I am thinking about dropping $299 for the lifetime membership but first I have a question for any level 60s out there - is WaniKani still useful for refreshing your memory every once in a while. Do you still use it? Did it take more than three years to get to level 60?
Thanks!
Iād recommend trying it out for a year. I think you just missed the winter sale, where the price decreases to about 200 USD (Subscription Plans | WaniKani Knowledge says āI hear thereās sometimes a special winter sale where Lifetime accounts go on sale. But I didnāt tell you. Shh!ā). You could do one year at approximately 90 USD, then decide whether you want to do the lifetime subscription at the end of the year and still pay less overall (USD 90 now and USD 200 later) than if you were to get a lifetime subscription immediately at about 300 USD. I think the price would also be prorated based on your existing subscription, but that wouldnāt amount to much in your case. (If you make significant progress within a year and are close to finishing the program, you might also decide against the additional cost of the lifetime membership and instead choose to pay monthly or yearly until you make it to the end.)
Personally, I think the lifetime option is worth it because my interest in Japanese waxes and wanes. I have been doing this on and off for about five years now. If you can make your way through the levels consistently and quickly, a lifetime subscription may not be worth the cost, but getting the lifetime membership on sale is worth it if you expect to take about two years or more to finish. Thatās more realistic than finishing in a year, anyway, in my personal opinion.
In the end it is. If youāre a slacker like me, who quits and starts over again multiple times, the time you spend here is āworthā multiple yearly subscriptions. Iāve started 8 years ago. Of course, not everyone is like me. You might finish your road to level 60 in 2 years.
In the end the upside of lifetime remains the same: you donāt have to make an investment decision again if you feel like studying again after stopping/finishing. In my view, thatās the biggest benefit.
Not a level 60, but I am finding WaniKani to be immensely useful, and it is the thing that has kept me engaged with learning Japanese for the last few years. Without it, I think Iād have given up a year or two back and it would have been yet another unsuccessful attempt. From where Iām at now, Iām actually starting to make progress with being able to read simple sentences.
Lifetime was absolutely worth it for me. Iāve been dealing with medical problems and chronic pain the last few years, and if Iād not gotten lifetime, then my subscription would have lapsed and Iād have given up in defeat.
I think it really depends on your circumstances and how much time you have to dedicate to this! If you need to take longer, or think you might potentially run into external trouble like I have, then lifetime can be a cheaper and less stressful option in the end.
I think thatās probably more the reason to go for it 
I donāt know what folks do after they hit level 60, but I canāt imagine myself continuing to use WaniKani much, other than the odd lookup to check a mnemonic if Iāve forgotten something and want to try to get it to stick in my head againā¦? If I want general practice, there are probably better methods for that, I think.
This year will be my 15th year for me using WK and I still use it slowly on my own pace.
So, yes, lifetime subs is worth it.
I have the same lifetime with bunprosrs, and a few other Japanese or foreign languages app.
Iād recommend getting a one-year for now and then waiting for the winter sale for the lifetime. See how much you get done until then
ā¦ I totally agree.
I also recommend to test for one year until the next winter sale, and see how it goes. By then, you should be able to know what is best for you.
In my case, I find WaniKani well adapted to my Kanji learning needs, and since I do not want to do a speedrun, I am taking it slowly, so the lifetime subscription is worth it. I do not regret at all (I am roughly halfway after two and a half years).