Nihongo Flow vs LingoDeer
LingoDeer is a well-made structured course. Nihongo Flow puts speaking and real, spoken Japanese first. Both start at zero.
Written by the Nihongo Flow team. We make one of these apps, so read this with that in mind. We give the other apps their wins too and link every source. Facts checked on 2026-11-07. Prices change and differ by country. If something here is out of date, tell us on Discord and we fix it. A dash (—) means the product's own pages don't list it.
At a glance
| Nihongo Flow | LingoDeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan · Premium €7.99 a month or €89.99 a year | From $14.99 a month · $95.99 a year (US App Store) |
| Free | The free plan never expires | Full access needs a subscription |
| Course | Kana, vocabulary, 52 grammar lessons N5–N1, immersion worlds | Structured lessons from the alphabet to conversation, stories, kanji writing drill |
| Speaking practice | AI tutor chat (16+) · live voice call with Sensei in Ultra Maxx | “Fluent”: real-life dialogues with speaking exercises |
| Spoken vs textbook Japanese | Side by side, with register labels | — |
| Platforms | iPhone, web | iOS, Android |
Where LingoDeer is better
- A polished, textbook-style course with clear grammar explanations.
- A kanji writing drill and graded stories.
- A native Android app.
Where Nihongo Flow is better
- A free plan that never expires.
- An AI tutor to chat with, and a live voice call with Sensei in Ultra Maxx.
- Casual vs polite Japanese side by side.
- A web app, and tools for teachers and classes.
Our honest take
Want a clean textbook course on your phone and don't mind paying from day one? LingoDeer is solid. Want to start free and practise talking early? Nihongo Flow.
Sources
- https://www.lingodeer.com/
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1261193709
- https://nihongo-flow.app/en/pricing
- https://apps.apple.com/app/nihongo-flow/id6795556751
Free, no credit card. Try it and judge for yourself.
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