Japanese course goes
Each app's Japanese course as its maker describes it: the level it says the course reaches, and how big it is. 9 of the 35 released courses state a CEFR level; the rest use their own levels or state none. A course's level is what its lessons cover, not proof that you will reach it. Sizes are each maker's own measure (words, hours, lessons or units), so they cannot be compared directly. Read from each maker's pages on 11 Oct 2026, 12 Oct 2026, 13 Oct 2026, 14 Oct 2026, 15 Oct 2026 and 16 Oct 2026. What the CEFR levels mean.
| App and course | How far it goes | How big it is | Writing system |
|---|---|---|---|
| GlossikaJapanese · Glossika: Japanese course | A1 to C1 | 5,000+ words and 6,700+ sentences | Japanese script with romanised hintsGlossika help: typing as a complete beginner |
| AssimilJapanese With Ease · Assimil: Japanese e-course | A1 to B2 | 98 lessons | Not stated |
| BusuuComplete Japanese · Busuu: Japanese course | A1 to B2 | 570+ lessons | Some kanji; separate hiragana, katakana and kanji coursesBusuu: Japanese certificate |
| DuolingoJapanese · Duolingo blog: courses now teach to B2 | Up to B2 | Not stated | Hiragana first, then katakana and kanji; romaji optionalDuolingo blog: learning to read Japanese characters |
| MondlyJapanese · Mondly FAQ: learning levels | A1 to B2Beginner to upper intermediate | Not stated | Not stated |
| StoryLearningJapanese Uncovered · StoryLearning: Japanese Uncovered Intermediate | A1 to B22 levels (Beginner, Intermediate)StoryLearning: choosing an Uncovered course and level | Beginner course: 10 chapters, 60+ video lessonsStoryLearning: Japanese Uncovered | Starts in romaji, then introduces hiragana and katakanaStoryLearning: Japanese Uncovered |
| LingoDeerJapanese · LingoDeer: Japanese course | A1 to B1 | Not stated | Alphabet unit for the writing system; Character Drill: writing practice for Japanese kanjiApple App Store: LingoDeer listing |
| Mango LanguagesJapanese · Mango Languages: proficiency levels | A1 to B15 units, Beginner 1 to Skilled 3 | 5 units, 41 chapters, 638 lessonsMango Languages: languages and course sizes | Not stated |
| uTalkJapanese · uTalk: Japanese | A1 to A2 | 2,500+ words and phrases in 60+ topicsuTalk: Japanese | Speaking first; the three scripts are not taught in depth |
The other 27 Japanese courses: their own levels, or none stated
| App and course | How far it goes | How big it is | Writing system |
|---|---|---|---|
| BunproBunpro grammar · Bunpro: grammar library, N5 to N1 | Grammar points sorted by JLPT level, N5 to N1 | 950 grammar points with 10,000+ example sentences, all with native audio; 100,000+ vocabulary sentencesBunpro: plans and prices | Japanese script, with furigana you can match to your WaniKani levelBunpro: plans and prices |
| ClozemasterJapanese from English · Clozemaster: Japanese vocabulary | Intermediate and advanced learners | A 10,000-sentence Fast Track in 10 levelsClozemaster news: the Fast Track | Not taught: you need to know it already |
| FluentUJapanese · FluentU: Japanese | Beginner to advanced videos | Not stated | How the writing system works, in the beginner course |
| Language TransferIntroduction to Japanese · Language Transfer: courses | In development, not released yet | Not stated | Not stated |
| LingopieJapanese · Lingopie: home page | Beginner to Advanced | Not stated | Not stated |
| LingQJapanese library · LingQ forum: how to set and change your level | Beginner 1 to Advanced 2 | Thousands of hours of audio lessons with transcriptsLingQ: learn Japanese | Not stated |
| MemriseJapanese (Kanji) · Memrise: Japanese course | All levels | 5,000+ words | Kanji |
| MemriseJapanese (Romaji) · Memrise: Japanese (Romaji) course | All levels | 5,000+ words | Romaji (Latin letters) |
| Michel Thomas MethodJapanese · Michel Thomas: Japanese courses | Start, Foundation, Intermediate | 8-hour Foundation course; Intermediate takes about 15-20 hours to complete | All-audio course: no writing is taughtMichel Thomas: the method |
| MigakuMigaku Academy (Japanese) · Migaku FAQ: its courses | From zero to the point where you can start on real films, shows and texts: about 6 months at 10 cards a day | The ~1,500 most common words and a few hundred grammar points, every sentence with native audio | Not stated |
| PimsleurJapanese · Pimsleur: Japanese | Levels 1 to 5 | 5 levels; Level 1 is 30 half-hour lessons; about 100 reading lessons | About 100 reading lessons for the new script |
| ReadleJapanese · Readle: the Lifetime offer | JLPT N5 to N2 | Not stated | Japanese with furigana shown over kanji |
| RenshuuRenshuu · Apple App Store: Renshuu listing | From the alphabets to advanced, with paths for most textbooks, the JLPT and Kanji Kentei | 800+ grammar expressions, 12,000+ kanji with 2,000+ mnemonics, 160,000 example sentences and 15,000 native recordings | Hiragana and katakana from the start, then kanji with mnemonicsRenshuu: home page |
| Rocket LanguagesRocket Japanese · Rocket Languages: Japanese courses | Levels 1 to 3 (Level 1 matches JLPT N5) | 451 hours of lessons in Levels 1 to 3Rocket Languages: Japanese prices | Reading and writing all three scripts, with a kanji writing toolRocket Languages: Rocket Japanese |
| Satori ReaderSatori Reader · Satori Reader: home page | Written for intermediate learners; each series is marked with its difficulty | 1,650+ episodes in 43 series, with new episodes each weekSatori Reader: features | Kanji, kana only, or kanji with furigana, set by the kanji you knowSatori Reader: features |
| SpeakJapanese · Speak help: tutor lessons | Elementary or Intermediate | Not stated | Not stated |
| TalkpalJapanese · Talkpal: courses | Absolute beginner to upper intermediate | 4 levels of 60 themed units each | Not stated |
| WaniKaniWaniKani · WaniKani help: how long it takes to finish | 60 levels (levels 1 to 3 free) | Over 2,000 kanji and over 6,000 vocabulary wordsWaniKani help: what the course contains | Kanji meanings and readings, built up from radicals with mnemonics; no stroke order or handwriting; hiragana is expected before the first kanjiWaniKani help: stroke order |
| BeelinguappJapanese · Beelinguapp: learn Japanese | Not stated | Not stated | Japanese text shown beside your own language, with karaoke-style narration |
| DropsJapanese · Drops: Japanese | Not stated | 2,000+ words | Katakana, hiragana and kanji |
| Fluent ForeverJapanese | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Human JapaneseHuman Japanese and Human Japanese Intermediate · Human Japanese: how it works | Not stated | More than 85 chapters and 4,000 audio recordings | Writing systems from the first chapter, with animations of hiragana, katakana and kanji, with audio and notes |
| LingJapanese · Ling: FAQ | Not stated | More than 200 lessons | Not stated |
| LingvistJapanese · Lingvist help: how large is the course | Not stated | 3,107 words (general course) | Hiragana and katakana decks; kanji from the easiestLingvist: Japanese course |
| MosaLinguaMosaLingua Learn Japanese App · nothing stated on mosalingua.com: mosalingua learn japanese | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Rosetta StoneJapanese · Rosetta Stone help: course contents | Not stated | 12 units in 3 levels | Hiragana and katakanaRosetta Stone: learn Japanese |
| SkritterSkritter Japanese · Skritter: home page and prices | Not stated | Not stated | Japanese characters, written on the screen stroke by stroke |
Every app that teaches Japanese
Recommended first within each type of app. Sort any column or filter by what matters to you.
51 apps
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| Best for | Free tier | Speech | Tutor | Offline | CEFR | Refund or trial | Where to buy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course apps | |||||||||||
| DuolingoCourse appSuper in the US App Store: $9.99 to $119.99, depending on the plan. | A free daily habit | Freepaid tier priced in-app | — | — | Free to keep using Full free tier with ads and limits; Super removes the ads and limits, and Max adds AI practice (Video Call and Roleplay). | Yes | No | Yes · Limited lessons available offline; progress syncs when connected | Up to B2 | 1 week free trial on Super | |
| BusuuCourse app | Corrections from native speakers | $72.99 a year$6.08 a month, billed yearly | — | — | Free to keep using Free account with the complete course in each language, community feedback and basic progress tracking; Premium adds review tools, offline mode and no ads. | Yes | No · Live Lessons are exclusive to Busuu for Business, outside the consumer subscription | Yes | A1 to B2 | 14-day money-back guarantee on the initial Premium payment; no renewal refunds. Apple and mobile-operator purchases require a refund from that provider. | |
| StoryLearningCourse app | One long story per course, with video lessons on it | $297Uncovered Beginner course | — | $997 | Free trial No | — | StoryLearning VIP: a 10-week programme with two coaching sessions a week, sold apart from the courses. | Yes | A1 to B2 | A 7-day free trial of each Uncovered course, then one payment with a 365-day money-back guarantee; bundles have 30 days. The StoryLearning App's page gives no trial or refund terms. | |
| LingCourse app | Asian and less-taught languages | $89.99 a year$7.50 a month, billed yearly | $16.99 | — | Free to keep using Free tier with limited lessons and limited dialogue practice, with ads | Yes | Live online tutors, booked separately through Ling Live. | — | — | 7-day free trial on the 12-month plan; 30-day money-back refund for yearly and lifetime subscriptions bought via Ling web (app-store purchases follow Apple's or Google's refund policy) | |
| Mango LanguagesCourse app | Free through many public libraries | About $120 a year$10 a month, billed yearly | $13.99 | — | Free sample Free trial on both personal plans; the first lesson of any language is free; 10 endangered and indigenous language courses are free; free full access through participating public libraries | No · You record yourself and compare with a native speaker by ear (Voice Comparison); nothing scores it. | No | Yes | A1 to B1 | Free trial on Individual and Family plans; cancel before it ends and you are not charged | |
| Rocket LanguagesCourse app | Paying once per level, not a subscription | $149.95Rocket Japanese Level 1 | — | $449.85 | Free trial A free trial; the page does not say what it includes or for how long. | Yes | No | Yes · audio lessons download in the app; voice recognition needs a connection | Its own levelsLevels 1 to 3 (Level 1 matches JLPT N5) | A free trial; 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases. | |
| MondlyCourse app | A cheap yearly plan across many languages | $47.99 a year$4 a month, billed yearly | $9.99one language | — | Free to keep using Free version with Daily Lessons, the Hello category and a chatbot lesson. | Yes · Mondly's App Store description names voice recognition and speaking practice; it does not say how it marks what you say. | — | — | A1 to B2 | 7-day free trial | |
| LingoDeerCourse app | Grammar-led lessons, with alphabet units for Japanese and Korean | $95.99 a year$8 a month, billed yearly | $14.99 | — | Free to keep using A free version with limited lessons; a membership unlocks every course and feature. | — | — | Yes | A1 to B1 | A 7-day money-back guarantee on yearly and longer plans bought on LingoDeer's website, one request per person; no refund for part of a period or a renewal you forgot. | |
| Rosetta StoneCourse app | Immersion without translation | $159 a year$13.25 a month, billed yearly | $19.99 | — | Free sample Free sample lessons on its site and a one-time 7-day free trial in the app; no lasting free plan. | Yes | Coaching sessions with a Rosetta Stone certified tutor. | Yes | — | A one-time 7-day free trial in the app. Bought from Rosetta Stone: a 14-day money-back guarantee, refunded by its Memberships team by email or phone. App Store purchases go through Apple; a retailer's follow that retailer's policy. | |
| Transparent Language OnlineCourse app | Words and everyday phrases in about 100 languages, free if your library subscribes | $149.95 a year$12.50 a month, billed yearly | $24.95one language | — | Free trial Free with a card at participating public libraries, which give the whole course in every language; otherwise a 14-day free trial. | Yes · EveryVoice compares what you say with the native speaker's recording. | Transparent Connect: six 30-minute one-to-one sessions with a tutor over two months, sold apart from the subscription, in 11 languages. | Yes · Lessons downloaded in the mobile app work offline, and Hands-Free Autoplay plays them for listening and speaking practice. | — | A 14-day free trial. Cancel any time: Transparent Language gives a full refund for the current subscription period if you ask before the next billing date; earlier periods are not refunded. | |
| Human JapaneseCourse app | Japanese explained step by step from zero, in your browser | $49 a year$4.08 a month, billed yearly | $5 | — | Free sample The first eight chapters of Human Japanese and of Human Japanese Intermediate, with a free account: no card and no time limit. | — | No · Written questions to the team in its Discussion feature; no live lessons. | — | — | The first eight chapters of each course are free, with no card and no time limit. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time; its pages give no refund terms. | |
| AssimilCourse app | A dialogue a day with native audio and notes, the method of the Assimil books, paid once | $44.99Japanese course | — | $44.99 | Free sample The first 7 lessons of each course, free in the app; the rest of the course is bought once. | — | No · A self-study course: no lessons with a person are described. | Yes | A1 to B2 | The first 7 lessons of each course are free to try. A course bought in the app is paid through the App Store or Google Play, so a refund is asked of the store; Assimil's terms of use for the app give no refund terms of their own. | |
| DinolingoCourse app | Children from 2 to 14, in 50 languages | $199 a year$16.58 a month, billed yearly | $19 | — | Free trial No | — | — | — | — | A 7-day free trial; cancel before it ends and nothing is charged. | |
| Gus on the GoCourse app | A toddler's first words, bought once | — | — | — | No | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Audio courses | |||||||||||
| PimsleurAudio course | Audio lessons for a commute | $131.96 a year$11 a month, billed yearly | $19.95one language | $478.80 | No | Yes | — | Yes | — | A 7-day free trial on subscriptions. Pimsleur's 30-day money-back guarantee covers only a subscription bought on pimsleur.com or by phone without a free trial of 7 days or more, once per customer; App Store and Google Play purchases are not covered. | |
| GlossikaAudio course | Sentence drills by ear | About $199 a year$16.58 a month, billed yearly | $19.99one language | — | Free trial 7-day full access with no credit card, plus a permanent Freemium tier covering nine minoritized languages | No · You say each sentence aloud and are prompted to record yourself after it; nothing scores it. | No | Yes | A1 to C1 | 7-day free trial with no credit card; monthly payments are non-refundable, annual plans refundable pro rata within 60 days of purchase | |
| Michel Thomas MethodAudio course | Speaking from the first hour, with no writing or homework | $11.99Start course | — | $273 | Free sample A free lesson and a free booklet for every course (sign-up needed, no card); the app that plays the courses is free. | — | No | Yes | — | A refund or exchange within 14 days of buying, if you have not finished the course; the Start course is not refunded if you then buy Foundation. | |
| Vocabulary and flashcard apps | |||||||||||
| ClozemasterVocabulary and flashcards | Free vocabulary practice in context | $79.99 a year$6.67 a month, billed yearly | $12.99 | — | Free to keep using Free account with up to 30 sentences a day; Pro adds unlimited play and advanced features | — | — | Yes · on Pro, in the mobile app | — | 30-day money back guarantee on the Yearly plan; no refunds on Monthly plans | |
| uTalkVocabulary and flashcards | Phrases in 160 languages | $24.99 or $29.99 a yearfor Japanese alone, or $3.99 or $4.99 month to month; uTalk's page shows the lower or the higher price from visit to visit | $3.99 or $4.99for Japanese | — | Free sample Starter Words, a free 26-word pack in every language, plus an online demo at demo.utalk.com | No | No | Yes | A1 to A2 | 28-day money-back guarantee | |
| Fluent ForeverVocabulary and flashcards | Pronunciation first, then flashcards you build yourself | $95.88 a year$7.99 a month, billed yearly | $11.99 | — | Free to keep using Free with no time limit and no card: the language-learning videos and basic learning content, with no ads. Unlimited flashcards and reviews, all the pronunciation lessons, sentences, every language and the AI pronunciation feedback need Premium. | Yes · A Premium feature. | Online Coaching: one-to-one sessions with a coach on Google Meet, 20 minutes once or twice a week or 10 minutes every weekday, sold apart from the app. | No | — | The free version has no time limit. A subscription bought on Fluent Forever's website can be cancelled at any time and stays open to the end of the term, with no refund promised; App Store and Google Play purchases follow Apple's or Google's rules. Online Coaching is refundable for 24 hours after the first purchase, and renewals are not. | |
| BunproVocabulary and flashcards | Japanese grammar, level by level to the JLPT, reviewed until it sticks | $50 a year$4.17 a month, billed yearly | $5 | — | Free to keep using Bunpro Free, for good: the grammar and vocabulary pages and the reading passages, without the spaced-repetition reviews. Every new account also gets Premium free for 30 days, with no card. | — | — | — | — | A 30-day free trial of Premium with no card. A refund for any reason within 30 days of buying a yearly or lifetime plan, or within 7 days of a monthly one, by contacting Bunpro. | |
| MemriseVocabulary and flashcards | Native-speaker clips and review | $61.99 a year$5.17 a month, billed yearly | $24.99 | $329.99 | Free to keep using Limited free version of the app; the paid plan unlocks the rest. | Yes | — | No · The current experience needs cloud-based tools | — | 30-day money-back guarantee; monthly plans have a 14-day refund window. Apple purchases require a refund from Apple. | |
| LingvistVocabulary and flashcards | Fast vocabulary with a placement test | $79.99 a year$6.67 a month, billed yearly | $9.99 | — | Free trial Free level placement before subscribing, and a 14-day free trial on the annual plan; the monthly plan has no trial | Yes | No | — | — | 14-day free trial on the annual plan; cancel before it ends and you are not charged | |
| DropsVocabulary and flashcards | Five-minute vocabulary sessions | $69.99 a year$5.83 a month, billed yearly | $11 | $150 | Free to keep using Free access capped at 5 minutes of play every 10 hours, with topics unlocked one at a time through gameplay | — | — | Yes | — | 7-day free trial on the Yearly plan; affiliate terms reference a 14-day refund period | |
| RenshuuVocabulary and flashcards | Japanese words, kanji and grammar drilled free, along your textbook or the JLPT | $49.99 a year$4.17 a month, billed yearly | — | $109.99 | Free to keep using Free for good, with no ads, no paywall and no daily limit. Renshuu pro is optional: it adds listening and sentence quizzes and more example sentences for each grammar point, and locks no grammar away. | — | — | — | — | Free for good, so there is nothing to try before paying. Renshuu publishes no refund terms of its own; pro bought in the App Store or Google Play is refunded under Apple's or Google's rules. | |
| MosaLinguaVocabulary and flashcards | The most useful words first, on a review schedule | $71.88 a year$5.99 a month, billed yearly | $9.99 | — | Free trial Free download and a free trial; the full set of features needs a Premium subscription. | — | — | Yes | — | A free trial first, then a 30-day money-back guarantee on website and Android purchases; not on App Store purchases. | |
| SkritterVocabulary and flashcards | Writing Chinese and Japanese characters from memory | $99.99 a year$8.33 a month, billed yearly | $14.99 | — | Free to keep using A guest account keeps free access to selected decks for good; a subscription unlocks review mode and every deck. | — | — | — | — | A 7-day free trial, then a 30-day money-back guarantee on a first purchase made with Skritter; App Store and Google Play purchases follow Apple's and Google's rules. | |
| LingoHutVocabulary and flashcards | Everyday words and phrases with audio in 50 languages, free and with no sign-up | Free | — | — | Free to keep using Every lesson free, with ads and no sign-up: about 125 lessons of phrases with audio in each language, with flashcards and games. | No · Its FAQ describes a recording feature that uses your microphone; no page says anything scores or answers what you say. | No | — | — | Free; nothing to buy. | |
| WaniKaniVocabulary and flashcards | Learning to read kanji, with mnemonics and reviews | $89 a year$7.42 a month, billed yearly | $9 | $299 | Free sample Levels 1 to 3 are free with no time limit (about 100 kanji and 200 vocabulary words); Level 4 and above need a paid plan. | — | — | No | — | No separate trial: levels 1 to 3 are free. You can ask for a refund for any reason within 60 days of a payment, on monthly, annual and lifetime plans. | |
| Learning from real video, text and audio | |||||||||||
| Language ReactorImmersion (video, audio, reading) | Learning from Netflix and YouTube with two sets of subtitles | $39.95 a year$3.33 a month, billed yearly | $5.95 | — | Free to keep using The extension and website are free: dual subtitles (Netflix's own), pop-up dictionary, playback controls, YouTube and podcast catalogue, basic AI helper and chat with Aria; saving words is limited to PhrasePump. Pro adds machine translation, speech recognition on Netflix and saving everywhere. | Yes · You can speak to the Aria chat; Pro's 'speech recognition' also makes subtitles from Netflix audio. No pronunciation scoring is described. | — | — | — | A Pro free trial ends by returning you to free mode, with no charge; Pro is an auto-renewing subscription you can cancel after paying. No refund policy is published. | |
| BeelinguappImmersion (video, audio, reading) | Reading and listening side by side with a translation | $49.90 a year$4.16 a month, billed yearly | $7.99 | — | Free to keep using Unlocked stories, news and songs with the glossary and flashcards, with ads; changing language needs Premium after the first 30 minutes. | Yes | No | Yes | — | Refunds on request by email within 14 days of a first purchase of a paid plan bought from Beelinguapp (not renewals); App Store and Google Play purchases are refunded by Apple or Google. | |
| LingopieImmersion (video, audio, reading) | TV and film with interactive subtitles | $83.88 a year$6.99 a month, billed yearly | — | $229 | No | Yes · Say It pronunciation practice | Live group lessons on their own monthly or quarterly plan, for subscribers who pay by card; the first lesson is free. | Yes · iOS only; up to 10 downloadable videos | — | 7-day free trial; yearly subscription is charged after the trial and cannot be refunded | |
| LingQImmersion (video, audio, reading) | Reading and listening to real content | $119.99 a year$10 a month, billed yearly | $14.99 | — | Free to keep using Free account capped at 20 saved words and phrases, 5 lessons created from imported content, and 1 audio playlist | — | — | Yes | — | Full refund during the first 30 days of an initial Premium subscription; no partial-month or unused-month refunds afterward. | |
| FluentUImmersion (video, audio, reading) | Learning from real videos | $143.99 a year$12 a month, billed yearly | $29.99 | — | No | Yes | Group classes in some languages, offered free with the subscription for a limited time; no one-to-one lessons. | Yes · audio, quizzes and transcripts download; the videos stream only | — | 14-day free trial with no payment up front, plus a 20-day money-back guarantee | |
| ReadlangImmersion (video, audio, reading) | Reading articles, books and web pages you choose, with a translation one click away | $48 a year$4 a month, billed yearly | $6 | — | Free to keep using A free account with unlimited single-word translations, 10 phrase translations and 10 AI explanations a day, and flashcards; Premium removes the daily limits. | — | — | — | — | No free trial of Premium is described; the free plan stays free. Premium renews each month or year until you cancel in your account settings; you keep it to the end of the period you paid for, and partial periods are not generally refunded. In the EU and EEA you have 14 days to withdraw, but if you start using Premium in that time, the right can end once the service has been provided. | |
| ReadleImmersion (video, audio, reading) | Graded news stories with native audio | $69.99 a year$5.83 a month, billed yearly | $14.99 | $249.99 | Free to keep using A rotating selection of free stories; reading all the stories needs a paid plan. A 7-day free trial opens the whole app. | — | — | — | — | A 7-day free trial. Bought on Readle's website: a refund if you ask within 14 days of your first subscription payment, and 30 days' money back on Lifetime. App Store and Google Play purchases go through Apple or Google. | |
| Satori ReaderImmersion (video, audio, reading) | Reading and hearing Japanese stories at an intermediate level, with every sentence explained | $89 a year$7.42 a month, billed yearly | $9 | — | Free to keep using Library access Selected episodes, free for good: in the app, the first two episodes of every series and some special series in full. Pro opens the whole library of more than 1,650 episodes, offline listening and the discussion boards. | — | No | Yes · Offline access is part of Pro (pricing page). | — | The first month is free in the iPhone app (one per customer). Satori Reader publishes no refund terms: a subscription bought in the App Store follows Apple's refund rules. Cancel any time and you keep Pro to the end of the period you paid for. | |
| MigakuImmersion (video, audio, reading) | Learning from YouTube, Netflix and web pages, with every word you look up saved as a flashcard | $96 a year$8 a month, billed yearly | $10 | $240 | Free trial No | — | — | Yes | — | A 10-day free trial with no card. A full refund if you tell Migaku within 14 days of buying, by email to its support address. | |
| AI conversation practice | |||||||||||
| JumpspeakAI conversation practice | Speaking aloud with AI from the first lesson | $79 a year$6.58 a month, billed yearly | — | $269 | Free sample Free users can sample some lessons at each level, switch languages and have a limited number of AI Tutor conversations. | Yes | Live Tutoring through Rype (one-on-one sessions with human tutors), sold separately from Premium | No | — | Premium bought on Jumpspeak's website: a 100-day money-back guarantee (30 days for Premium AI and family plans). App Store and Google Play purchases go through Apple or Google. | |
| LanguaAI conversation practice | Natural-sounding AI conversation practice | $149.99 a year$12.50 a month, billed yearly | $19.99 | — | Free to keep using A free version with low limits: 3 minutes of calls a day and about 20 chat messages a week. | Yes | Human tutors on LanguaTalk, booked separately from Langua; each tutor sets a price per lesson. | — | — | A Pro trial (5 days on a monthly plan, 7 on a yearly one; card needed), and a 30-day money-back guarantee on web and Google Play subscriptions; App Store ones follow Apple's rules. | |
| LangotalkAI conversation practice | An AI tutor that remembers your mistakes and builds lessons on them | $79.99 a year$6.67 a month, billed yearly | $19.99 | $149.99 | Free trial A free account to start your first conversation; Langotalk doesn't say what stays free after that. The yearly plan comes with a 7-day free trial. | Yes | No | — | — | A 7-day free trial with the yearly plan only. Bought on Langotalk's website: a full refund within 14 days of purchase, on any plan, by email (its home page's answers say 3 months; the refund policy says 14 days). App Store and Google Play purchases are refunded by Apple or Google. | |
| SpeakAI conversation practice | Speaking practice with AI | $83.99 a year$7 a month, billed yearly | $17.99 | — | Free trial 7-day free trial; no permanently free tier is published | Yes | No | — | — | 7-day free trial; refunds for App Store and Google Play purchases go through Apple or Google, and website purchases through Speak support | |
| TalkpalAI conversation practice | AI conversation practice in many languages | $119.99 a year$10 a month, billed yearly | $19.99 | — | Free to keep using The Basic plan: 10 minutes of chat a day, with progress tracking and pronunciation checks. | Yes | No | No | — | A 14-day free trial for new users. Bought from Talkpal directly: a full refund if you ask within 30 days of a charge; not for app store purchases. | |
| Teacher AIAI conversation practice | Speaking practice with AI versions of YouTube teachers, once you know the basics | $97 a year$8.08 a month, billed yearly | $15 | — | Free trial No | Yes | No | — | — | A 3-day free trial with the monthly plan, 7 days with the longer plans. Bought on Teacher AI's website: a full refund if you ask within 7 days of buying, by email to [email protected]. App Store and Google Play purchases are refunded by Apple or Google. | |
| PraktikaAI conversation practice | Talking with an AI avatar tutor | $9.99 a monthPraktika Premium, 1 month | $9.99 | — | Free to keep using Free to download and use: 3 AI avatars, limited speaking practice, basic feedback. | Yes | No | — | — | A refund if you ask within 48 hours of a charge, Praktika's help centre says; its terms otherwise make fees non-refundable. | |
| UniverbalAI conversation practice | Conversations about your own situations, each message corrected | $119.99 a year$10 a month, billed yearly | $19.99 | — | Free trial Signing up is free and every new account gets 3 days to try Univerbal; after that Univerbal doesn't say what stays free. Unlimited conversations need a Univerbal Pass. | Yes | No | — | — | A 7-day free trial on every pass, after 3 free days on a new account. Refunds follow Apple's or Google's rules; Univerbal says it will usually send a refund request to the store. | |
| Pingo AIAI conversation practice | Speaking practice with an AI that remembers your mistakes and builds each conversation on the last | — | — | — | Free trial No | Yes | No | — | — | A free trial before you subscribe. Pingo publishes no refund terms of its own: its terms send refund requests to the store or payment provider you paid through, under that provider's rules. | |
| Tutors and live classes | |||||||||||
| italkiTutor marketplace | Tutors priced per lesson | $3 to $10 a lessontypical for 30 minutes in Japanese; each teacher sets a rate | — | — | No | — | Every lesson is live and one to one; italki also sells group classes. | — | — | Discounted trial lesson with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee: up to two credit refunds on trial lessons if the teacher did not show up or did not meet expectations, requested within 48 hours | |
| PreplyTutor marketplace | Weekly lessons with one tutor | $19 a lesson on averageJapanese, 50 minutes, from $3; each tutor sets a rate | — | — | No | — | Every lesson is live and one to one. | — | — | Paid trial lesson; up to 2 free trial replacements per account (a new trial with a different tutor at no charge) if the trial did not meet expectations; a tutor who did not join is handled separately, with no limit | |
| Language exchange | |||||||||||
| TandemLanguage exchange | Language exchange with native speakers | $39.99 a year$3.33 a month, billed yearly | — | — | Free to keep using Free account with many features; Tandem Pro unlocks the rest | No | No | — | — | Google Play purchases refundable within 14 days of a 1-month subscription or 30 days of a 3-month or 12-month subscription; iOS refunds requested from iTunes within 14 days | |
| HelloTalkLanguage exchange | Chatting with native speakers | $79.99 a year$6.67 a month, billed yearly | $12.99 | — | Free to keep using Free account with ads and daily limits (for example ten translations a day); occasional randomly offered 3-day VIP trials | — | No | Yes | — | Occasional randomly offered 3-day free VIP trial; refunds handled by Apple or Google for in-app purchases | |
Which to choose
You want to speak before you can read
Pimsleur
Pimsleur is audio first and needs no kana at all, which for Japanese is the fastest route to a conversation. It states speech recognition, offline mode, a 7-day trial, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on pimsleur.com plans sold without a free trial; the Premium plan for one language is $149.95 a year or $19.95 a month, and the All Access annual plan was $131.96 for the first year in a sale, then $164.95 a year, for all of its languages when checked in September.
You want a course built for Asian languages
Ling, or Busuu's Japanese course
Ling is a Thai company whose catalogue leans toward Asian and less-taught languages; it states speech recognition, a tutoring product (Ling Live) and a 30-day money-back refund on yearly plans bought on the web, at $16.99 a month, or $89.99 a year on its 12-month plan ($7.50 a month), on sale from $149.99. Busuu lists Japanese with its CEFR-labelled course at $6.08 a month on its 12-month Premium plan.
You want Japanese grammar drilled, level by level to the JLPT
Bunpro, beside your course
Bunpro sorts 950 grammar points by JLPT level, from N5 to N1. Each has a written explanation and example sentences with native audio, and then comes back in new sentences at spaced intervals, more often if you got it wrong; vocabulary decks and 120+ graded reading passages sit beside it, and it can match its furigana to your WaniKani level. New accounts get Premium free for 30 days with no card; then it is $5 a month, $50 a year or $150 once.
Renshuu drills Japanese grammar free, beside words and kanji, along paths for textbooks such as Genki and Minna no Nihongo and for the JLPT; its free version has no ads and no daily limit.
You want to read manga and follow anime without subtitles
LingQ, Lingopie and a vocabulary app
LingQ lets you import Japanese text and audio and save the words you do not know, at $10 a month on its 12-month plan. Lingopie lists Japanese among its 15 languages of subtitled TV at $6.99 a month on its yearly plan. Run Memrise or Clozemaster beside either for the vocabulary.
Migaku does the looking up and the flashcards in one: click a word in YouTube or Netflix subtitles, or on a Japanese web page, for its meaning and audio, and one more click makes it a card with the sentence and a screenshot. Its own beginner course teaches the ~1,500 most common words first. A 10-day trial needs no card; then it is $10 a month or $96 a year.
You want a Japanese person to correct you
italki or Preply, or HelloTalk for free
Preply's Japanese tutors average $19 a 50-minute lesson, and italki says a 30-minute Japanese lesson typically costs $3 to $10; italki also states a placement test. HelloTalk is an exchange app with a large Japanese-speaking membership and a free account with daily limits; its VIP yearly plan was $79.99 on Apple's US store, or $6.67 a month.
Questions people ask
What is the best app to learn Japanese?
To speak first, Pimsleur; for a course built around Asian languages, Ling, or Busuu's CEFR-labelled course; for reading and anime, LingQ or Lingopie with a vocabulary app; for a Japanese speaker to correct you, italki, Preply or HelloTalk. The table shows every app that lists Japanese with its published price.
Which Japanese apps teach kana and kanji?
Duolingo's free Japanese course teaches hiragana and katakana, with some kanji, and keeps a Characters section to practise them. For kanji on their own, WaniKani is a dedicated spaced-repetition course; its first three levels are free. Pimsleur's audio lessons need no writing system, and LingQ works with whatever Japanese text you import.