Abacus Kids is the best abacus learning app for most families starting from age 4, because it pairs a 4-level learning path with 8 practice levels, 20 math games, and a free Level 1, with a subscription from $0.99 per week. Soroban by Sicorp is the strongest choice for serious soroban study, with 107 video lessons, Flash Anzan across 40 levels from 20 Kyu to 20 Dan, and printable exam worksheets, at ¥1,000 per month after a free tier. Kani Math is the best value for a family plan, at $7 per month or $60 per year for up to 8 profiles on one device, with 9 levels, 45 languages, and a free tier with daily caps.
Pick by age, goal, and budget before you look at features. A young child needs guided lessons and games. An exam student needs Flash Anzan, dictation, and timed practice. An adult returning to the soroban needs a clear tutorial and adjustable drill speed. Prices below come from official vendor pages or major app store pages opened on 2026-11-12.
On this page
Best abacus learning app: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abacus Kids | Children aged 4 to 14 starting from bead basics | $0.99 per week | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | Soroban | Serious soroban study from age 2 to adult | ¥1,000 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 3 | Kani Math | Families who want one plan for up to 8 profiles | $7 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 4 | AbacusMaster | Structured 8-level study with exams and certificates | quote only | No | Visit |
| 5 | Anzan Zen | Flash Anzan and dictation drills for exam students | quote only | Yes | Visit |
| 6 | Mental Math | iPhone users who want abacus games and quizzes | $0.99 one-time purchase | Yes | Visit |
| 7 | Learn Soroban | Beginners who want a free soroban tutorial | $0 | Yes | Visit |
| 8 | Abaco | Fast flash mental math drills with no typing | $0 | Yes | Visit |
The 8 best best abacus learning apps, in detail
Abacus Kids
Best for: Children aged 4 to 14 starting from bead basics
Abacus Kids teaches children aged 4 to 14 to do mental math with the abacus method, and it is built as a complete course rather than a single drill. The guided Learning Path has 4 levels, from bead basics through addition and subtraction, speed and mental math, and times tables from x1 to x20. Alongside that path, the app has 8 practice levels from single-digit addition to multi-digit multiplication and division,.
- Level 1 is fully free, the first three chapters of Level 2 are free, and times tables x1 to x3 are free, with no card required.
- The app has no ads and includes a virtual abacus, so a child does not need a physical abacus to start.
- The App Store lists a weekly subscription at $0.99, a monthly subscription at $2.99, a yearly subscription at $17.99, and lifetime access at $49.99.
Pros
- Level 1 is fully free with no card required
- 8 practice levels and 20 math games
- weekly progress reports for parents
Cons
- Levels 3 to 8 need a subscription
- full history is held back for the free tier
Soroban
Best for: Serious soroban study from age 2 to adult
Soroban from Sicorp is the most complete soroban app in this list, and it covers ages 2 to adult in one place. The app has 107 video lessons from addition and subtraction through multiplication and division, with an on-screen soroban on the same screen so the learner can try each bead move at once. Flash Anzan has 40 levels from 20 Kyu to 20 Dan, with seven right out of ten as a pass.
- The free tier includes every Number Play game, the opening lessons of every mode, and the first levels of Dojo Mode.
- Premium is ¥1,000 per month and opens every feature.
- A school plan is ¥500 per account per month, dropping to ¥250 from the 31st account.
Pros
- 107 video lessons from a professional teacher
- Flash Anzan with 40 levels from 20 Kyu to 20 Dan
- printable exam worksheets as PDF
Cons
- Full video lessons and every Dojo Mode level need the Premium plan
- school plan is a separate ¥500 per account per month
Kani Math
Best for: Families who want one plan for up to 8 profiles
Kani Math is a complete mental-arithmetic program built on the soroban, with 9 structured levels from Foundation through Grand Level. Level 1 covers bead introduction and counting from 1 to 10, the middle levels cover small friends and big friends, multi-row addition, and 3-digit operations, and the top levels cover multiplication basics, multi-digit multiplication, division, and advanced mental math. A free placement exam takes 5 to 10 minutes and gives a written advisory with a recommended level.
- The free tier is $0 forever, with the full abacus sandbox and all 9 levels with a few new cards a day, but with daily caps.
Pros
- 9 structured levels with a free placement exam
- $60 per year covers up to 8 profiles on one device
- 45 languages and a free virtual soroban
Cons
- Free tier has daily caps on drills, versus matches, and new level cards
- school and center pricing is by custom quote
AbacusMaster
Best for: Structured 8-level study with exams and certificates
AbacusMaster runs an online learning portal with a structured path across 8 levels, and it advises learners to stay at each level for a minimum of two months before taking the exam for that level. Each level has animated video explanations, practice worksheets, Anzan videos, and an online exam, and a learner moves to the next level only after passing the exam. The first certificate is issued after four level exams, and the final certificate is issued after all 8 level exams are passed.
- The worksheet tool creates an infinite number of worksheets, with questions that do not repeat, up to 5-digit 15-row addition and subtraction.
- The portal sells three modules, Basic, Gold, and Premium, and Premium buyers get one-to-one sessions with abacus experts through Google or Zoom, plus
- The features page does not show a price for any module, so this article lists the starting price as quote only.
Pros
- 8 levels with online exams and certificates
- more than 500 Anzan videos
- infinite practice worksheets up to 5-digit 15-row addition and subtraction
Cons
- No price is shown on the features page
- one-to-one expert sessions are only for Premium buyers
- first certificate comes only after four level exams
Anzan Zen
Best for: Flash Anzan and dictation drills for exam students
Anzan Zen is a calm mental math trainer built around flash anzan, the Japanese abacus drill where numbers flash one at a time and the learner adds them in the head and says the total out loud. Flash Anzan has 20 levels, from 10 Kyu with two 2-digit numbers up to 10 Dan with fifteen 3-digit numbers flashed in 3 seconds. Custom settings cover 3, 5, 10, or 15 numbers, 1 to 3 digits, and 1.5, 1.0, 0.7, or 0.4 seconds per number, and one wrong total ends the run.
- Dictation works the way an abacus teacher calls numbers out in class: the phone reads the numbers aloud, one by one, and the learner listens, adds the
- Dictation levels 1 to 6 run from 6 Kyu to 1 Kyu, following the Japanese dictation exam table.
- The free tier includes both chains, Flash levels 1 to 5, Dictation level 1, and voice answers in every game.
- Soroban also offers Flash Anzan, with 40 levels from 20 Kyu to 20 Dan.
Pros
- Flash Anzan levels 1 to 20 follow the Japanese exam table
- voice answers in every game
- Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription
Cons
- Free tier covers Flash levels 1 to 5 and Dictation level 1 only
- Pro price is not shown on the store page opened today
Mental Math
Best for: iPhone users who want abacus games and quizzes
Mental Math is an iPhone app that teaches abacus, numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division through games and quizzes. The App Store page lists the app as free with in-app purchases, and it notes that the app contains advertising. The app is designed for children, with an age guidance of 4 plus on the App Store, and it needs iOS 15.0 or later.
- The in-app purchase list shows Mental Math Premium at $6.99, $0.99, and $1.99, plus a Premium Ad-Free item at $0.99, so the lowest listed purchase is
Pros
- Covers abacus, numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
- free to download with in-app purchases
- quiz reports help track progress
Cons
- iPhone only on the App Store page opened today
- page lists advertising in the app
- premium items are separate purchases from $0.99 to $6.99
Learn Soroban
Best for: Beginners who want a free soroban tutorial
Learn Soroban is a free Google Play app that teaches the traditional Japanese abacus method from the start. The tutorial mode breaks each operation into manageable movements, with animated soroban beads that show the logic behind addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It explains the fingering rules, thumb for earth beads and index for heaven beads, and the left-to-right calculation method, so a beginner learns the physical technique as well as the numbers.
- Flash Anzan mode challenges mental agility by showing numbers that appear and disappear quickly, forcing the learner to calculate mentally without see
- Practice mode uses an interactive digital soroban with random problems and immediate feedback.
- The Google Play page states no ads and no subscriptions, and the price is listed as $0.
Pros
- Complete tutorial mode with animated beads
- Flash Anzan mode with adjustable speed
- no ads and no subscriptions
Cons
- No live teacher or parent reports are listed
- no iOS listing is shown on the Google Play page opened today
Abaco
Best for: Fast flash mental math drills with no typing
Abaco is a free flash mental math app from Kobbokkom that focuses on speed rather than teaching. The flow is simple: watch the numbers, compute in the head, and move on, with no answer typing to slow the drill. That makes it useful for short daily sessions, because the learner can run many problems in a few minutes without touching the keyboard between rounds.
- Difficulty and speed are adjustable, with controls for digits, problem types, and tempo, plus presets to save and load favourite settings.
- The app has a contest-like format with audio, a dark and light mode, and a tablet-friendly layout for larger screens.
- Abaco suits abacus and soroban users who want to sharpen mental calculation.
- It does not teach bead moves, so a complete beginner should pair it with a tutorial app such as Learn Soroban or a course app such as Abacus Kids.
Pros
- No answer input, so practice runs without interruption
- adjustable digits, types, and tempo
- no ads and a tablet-friendly layout
Cons
- No guided lessons or curriculum
- Android only in the listing opened today
- contest-like flow suits learners who already know the method
How we chose
We counted an app as a qualifying product only if it teaches or drills abacus or soroban skills, is available on a major app store or an official vendor site, and has a listed price or a clear free tier on a page opened on 2026-11-12. Prices and plan limits in this article come from official vendor pricing pages and app store pages opened on that date, and where a price was not shown we wrote quote only. We did not test any tool hands-on. We did not install any app, and we did not use customer counts, awards, or review scores to rank the items. The order favours full courses first, then exam-led portals, then drill tools.
One detail most roundups skip is the bead layout itself. The Japanese soroban uses one heaven bead and four earth beads per rod, so every digit has exactly one representation, and that single picture is easier to hold in the mind than an older design with more beads per rod.
Which app fits your budget and age
| Situation | Pick | Cost to start | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child aged 4 to 6 | Abacus Kids | $0 for Level 1 | Levels 3 to 8 need a subscription from $0.99 per week |
| Child aged 4 to 14, full course | Abacus Kids | $0.99 per week | Yearly subscription is $17.99, lifetime access is $49.99 |
| Serious soroban study | Soroban | ¥0 for the free tier | Premium is ¥1,000 per month for all lessons |
| Family with 2 or more children | Kani Math | $0 for the free tier | Monthly plan is $7 for up to 8 profiles, yearly is $60 |
| Exam student, flash drills only | Anzan Zen | $0 for Flash levels 1 to 5 | Pro is a one-time purchase, price not shown today |
| Free tutorial, no subscription | Learn Soroban | $0 | No teacher, exams, or parent reports listed |
| Free speed drills, no typing | Abaco | $0 | No lessons, so pair it with a tutorial app |
| Structured exams and certificates | AbacusMaster | quote only | Ask for Basic, Gold, and Premium prices before you commit |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best abacus learning app for a 5 year old?
Abacus Kids is the best fit for a 5 year old, because it starts with bead basics in Level 1, covers ages 4 to 6 with bead moves and numbers to 99, and gives Level 1 free with no card required.
How much does an abacus learning app cost?
Prices in this article run from $0 to ¥1,000 per month. Learn Soroban and Abaco are listed at $0, Kani Math is $7 per month or $60 per year, Abacus Kids starts at $0.99 per week, and Soroban Premium is ¥1,000 per month.
Which abacus app is free?
Learn Soroban and Abaco are listed at $0 with no subscription, and Abacus Kids, Soroban, Kani Math, Anzan Zen, and Mental Math all have a free tier or a free download. Abacus Kids gives Level 1 free, and Soroban gives its opening lessons free.
Which app is best for Flash Anzan practice?
Anzan Zen is best for Flash Anzan practice, because it has 20 levels from 10 Kyu to 10 Dan, custom settings for number count, digits, and flash speed, and voice answers in every game. Soroban also offers Flash Anzan, with 40 levels from 20 Kyu to 20 Dan.
Do I need a physical abacus to use these apps?
No, you do not need a physical abacus to start. Abacus Kids, Soroban, Kani Math, and AbacusMaster all include a virtual abacus or an on-screen soroban, and Learn Soroban teaches bead moves with animated beads on screen. A wooden abacus is optional, and many learners start on screen only.
Which app is best for a family with more than one child?
Kani Math is best for a family with more than one child, because one monthly plan at $7 covers up to 8 profiles on one device, and the yearly plan at $60 covers the same 8 profiles for a full year.
Sources
- https://abacuspro.in/
- https://sicorp.jp/apps/abacus/en/
- https://www.kani-math.com/
- https://abacusmaster.com/
- https://abacusmaster.com/portal/abacus-features.aspx
- https://www.taptap.io/app/34220400
- https://mentalmath.me/
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.learnanzan.app&hl=en-us&gl=us
- https://www.appbrain.com/app/abaco-flash-mental-math/com.kobbokkom.abacus_simple_anzan
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.