KanaMastery compared
Honest comparisons with the tools Japanese learners use most. Each says what the other product does better, and every fact about it comes from its own pages, with the date we checked.
- Duolingo vs KanaMasteryDuolingo is the better pick for a free, playful start in an app: its whole Japanese course is free, teaches hiragana, katakana and kanji with tracing, and now runs up to CEFR B2. KanaMastery is the better pick if you are aiming at the JLPT: it drills the JLPT word and kanji lists from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition, typed answers and listening.
- WaniKani vs KanaMasteryWaniKani is the better pick if kanji is your main goal and you like mnemonics: it takes you through about 2,000 kanji and 6,000 words in 60 fixed levels, each item with a story written by its staff. KanaMastery is the better pick for kana, for JLPT word lists from N5 to N1, and for drills beyond kanji (numbers, verb forms, particles, listening).
- Anki vs KanaMasteryAnki is the better pick if you want total control: it is a free flashcard engine (desktop, Android and the web; USD 24.99 on iPhone) where you make or download any deck. KanaMastery is the better pick if you want Japanese practice that is ready to go, with checked readings and meanings, programs and drills, and nothing to set up.
- Bunpro vs KanaMasteryBunpro is the better pick for grammar: it has more than 900 grammar points from N5 to N1, each with an explanation, example sentences with recorded audio, and spaced repetition. KanaMastery is the better pick for kana, kanji and JLPT vocabulary drills, and it explains grammar only in short notes.
- Renshuu vs KanaMasteryRenshuu is the better pick if you want one free tool that covers almost everything: its free version is unlimited and ad-free, with more than 12,000 kanji, 800 grammar expressions and native audio. KanaMastery is the better pick for a short, structured daily routine: programs in a fixed order from kana to N1, a placement test, a daily challenge and weekly leagues.
- MaruMori vs KanaMasteryMaruMori is the better pick if you want one course that teaches grammar, kanji, vocabulary and reading together, with human-written lessons through N2. KanaMastery is the better pick if you want practice rather than lessons: drills and spaced repetition from kana to N1, a daily challenge and leagues, at a lower price.
- LingoDeer vs KanaMasteryLingoDeer is the better pick for a structured beginner course in an app: lessons written by teachers, grammar tips, native-speaker audio for every sentence, and offline downloads, from the alphabet to B1. KanaMastery is the better pick for going past B1 toward the JLPT: word and kanji lists from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition and drills.
- Busuu vs KanaMasteryBusuu is the better pick if you want a CEFR course with corrections from native speakers: its Complete Japanese course has 570+ lessons from A1 to B2, free in order, and its community corrects your written and spoken answers. KanaMastery is the better pick for the JLPT: word and kanji lists from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition and drills.
- Memrise vs KanaMasteryMemrise is the better pick for hearing real Japanese: it teaches words and phrases through videos of native speakers, with AI conversation practice, in a kanji or a romaji course. KanaMastery is the better pick for reading and the JLPT: kana, then word and kanji lists from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition and typed answers.
- Skritter vs KanaMasterySkritter is the better pick if you want to write Japanese by hand: you write kana and kanji on screen and it grades each stroke. KanaMastery is the better pick if you want to read and recall Japanese: it drills readings, meanings and listening from kana to N1, and doesn't teach handwriting.
- GyanMirai vs KanaMasteryGyanMirai is the better pick for free tools and mock tests: 139 tools with no sign-up (converters, a verb conjugator, charts, name tools, worksheets, a JLPT study planner and countdown) and timed JLPT mock tests from N5 to N1, with explanations in its Pro plan. KanaMastery is the better pick for learning and keeping what you learn: programs from kana to N1 with placement tests, and spaced repetition (FSRS) on every answer, with listening.
How we compare
We write these ourselves, so we hold them to rules: facts about other products come only from their own pricing, help and app store pages, each linked and dated; we name them in text, without logos; and each page says plainly where the other product is the better choice. We re-check them twice a year.
KanaMastery is a website for practising Japanese, from kana to JLPT N1, with spaced repetition, a daily challenge and leagues. It isn't a grammar course and has no phone app yet. For a wider view of the tools worth using, see the best websites to learn Japanese.