Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team
Bunpro vs Drops
Bunpro vs Drops: the differences
| Compare |  Bunpro |  Drops |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0Lower | $5 |
| Price per month | $5Lower | $11 |
| Free trial length | 30 daysHigher | 7 days |
| Money-back period | 7 to 30 daysHigher | 14 days |
| Languages | Japanese | Ainu, American English, Arabic, Basque, Bosnian, Brazilian Portuguese, British English, Cantonese, Castilian Spanish, Catalan, Chti, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, Egyptian Arabic, Esperanto, Estonian, European Portuguese, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Greenlandic, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Igbo, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Maori, Mexican Spanish, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Sanskrit for Yoga, Serbian, Swahili, Swedish, Swiss German, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Welsh, YorubaCovers more |
| Price per year | Not confirmed | $69.99 |
| Lesson length (minutes) | Not confirmed | 5 |
| Offline use | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Kids version | Not confirmed | Yes |
Same on both: Lifetime price ($150), Free tier (Yes).
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Key differences
- Bunpro scores higher overall: 9.4 vs 9.2.
- Price from is lower at Bunpro: $0 vs $5.
- Price per month is lower at Bunpro: $5 vs $11.
- Free trial length is higher at Bunpro: 30 days vs 7 days.
- Money-back period is higher at Bunpro: 7 to 30 days vs 14 days.
- Support channels: only Bunpro offers Community.
- Languages: only Drops offers Ainu, American English, Arabic.
Our verdict on each
Bunpro
Bunpro suits self study learners who want Japanese only and want to try before they pay, with a free tier and a 30 days trial behind a $5 monthly plan. It falls short for anyone after several languages or live speaking practice, and the Japanese list leaves little room there.
Drops
Drops suits self directed learners who want the same app for a whole household, with lessons of 5 minutes and a free starting point. It scores 9.2 overall, and readers who need a phone line or a long refund window will find a narrower offer here.
Score breakdown
| Area | Bunpro | Drops |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.7HigherFree tier is listed, price from is $0, monthly plan $5, lifetime $150. | 9.4Entry at $5, a yearly plan at $69.99 and a lifetime payment of $150 keep both horizons affordable. |
| Offer | 9.6HigherApp method, Japanese only, with a 30 days trial and a 7 to 30 days money back window. | 8.9A free tier leads into a 7 day trial, with a 14 day money-back window on the paid plans. |
| Trust | 8.4Run by BUNPRO Inc. in JP, founded 2017, support via email, help centre and community. | Not confirmed |
Availability and regulation
| Country | Bunpro | Drops |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Japan | Estonia |
How the counts compare
| Fact | Bunpro | Drops |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0 | $5 |
| Price per month | $5 | $11 |
| Lifetime price | $150 | $150 |
| Free trial length | 30 days | 7 days |
| Money-back period | 7 to 30 days | 14 days |
How they place
| Ranking | Bunpro | Drops |
|---|---|---|
| Language learning apps | 6 of 46 | 12 of 46 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Bunpro | Drops |
|---|---|---|
| Learning method | App | App |
| Legal entity | BUNPRO Inc. | PlanB Labs OÜ |
| Headquarters | Japan | Estonia |
| Founded | 2017 | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Email, Help centre, CommunityCovers more | Email, Help centre |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Bunpro | Drops | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0lowest quarter | $5below the median | $13.49 |
| Price per month | $5lowest quarter | $11below the median | $13.24 |
| Price per year | Not confirmed | $69.99lowest quarter | $95.99 |
| Free trial length | 30 dayshighest quarter | 7 daysat the median | 7 days |
| Money-back period | 7 to 30 daysat the median | 14 daysbelow the median | 30 |
| Lesson length (minutes) | Not confirmed | 5lowest quarter | 30 |
Median across 33 listed providers.
Pros and cons
Bunpro
Pros
- A free tier means a learner can start at no cost, and price from is $0.
- The monthly plan sits at $5, and a one off lifetime price of $150 removes renewal maths.
- The 30 days trial is the long end of what apps in this group offer, and 7 to 30 days covers the gap after it.
Cons
- The Japanese list holds Japanese alone, so learners of Spanish or German have nothing here.
- Support runs on email, help centre and community, which is written channels only, with no live speaking line.
- A monthly plan at $5 is only worth it for a trial window; the $150 lifetime price is the cheaper long run.
Drops
Pros
- The catalogue runs to Ainu, American English and Arabic, spanning regional variants and smaller languages alongside the major ones.
- Offline downloads are part of the service, so practice works on a flight or a commute.
- A kids version sits in the same app, and family profiles are the most common arrangement on the comparison, at 100% of the brands listed.
Cons
- The introductory price of $5 is a low entry point, but renewal lands on the monthly plan at $11 or the yearly plan at $69.99.
- The trial is short at 7 days against a 7 day median for language apps, and Drops places 8 of 21 brands on trial length.
- The money-back window of 14 days falls short of the 29 day median, and Drops sits 20 of 29 brands on that measure.
Who each suits
Bunpro
Who it suits
- Self study learners who want Japanese and are happy with a single app
- Learners who prefer a one off payment to a rolling subscription
- People testing an app for a few weeks before committing
Who should look elsewhere
- Learners of Spanish, who get broader audio and video coverage from SpanishPod101
- Anyone wanting live conversation practice, since study here is app based
- Families wanting several languages in one subscription, since Japanese lists Japanese only
Drops
Who it suits
- Learners who want to try a language at no cost before choosing a paid plan.
- Households with children, since a kids version runs in the same app.
- People who would rather pay once, at $150, than keep a subscription alive.
Who should look elsewhere
- Not for readers chasing a free entry price: one of the compared alternatives lists its entry price at €0.
- Not for buyers who want a long refund window, since the money-back period runs 14 days and the trial lasts 7 days.
- Not for cautious triallers who need longer to decide: the trial runs 7 days, shorter than the 7 day median for language apps.
Current offers
Bunpro
Current offer
Free trial
30-day free trial of Bunpro Premium: 30 days
All new accounts get full access to everything Bunpro has to offer for 30 days. No credit card required.
Source, checked September 30, 2026
Questions about each
Bunpro
Is there a free plan at Bunpro?+
Yes, a free tier is listed, so reviews can start at no cost. The paid side is a monthly plan at $5 or a lifetime price of $150, and price from is listed as $0 for the free entry. Nothing needs to be paid to look around first.
How long is the Bunpro free trial?+
The trial runs 30 days, which is longer than the 10-day median trial length in this group. That is a full month of paid features to test the app before a renewal date arrives, and it is a reason the monthly plan is safe to try rather than a leap.
Drops
What does Drops cost at the start and at renewal?+
The entry price is $5, an introductory figure. From there the monthly plan runs $11 and the yearly plan $69.99. A lifetime option at $150 replaces both with a single payment, and the money-back window of 14 days covers a change of mind.
Is there a free plan, and how long is the trial?+
A free tier is available, so the opening stretch of a course costs nothing. The paid trial that follows runs 7 days, which is shorter than the 7 day median across language apps. Anyone who upgrades has the money-back window of 14 days as a fallback.