If you’re reading this, you’ve probably heard about JapanesePod101, the online Japanese learning hub.
JapanesePod101 heavily promote themselves as having a free lifetime account.
But, is JapanesePod101 really free? The answer is YES!… but you don’t get everything for free.
You really do get a free lifetime account, with access to regular new lessons, plus lots of other free downloads like pdfs, ebooks and worksheets.
There are also various paid plans, which offer a lot more resources, such as access to the full library of past lessons.
The free plan is great for beginners, and you can still learn a lot of Japanese simply using the free resources.
But if you are serious about learning Japanese, you will probably want to upgrade at some point so you can progress through the lessons faster.
In this post I’ll show you exactly what you get with the JapanesePod101 free account, and point out a few cool free resources that many people don’t know about.
What you get with the JapanesePod101 free lifetime account?
First off, I want to make it clear that the JapanesePod101 free account really IS free… for life. You do not have to give any card details when you sign up, so it’s not like one of these sneaky apps that starts charging you after a month.
You can open a free account with simply an email address, and access the free resources for life.
JapanesePod101 is our top recommendation to learn Japanese online. We love the fun, current audio lessons and interactive online tools. Sign up for your free lifetime account and see for yourself!
So what do you get with the free lifetime account?
Firstly, free members get access to all the new audio and video lessons each week. There are 3-5 new lessons every single week.
These are across all levels, but there are generally more new lessons at the lower levels.
You can access the new lessons for 3 weeks, and then they go into the archive (that only paying members can access).
If you are a beginner, and studying 3 times a week feels about right for you, you can learn a lot just with these free lessons!
You also get access to the first 3 lessons in every pathway. This is so you can test out different lesson paths and levels from the archives.
If you find the new free lessons aren’t really at your level, this is a good way to see if they have content that works for you before taking a paid plan.
In addition to these free lessons, there are HEAPS of other free resources you can access with a free lifetime account. I will share some of my favourites below:
Free 3 month beginner Japanese course
This is kind of a secret, but currently JapanesePod101 are offering their FULL Absolute Beginner course for free. You get free access for 3 months only.
This offer is available for a limited time only, and they keep threatening to take it away.
It is still live at the time of writing but I don’t know how much longer it will be open! So if registration is open when you see this, don’t hesitate to take advantage!
Other free things from JapanesePod101
Free kana workbook
JapanesePod101 have a free printable workbook for learning hiragana and katakana.
This is one of the most useful Japanese resources for beginners and I often recommend it!
If you don’t know hiragana and katakana yet, start here. It will make your whole Japanese learning experience much easier. And it really isn’t as hard as you might be thinking!
Free Japanese word of the day
An easy way to build your Japanese vocabulary without overwhelm. You can access the word of the day as a mini-lesson on the site, or have it sent to you by email. You will get this option when you open the free account.
Free Japanese ebooks
JapanesePod101 have several free ebooks you can download with a free account. Here are a couple of my favourites:
A Radical Approach to Mastering Kanji: The Secret to Learning 1500 Kanji e-book
This free ebook breaks kanji down into ‘radicals’ (the building blocks of kanji), which makes them far easier to remember. By the end of the book you will know over 75% of the essential joyo kanji (the kanji all Japanese children learn in school)!
2000 Core Words and Phrases
Core words are THE secret to learning Japanese vocabulary faster. Don’t waste time on learning random words that you will never hear in everyday conversation.
This ebook collects the 2000 most common Japanese words and phrases so that you can focus your energy on learning vocab that will make a big difference.
Free Japanese writing worksheets
12+ writing worksheets and workbooks on topics such as Japanese greetings, family, questions, common adjectives and nouns.
Free Japanese cheat sheets (great for travelling!)
Handy printable vocabulary sheets on dozens of topics, including travel, school, adjectives, emergency, slang and more.
These are especially handy for travel, but also to print out and stick on your wall or tuck in your bag to study on the go.
Free Japanese flashcards
A huge archive of printable visual flashcards, currently with over 1500 different words over 60 topics.
JapanesePod101 free gifts of the month
Each month, JapanesePod101 releases a new limited selection of freebies. Usually these include vocab lists, worksheets, ebooks etc. These change each month, and often have a seasonal twist!
JapanesePod101 free app
You can download and access the Innovative Language Japanesepod101 free app with a free account. The content will be restricted the the newest lessons.
There are versions of the app for iPhone, iPad, Android and Kindle. Download your version here.
Free Premium membership – 7 days trial
When you open your free account, you will also get a free trial of Premium for your first 7 days.
Make good use of this to test out all the features and explore the full lesson archives! (which are mostly locked to free accounts).
If 7 days is not enough, you will also get the option to try Premium for a whole month for just $1 month.
What do you get with a paid membership?
In addition to the free lifetime account, JapanesePod101 offer 3 paid membership tiers: Basic, Premium, and Premium Plus.
You can compare all plans in a nifty table here.
Basically:
Free:
- 3-5 new lessons every week, available for 3 weeks
- first 3 lessons of every pathway
- other random worksheets and resources etc as above
Basic:
- Full access to past audio lesson archives
- In-depth, downloadable lesson notes
Premium:
- All of the above, plus:
- Line-by-line playback
- Flashcards
- Interactive features, e.g. pronunciation tool
- Grammar bank
- and more
Premium Plus:
- All of the above, plus:
- 1-on-1 access to a teacher (message them with any questions)
- Hand graded assessments
There is more at each level but hopefully this helps you understand the main differences.
You can see my full review of JapanesePod101 (Premium account) here.
Thinking of signing up for a paid JapanesePod101 account? Don’t do it before you grab a coupon code here – there are always discounts of up to 65% on offer!
JapanesePod101 FAQ
Related posts
- JapanesePod101 Review (2026) – An Insider Look
- 2026 JapanesePod101 Coupon Codes for Massive Discounts!
- What’s the Best Way to Learn Japanese Online?
- How to Learn Japanese Online for FREE
Rebecca is the founder of Team Japanese. She spent two years teaching English in Ehime, Japan. Now back in the UK, she spends her time blogging, self-studying Japanese and wrangling a very genki toddler.