Jiten vs JPDB
Jiten as an alternative to JPDB for Japanese learners, what each does best, and how to switch.
Updated
If you are hesitating between Jiten and JPDB, or thinking about switching, this page will give you a quick comparison of good tools so you can make an informed decision.
The short version
Jiten is a free, open platform built around a large library of real media, offering you various tools to help you learn Japanese. Jiten offers most of the features of JPDB while receiving new media updates, features, and bug fixes constantly. JPDB offers many of the same functionalities but is no longer under active development, is completely closed source, and uses custom algorithms that won't work well if you want to switch to other tools like Anki in the future.
One of the core tenets of Jiten is that your data is yours and you should be able to study the way you want: you can export decks to Anki or CSV, you can fully export your data in multiple ways, etc. You should feel free to switch to other tools without your data being locked.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Jiten | JPDB |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Core features free, optional Jiten+ subscription | Core features free, optional Patreon features |
| Open source / open data | Yes (CC BY-SA data) | Closed source, unlicensed data |
| Media metadata | Basic stats + dialogue % + genres + tags + relations + descriptions + estimated time to read + titles in multiple languages | Basic stats |
| Difficulty ratings | Custom algorithm + community votes | Custom algorithm |
| Similar media | Similar media by content and difficulty | Only similar difficulty |
| Media tracking | Set status on your media and get your completed stats in your profile | Bookmark media |
| Coverage tracking | Yes, including subdecks | Yes, but only parent decks |
| Vocabulary onboarding | Easily import your known words from other sources like Anki, JPDB, and other features like word sets | Import from anki, import from WaniKani (paid above level 3) |
| Built-in SRS | FSRS-6 | Custom closed-source algorithm |
| SRS decks | Per-media, global frequency or custom lists from a text or individual words, all with powerful filters. Limited to 150k words total, 300k with Jiten+ | Per-media, global frequency or custom lists from a text or individual words, basic filters and paid ones. Limited to 10k words per-deck and 60k words total without paying |
| Kanji study | None | Individual kanji study + vocabulary gating |
| Anki deck export | Yes, with powerful filters | None |
| Frequency dictionaries | Yes, global and per media type | Only a 3rd party global one |
| Reader extension | Jiten Reader | Only 3rd party ones |
| Dictionary | JMDict, updated monthly | JMDict, last updated in 2021 |
This list is not exhaustive as the two websites contain many more features. If you see important things to add here, please contact me.
Media by type
Historically, JPDB offered a strong media database, but it only received 50 new titles in 2025. Jiten grows at a fast pace with up to 100 new media being added weekly on average.
| Anime | Aozora Bunko | Audio | Live Action | Manga | Non-Fiction | Novels | Video Games | Visual Novels | Web Novels | Youtube | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiten | 3600+ | Some are within novels | 15 | 6500+ | 1100+ | 97 | 2000+ | 200+ | 1700+ | 6 | Planned |
| JPDB | 1399 | 577 | 45 | 1273 | None | 144 | 1518 | 30 | 529 | 1053 | 137 |
Switching to Jiten
The good news, if you have been using JPDB for a while, switching to Jiten is just a few clicks away! You can follow our Migrate from JPDB to Jiten guide.