Best Korean Vocabulary Apps for TOPIK in 2026

TOPIK has no official word list, but the Korean government's reference curriculum puts about 1,835 words at levels 1–2 (TOPIK I) and 5,690 by level 4. Apps with built-in TOPIK vocabulary include TOPIK – 한국어능력시험 (6,000+ words and practice tests; free with paid plans; ads; iOS, Android), Migii TOPIK (TOPIK and EPS-TOPIK vocabulary and mock tests; partly free; ads; iOS, Android, web), TOPIKLord (levels 1–6; $8 a month after a 30-day trial; browser only) and Tomaru (TOPIK I and II decks with 5,789 words, plus EPS-TOPIK; core features free; no ads; iOS, Android). Anki has no lists of its own but offers free shared decks, while Drops, Memrise and LingoDeer teach Korean words without TOPIK lists. Which one fits depends on what else you need: practice tests (Migii TOPIK, TOPIK – 한국어능력시험), a structured course (LingoDeer, Memrise), full control over your cards (Anki) or a ready-made list that schedules reviews for you (TOPIKLord, Tomaru).

Last checked October 25, 2026. Written by the Tomaru team. Tomaru is one of the apps compared, and facts about the other apps come from their official websites and app store listings.

How many words do you need for TOPIK?

TOPIK publishes no word list: NIIED, the agency that runs it, describes only the format and score bands. The closest official guide is the reference curriculum for Korean as a foreign language, whose vocabulary list has 10,635 words across six levels (National Institute of Korean Language, 2018).

The two TOPIK decks have no words in common, so together they cover 5,789 words, close to the 5,690 the curriculum assigns to levels 1–4. For level-by-level counts and score bands, see TOPIK vocabulary by level and TOPIK I vs TOPIK II.

Korea's Ministry of Education has published the 2027 schedule: paper-based TOPIK on January 10 (Korea only), then April 10–11, May 15–16, July 3–4, October 16–17 and November 14, 2027 in Korea and overseas (2027 TOPIK plan). A computer-based version, TOPIK IBT, runs on six more dates; outside Korea, the first is March 20.

Overseas centers set their own registration and choose which rounds to run: in 2026 the Korean Education Center in Los Angeles held three, on April 11, July 4 and October 17. The last 2026 paper test, on November 15, isn't offered in the Americas, so for US learners the earliest next chance is the April 2027 round.

EPS-TOPIK, the separate test for the Employment Permit System, sets its dates country by country; see our EPS-TOPIK vocabulary guide.

Which apps have TOPIK vocabulary lists built in?

Prices come from each app's official site or the US App Store. "Ads" follows the Google Play and App Store labels for the free version. FSRS (Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler) is an open-source algorithm that predicts when you're likely to forget each card and schedules the review just before that.

Tomaru and Anki meet the first four conditions; Anki's decks are made by other users and its iPhone app costs $24.99. TOPIK – 한국어능력시험, Migii TOPIK and TOPIKLord include practice tests, and TOPIKLord's list runs to level 6, while Tomaru's TOPIK decks stop at about level 4.

Popular Korean vocabulary apps without built-in TOPIK lists:

• Quizlet has many user-made TOPIK study sets, which vary in size and accuracy; its free version shows ads.
• Drops teaches words through picture games grouped by topic; the free version allows 5 minutes of play every 10 hours and shows ads.
• Memrise has an official Korean course with video clips; its free plan limits lessons and videos and shows ads, and Pro is $61.99 a year in the App Store.
• LingoDeer is a structured course written by language teachers, with grammar notes inside each lesson.
• Noun Town is a vocabulary game for Meta Quest and PC/Mac, $19.99 once on Steam, with a free companion account for reviewing words on a phone, tablet or laptop.

How long until TOPIK, and how many words a day?

Count back from your test date and keep the last two weeks for review only. The table uses April 10, 2027, the first paper-based round of 2027 held outside Korea.

The new-word window runs from your start date to two weeks before the test, and daily targets are rounded up. If you aim for July 3–4 instead, starting December 1 leaves 200 days of new words: 10 a day for TOPIK I or 20 a day for TOPIK II.

Every new word comes back for review over the next few weeks, so the daily load grows even when the new-word count doesn't. Spacing those reviews out is what makes the words stick: across 317 experiments, people who split the same study into separate sessions averaged 47.3% on later tests, against 36.7% for one block of study (Cepeda et al., 2006). A meta-analysis of 48 second-language experiments with 3,411 learners found a moderate-to-large benefit from spacing (Kim & Webb, 2022).

Tomaru's anonymized learning data (internal data, not a peer-reviewed study) shows how well spaced reviews hold up: learners remember about 8 in 10 words the next day, and 8 to 9 in 10 when tested a week to a month later.

In Tomaru, choosing your test date shows how many new words a day you need, roughly how many minutes that takes and the day you'll finish. The default aim is to remember about 90% of the words on test day, which is a target rather than a promise.

What's free, and which platforms does each app support?

• Anki: free on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and the web, with no ads; the iPhone and iPad app is $24.99 once.
• TOPIK – 한국어능력시험: a free download with ads on iOS and Android; paid plans run $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $49.99 once, and the store listings don't say what they add.
• Migii TOPIK: free to download on iOS and Android, with practice also on its website; Google Play labels it as containing ads, and Premium unlocks the full content.
• TOPIKLord: browser only, with a 30-day full trial and then $8 a month.
• Tomaru: cards, built-in lists, reviews, scheduling and stats are free forever with no ads on iOS and Android; AI extras are part of an optional paid plan, and the website lets you preview every list.

Which Korean vocabulary app should you choose?

Tomaru focuses on vocabulary, so for grammar or conversation courses and full mock tests, pair it with an app such as LingoDeer or Migii TOPIK. Its TOPIK decks cover about levels 1–4, so for levels 5–6 you'll need a list that goes further, such as TOPIKLord's or a shared Anki deck. Anki also gives you more freedom over card formats and scheduling settings, and Tomaru runs only on iOS and Android.

FAQ

Are TOPIK vocabulary apps free?

Some are. Anki is free on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and the web (its iPhone app is $24.99), and Tomaru, a vocabulary app for iOS and Android, keeps its TOPIK I (1,869 words) and TOPIK II (3,920 words) decks, reviews and scheduling free with no ads. TOPIK – 한국어능력시험 and Migii TOPIK are free downloads with ads and paid plans, and TOPIKLord costs $8 a month after a 30-day trial (US prices, October 2026).

Do the free versions have limits?

It depends on the app. Tomaru, a vocabulary app for iOS and Android, puts no paid limits on cards, reviews, built-in lists, scheduling or stats, and Anki is free except for its iPhone app. TOPIKLord's free period is a 30-day trial, Migii TOPIK keeps part of its content for Premium, and Drops, which has no TOPIK lists, limits free play to 5 minutes every 10 hours.

Do these apps work on iPhone and Android?

Anki, TOPIK – 한국어능력시험, Migii TOPIK and Tomaru, a vocabulary app for iOS and Android, all have iPhone and Android apps; Anki's iPhone app costs $24.99, while its Android app is free. TOPIKLord runs in a phone browser instead of an app, and the Noun Town game itself runs on Meta Quest and PC/Mac.

How is a TOPIK app different from Anki?

Mostly in setup. With Anki you pick a user-made TOPIK deck, check its contents and choose your scheduler, including FSRS, which Anki has offered since version 23.10 but you switch on yourself. Tomaru, a vocabulary app for iOS and Android, comes with TOPIK I, TOPIK II and EPS-TOPIK decks and schedules every word with FSRS automatically, while TOPIK – 한국어능력시험 and Migii TOPIK add practice tests that Anki doesn't have.

Is learning the word list enough to pass TOPIK?

No. TOPIK I tests listening and reading, and TOPIK II adds a writing section (NIIED), so you also need grammar, listening practice and timed practice tests. Vocabulary is the base: the reference curriculum puts 1,835 words at levels 1–2 and 5,690 at levels 1–4.

How many Korean words should I learn a day for TOPIK?

Divide your list by the days left, minus two weeks for review. Starting November 1 for the April 10, 2027 test, TOPIK I's 1,869 words come to 13 new words a day and TOPIK II's 3,920 to 27; starting January 1, they rise to 22 and 47. Tomaru, a vocabulary app for iOS and Android, works this out from your test date, along with roughly how many minutes a day it takes.

Is there an official TOPIK vocabulary list?

No. NIIED, which runs TOPIK, doesn't publish one, so every TOPIK list in an app is compiled by its maker. The closest official reference is the National Institute of Korean Language's curriculum vocabulary list of 10,635 words across six levels, of which 1,835 belong to levels 1–2.

More comparisons

For vocabulary apps beyond TOPIK, see our comparison of 12 vocabulary apps or browse all Tomaru word lists. Studying Japanese or Chinese too? Compare JLPT vocabulary apps and HSK vocabulary apps.