WaniKani vs KanaMastery: kanji with mnemonics, or practice from kana to N1

Facts about WaniKani checked on its own pages in October 2026. Written by KanaMastery: we say where WaniKani is the better choice.

WaniKani 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).

WaniKani teaches no kana and no grammar, by its own account, so most WaniKani learners use something else alongside it.

WaniKani and KanaMastery, side by side

	WaniKani	KanaMastery
Price	USD 9 a month, USD 89 a year or USD 299 for lifetime; tax or VAT may be added at checkout	€5.99 a month, €44.99 a year or €149 once (KanaMember), after a 14-day trial with no card; a full refund within 30 days of the first payment
Free plan	Levels 1 to 3 free, with no time limit (about 100 kanji and 200 words)	Free for good: all kana and the whole Kana program, every Japan quiz, the first chapter of every program and the first chapters of JLPT N5, 20 reviews a day, the daily challenge and leagues
Where it runs	A website; no official iOS or Android app (it points to apps made by its users)	A website, on any device with a browser; no app to install (and none yet in the app stores)
Hiragana and katakana	Not taught: it asks you to learn hiragana and katakana elsewhere first	All 208 kana with sound and stroke order pages, and a free program that teaches them
Kanji	About 2,000 kanji, with their meanings and readings, through radicals and mnemonics; no stroke order or handwriting	2,217 kanji by JLPT level, each with readings, stroke order and words; practised for reading and meaning, not handwriting
Vocabulary	More than 6,000 words, chosen to use the kanji you have learned	7,579 JLPT words with readings and meanings from JMdict, plus phrases, numbers and counters
Grammar	Not taught, by its own account	Drills, not lessons: N5 particles and verb forms, sentences and N4 keigo; no grammar explanations beyond short notes
Levels covered	60 levels in a fixed order; you can't skip ahead	Kana, then JLPT N5 to N1
How it schedules practice	Its own spaced repetition: nine stages from Apprentice to Burned, from 4 hours up to 4 months apart	Spaced repetition (FSRS) for every answer: reading, recall and listening scheduled separately, up to 100 reviews a day
Audio	Recorded audio for every vocabulary word, in a female and a male voice; none for radicals or kanji	Text-to-speech for words and kana
Motivation	Levels you unlock by learning a level's kanji	XP and levels, combos, streaks with freezes, a daily challenge and weekly leagues

WaniKani's prices are as its own pages showed them in October 2026 (US prices unless noted); ours are in euros. Prices change: check before you buy.

Where WaniKani is better

A hand-written mnemonic for every radical, kanji and word, which many learners find makes kanji stick.
One fixed path through about 2,000 kanji, so there is nothing to plan.
Recorded audio in two voices for every word, where KanaMastery uses text-to-speech.

Where KanaMastery is better

Kana: KanaMastery teaches hiragana and katakana, free, which WaniKani asks you to learn elsewhere first.
You can start where you are: a placement test marks what you already know, where WaniKani's levels can't be skipped.
More than kanji: JLPT word lists for every level, counters and numbers, verb forms, particles and listening drills.
A lower yearly price (€44.99 against USD 89), and a daily challenge and weekly leagues for motivation.

Using both

They fit together well: learn kana with KanaMastery's free program, take WaniKani for kanji with mnemonics, and use KanaMastery for the JLPT word lists and the drills WaniKani doesn't cover. Neither teaches grammar in depth: add a grammar course for that.

Try the free Kana program What KanaMastery does

Questions about WaniKani and KanaMastery

Is WaniKani free?

Levels 1 to 3 are free with no time limit, about 100 kanji and 200 words. From level 4 it costs USD 9 a month, USD 89 a year or USD 299 once (checked October 2026).

Does WaniKani teach hiragana or grammar?

No. WaniKani says it teaches neither: learn kana before you start, and grammar with another resource.

Is KanaMastery a WaniKani alternative?

For kana, JLPT vocabulary and drills, yes. For learning kanji through mnemonics in a fixed order, WaniKani is more specialised.

Does WaniKani have an app?

No official one: WaniKani is a website and lists apps made by its users. KanaMastery is a website too, with no app yet.

Sources

WaniKani is a trademark of its owner. This page isn't endorsed by or connected to WaniKani. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.