Bunpro vs MaruMori vs JapanesePod101: which one fits how you study?

Published 2026-11-10 · Prices and specs checked 2026-11-10

Affiliate disclosure: we earn a commission only on JapanesePod101 (25% of sales, through its affiliate program). Bunpro and MaruMori links earn us nothing and are plain links. Until the program approves this site, the JapanesePod101 links are plain links too.

Three subscription services dominate the short lists of adult learners who decide to pay for Japanese study. They do different jobs. Bunpro drills grammar with spaced repetition. MaruMori runs one structured course that covers grammar, kanji, vocabulary, and reading. JapanesePod101 sells a large library of audio and video lessons.

This comparison uses official specs and pricing as of 2026-11-10. We have not purchased these subscriptions. Nothing here rests on hands-on use. The article covers what each service says it offers, what it charges on its public pages, and which study style each one suits.

Bunpro. Grammar SRS with example sentences

Bunpro is a spaced repetition system for grammar and vocabulary. It suits learners who want to work through Japanese grammar points in order, read example sentences, and review their mistakes on a schedule the system sets.

The service lists more than 900 grammar items, each with a written explanation. Those items come with more than 10,000 example sentences that have native audio. Reviews use an SRS algorithm with a Ghost feature that brings back items you missed. The system accepts alternate answers, offers a cram mode, and can run reviews in full Japanese. Bunpro also has more than 120 graded reading passages, progress breakdowns by JLPT level, review forecasts, and XP and badges. Vocabulary study is included with grammar at no extra cost. That side has more than 100,000 vocabulary context sentences and special decks such as Kansai dialect content. Bunpro connects with WaniKani. Furigana follows your WaniKani level, items you burned in WaniKani count as known, and Guru-level vocabulary joins your practice. Apps exist on Google Play and the App Store.

The web subscription costs $5 per month. A year costs $50, and a lifetime option costs $150, per Bunpro’s own announcements. Buying inside the apps costs more because of app store fees, and Bunpro recommends the web option on its pricing page. The free tier gives limited access. You can view grammar and vocabulary pages, read passages, and use other learning tools, but SRS reviews and decks need a paid plan. A 30-day full trial needs no credit card. Payment runs through debit and credit cards or PayPal. If you change plan types, leftover time on the old plan is prorated.

MaruMori. One structured course from beginner to N1

MaruMori is a structured course that takes learners from absolute beginner to N1. Its regions run from pre-N5 to N1. It suits learners who want one linear program that bundles grammar, kanji, vocabulary, and reading instead of a set of separate tools.

Grammar lessons are hand-written and double-checked by language experts and native speakers, and they cover N5 to N1. Each lesson is followed by automatic homework. The SRS side has several review styles, and a grammar library handles lookups. Kanji teaching covers 2,000 characters with mnemonics, in an order that reuses kanji you already learned. You can also add any of more than 6,000 kanji to a personal study list. The course teaches 8,000 vocabulary words with mnemonics. Personal study lists open up more than 180,000 words. Premade lists cover JLPT N5 to N1, and custom lists draw on anime, games, novels, and manga. A reading exercise follows every five grammar lessons, with full translations and audio. Progress tracking has detailed statistics, heatmaps, progress bars, graphs, achievements with custom artwork, badges, titles, and public profiles you can customize.

MaruMori does not publish prices on its public pages. Pricing and subscription details appear after signup, inside the app. The public site does not state free tier or trial terms either.

JapanesePod101. An audio and video lesson library

JapanesePod101 is a library of audio and video lessons with study tools and optional one-on-one teacher access. It suits learners who learn by listening and want lessons built around dialogue.

Lessons sit in structured pathways by level. The free tier includes a Survival Phrases course with more than 50 phrases, the first 3 lessons of every pathway, new lessons each week, the Japanese Word of the Day, and more than 100 vocabulary lists. A 7-day Premium trial needs no credit card.

The Basic plan adds access to all lessons and detailed lesson notes. The Premium plan adds multiple-choice assessments, line-by-line audio for each dialogue, Premium lesson tracks, a personal word bank, spaced repetition flashcards, a grammar bank, kanji study tools, lesson vocabulary lists, HD video, vocabulary resources, and the Japanese 2000 Core Words and Phrases list. Free and Basic include 100 core words instead. Premium PLUS adds one-on-one access to a teacher, hand-graded assessments, personal guidance, writing and pronunciation practice, and dialogue role play.

The headline prices on the official pricing page are monthly figures for a 24-month subscription. Regular prices are $4 per month for Basic, $10 for Premium, and $23 for Premium PLUS. A 55% off promotion was live on the page on 2026-11-10. The page said “Get 55% OFF. Hurry! Ends Soon” and gave no end date. At the promotion price, the same plans read $1.80, $4.50, and $10.29 per month on the 24-month basis. Prices for other plan lengths, such as month-to-month or 1, 3, 6, or 12 months, did not appear on the pricing page we read. Purchases carry a 60-day money-back guarantee, described on the page as “no hassles, no questions asked.”

Decision table

Verdict by learner type

JLPT and grammar-focused learners. Start with Bunpro. Its database of more than 900 grammar points, the example sentences with native audio, the Ghost review system, and the WaniKani connection make it the most direct tool for grammar and sentence patterns. The other two services teach grammar as part of something larger. Bunpro teaches grammar as the product.

Learners who want one course for everything. Start with MaruMori. It is the only one of the three that teaches grammar, kanji, vocabulary, and reading inside a single sequence. The catch is price opacity. You cannot compare its cost against the other two until you sign up, so budget for that step before you judge it.

Listening-first learners. Start with JapanesePod101. Its library is built around audio and video lessons with dialogue breakdowns, and no other service here puts listening first. If you also want a teacher to grade writing and pronunciation work, Premium PLUS is the only tier among all three services that offers one-on-one access.