# Shakespeare — The #1 Shakespeare App > Comprehensive digital collection of Shakespeare's works with advanced study tools. (iPhone/iPad app by PlayShakespeare.com.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shakespeare/id285035416 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [PlayShakespeare.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/809094812) - Category: Education, Books - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.80/5 from 3,500 App Store ratings · 307 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 16.0 · 416 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2019-02-11 - Data updated: 2026-08-26 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shakespeare/id285035416/reviews.md ## What is Shakespeare? “It’s really great!” —Kenneth Branagh, actor and director “I can't remember a time it wasn't on my iPhone. So feature rich!" —Stephen Fry, actor and writer “‘The app’s the thing.’ Hamlet was almost right. Great to see Shakespeare Pro superplaying with Shakespeare’s plays.” —David Crystal, linguist and author of Shakespeare's Words “The Shakespeare Pro app is simply terrific and filled with loads of wonderful information!” —Ken Ludwig, Tony and Olivier Award Winning Playwright Shakespeare Pro® includes the complete works of Shakespeare (41 plays, 154 sonnets and 6 poems, including apocrypha) and search the concordance to find the exact word or phrase you’re looking for (with “relaxed” searching to find words close to your search term). Shakespeare Pro is packed with these impressive features: ••• QUALITY TEXTS are a top priority and our team spent years compiling and editing the best references available. In the updated editions, the text is even more clear and each individual character is uniquely identified. ••• FIRST FOLIOS AND QUARTOS in original spelling show the works as they were originally published in Shakespeare’s time. ••• AN INTEGRATED GLOSSARY, based on the bestselling lexicon by David & Ben Crystal, Shakespeare’s Words™ is included. Simply tapping on a word will display its definition in context (not just a general definition). ••• ADD YOUR OWN NOTES AND SHARE THEM with your students, classmates, friends, and colleagues. Organize your notes into notebooks for use in the classroom, theatre, or just to remember key facts. Then share them via email or AirDrop. ••• POWER SEARCH THE WORKS by customizing multiple parameters like gender, genre, work, language, line form, soliloquies, and more. ••• CUSTOMIZE YOUR READING EXPERIENCE by choosing from a variety of color themes, change the font family and size, display long or short character names, jump around to different scenes, and view line numbers (*read the note below about line numbering). ••• BOOKMARK YOUR FAVORITE PARTS in addition to remembering the last page you viewed. Even copy/paste that great line. ••• DETAILED SCENE BREAKDOWNS give you an overview of the scenes within each play, their locations, and the characters present in each. ••• CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS help you better understand the actions and motivations of every character—all 1,155 of them. ••• MODERN TRANSLATIONS and lexicons to help you better understand Elizabethan English (extra add-ons). ••• GET THE FACTS by reading up on Shakespeare’s life, view data and chronology about his works, and an overview of scansion terminology or rhetoric. Character Arc Visualizers show individual character arcs or allow for comparison of multiple characters. ••• SHAKE YOUR DEVICE for Shakespeare himself to display a random memorable quote or insult. Or get a new random quote every day. ••• BROWSE THE GALLERY of famous Shakespeare portraits. ••• TEACHER CURRICULUM makes it easy for teachers to introduce students to Shakespeare's works. ••• COMPLETE APOCRYPHA is the most comprehensive breakdown of 14 plays Shakespeare may have had a hand in. ••• BARDFIND™ is the easiest way to find a Shakespeare theatre or venue anywhere in the world. These are just a few highlights of the great things in Shakespeare Pro. If you’re a student, professor, actor, or just plain love the Bard, this must-have app ensures you have the complete works at your fingertips. Like the new features? Having trouble and need support? Let us know at support@playshakespeare.com or at http://support.playshakespeare.com. ## Key features - Complete works of Shakespeare - Powerful search and concordance - Integrated glossary with definitions - Add and share personal notes - Customizable reading experience - Scene breakdowns and character descriptions - Modern translations and lexicons ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Upgrade to Shakespeare Pro | $12.99 | one-time | | Modern Translation (All Works) | $19.99 | one-time | | Modern Translation (AYLI) | $1.99 | one-time | | Modern Translation (Hamlet) | $2.99 | one-time | | Modern Translation (Macbeth) | $2.99 | one-time | | Modern Translation (R&J) | $2.99 | one-time | | Modern Translation (Sonnets) | $1.99 | one-time | | Modern Translation (All Works) | $14.99 | one-time | | Course: Intro to Shakespeare | $9.99 | one-time | | All Lexicons | $12.99 | one-time | | All Apocrypha | $9.99 | one-time | | Glossary by C. T. Onions | $4.99 | one-time | | Modern Translation (King Lear) | $2.99 | one-time | | Modern Translation (AWEW) | $1.99 | one-time | | All Apocrypha | $7.99 | one-time | | Glossary by Alexander Dyce | $3.99 | one-time | | Modern Translation(Coriolanus) | $1.99 | one-time | | Modern Translation (CoE) | $1.99 | one-time | | Shakespeare Ultimate | $59.99 | one-time | | Modern Translation (WT) | $1.99 | one-time | ## What do users think of Shakespeare? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Best app out there - 👍 Excellent app - 👍 Terrific app for Shakespeare lovers - 👍 Remarkable level of detail and care - 👍 Invaluable for actors and students - 👍 Versatile study of Shakespeare - 👍 One of the best-designed apps - 👍 Fantastic resource for Shakespeare lovers - 👍 Wonderful and responsive - 👍 Brilliant app, labor of love - 👍 Bravo, amazing generosity **Cons** - 🐛 Crashes, buggy, unstable - 💰 Nickel-and-diming for features - 💰 Upgrade to pro is misleading - 💰 Constant nagging to upgrade - 🤔 Abbreviated character names - 🤔 Lack of line numbers - 🤔 Typos and errors in texts - 🤔 Awful modern translations - 🤔 Difficult to navigate and use **Commonly reported bugs** - Crashes on launch or opening plays - Scrolling and UI issues - Incompatible with latest iOS versions **Most requested features** - Add modern translations - Include line numbers - Improve search and navigation - Add more content like sonnets - Sync purchases across devices ## Recent user reviews (10 of 307) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shakespeare/id285035416/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Repeating daily Quotes *2026-07-28, version 9.4.4* Even though hes got 100,000 quotes to choose from ### 5/5 — Let Us Not Doubt Shakespeare *2026-06-11, version 9.4.4* How doth one such app that deliver content that Nature herself honors with amazement ever be denied five-stars? ### 5/5 — Fantastic - well presented and the very best *2026-04-28, version 9.4.4* See above ### 5/5 — Love this App *2026-02-19, version 9.4.4* I just love using this App. This is a great App for anyone who is as passionate about Shakespeare's works as me must have this installed in all their devices. Highly recommend this App. ### 5/5 — Bard bestow’d brilliantly. *2026-02-17* Absolutely phenomenal app. Beautiful design with intuitive navigation. Cannot imagine Shakespeare’s works presented in a more accessible fashion. Great resource to arguably the most important masterpiece in English literature. To install or not to install should be no question. ### 5/5 — An indispensable resource for the Shakespeare reader. *2026-02-03* Very useful and comprehensive app for the Shakespeare reader. I like to read Shakespeare “ neat” in my old Collins Alexander text edition without distracting footnotes and impertinent editors constantly nipping at the Bards heals. But every Shakespeare reader needs a little help with Elizabethan vocabulary and words that have changed meaning. This app, with the additional lexicons, allows one to do that quickly and easily without having to open multiple books to trace meanings. Just keep your smart phone by your side when reading to check the occasional difficult word. The synopsis sections are also useful for keeping track of the action. An indispensable aid for lovers of the worlds greatest writer. ### 3/5 — Frequent nagging to upgrade, but already have… *2025-12-01, version 9.4.4* Great app otherwise. ### 5/5 — Superb *2025-11-15* Great app, easy to use and navigate. Makes the author and is works contemporary ### 5/5 — 🐐 *2025-11-13, version 9.4.4* Undoubtedly the goat ### 5/5 — Love this App *2025-11-08, version 9.4.4* This is a great App for anyone who is as passionate about Shakespeare's works must have this installed in all their devices. ## Frequently asked questions about Shakespeare ### What does the Shakespeare Pro app offer? This app provides the complete works of William Shakespeare, including 41 plays, 154 sonnets, and 6 poems. It features a powerful search function, an integrated glossary based on David & Ben Crystal's 'Shakespeare's Words', the ability to add and share notes, and customizable reading options. ### What are the key features for studying Shakespeare? Key features include access to First Folios and Quartos in original spelling, an integrated glossary with contextual definitions, detailed scene breakdowns, character descriptions, and modern translations. You can also add your own notes, organize them into notebooks, and share them. ### How much does the Shakespeare Pro app cost? The app is free to download and use, but it offers in-app purchases for additional content such as modern translations and lexicons. This allows users to enhance their understanding of Elizabethan English. ### Can I customize my reading experience? Yes, the app allows for extensive customization. You can choose from various color themes, change the font family and size, display long or short character names, jump between scenes, and view line numbers. You can also bookmark favorite parts and copy/paste text. ### Who is this app designed for? This app is ideal for students, teachers, actors, writers, and anyone interested in deeply exploring Shakespeare's plays and poetry. Its comprehensive features and study tools cater to both casual readers and serious scholars. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 9.4.4 — 2025-05-13 We fixed a few small bugs and small improvements to make your Shakespearean life a little better. :) Did you catch the recent update? We made the historical editions (folios, quartos, octavos) the main focus, including: • NEW! Scroll sync: when using compare view to compare two editions, enabling sync now keeps the two views in sync to make comparing lines easier • NEW! Scene markers: most historical editions don't have act/scene divisions, but they now have markers where modern act/scene divisions are to help you navigate • NEW! Updated scene menu: historical editions now have full act/scene list for navigation (see the Help section to understand the format) • NEW! Compare view is now available on iPhone Pro Max (previously only available on iPad) • NEW! Characters are now categorized by major, supporting, etc. • Improved Mac experience • Improved overall legibility of the historical editions • Improvements to the Help section • Improvements to accessibility • Search optimizations for complex queries, new search scenes • Improved TEI compatibility • Small usability improvements and some bug squashing We've compiled some historical milestones for those interested: • October 2007: The Web version was created for the original iPhone which provided the complete works. • July 2008: Shakespeare 1.0 went live, one of only 500 apps on the Apple App Store when it launched. There are over 1.8 million apps available today. • December 2009: Shakespeare Pro features were introduced, including a glossary and advanced search. • April 2010: Shakespeare hits 1 million downloads. • July 2016: Shakespeare Pro for Mac 1.0 released. • May 2023: Shakespeare and Shakespeare Pro apps pass 30 million downloads. • December 2024: We released Shakespeare 9.3.1, our final update in 2024 and the 105th update to the app since 2008. • January 1, 2025: To date, we've supported 46 different models (16 generations) of the iPhone, 30 different models (10 generations) of the iPad, and 2 ### 9.4.3 — 2025-04-04 This is a big upgrade for all users (and fixed some small bugs). We made the historical editions (folios, quartos, octavos) the main focus of this update, including: • NEW! Scroll sync: when using compare view to compare two editions, enabling sync now keeps the two views in sync to make comparing lines easier • NEW! Scene markers: most historical editions don't have act/scene divisions, but they now have markers where modern act/scene divisions are to help you navigate • NEW! Updated scene menu: historical editions now have full act/scene list for navigation (see the Help section to understand the format) • NEW! Compare view is now available on iPhone Pro Max (previously only available on iPad) • NEW! Characters are now categorized by major, supporting, etc. • Improved Mac experience • Improved overall legibility of the historical editions • Improvements to the Help section • Improvements to accessibility • Search optimizations for complex queries, new search scenes • Improved TEI compatibility • Small usability improvements and some bug squashing The PlayShakespeare.com editions used in the app are the best open source versions of Shakespeare's works available. They are TEI compatible and available in GitHub. We've compiled some historical milestones for those interested: • October 2007: The Web version was created for the original iPhone which provided the complete works. • July 2008: Shakespeare 1.0 went live, one of only 500 apps on the Apple App Store when it launched. There are over 1.8 million apps available today. • December 2009: Shakespeare Pro features were introduced, including a glossary and advanced search. • April 2010: Shakespeare hits 1 million downloads. • July 2016: Shakespeare Pro for Mac 1.0 released. • May 2023: Shakespeare and Shakespeare Pro apps pass 30 million downloads. • December 2024: We released Shakespeare 9.3.1, our final update in 2024 and the 105th update to the app since 2008. • January 1, 2025: To date, we've supported 46 different models (16 generations) of the iPhone, 30 different models (10 generations) of the iPad, and 238 iOS/iPadOS updates. ### 9.4.2 — 2025-03-15 This is a big upgrade for all users. We made the historical editions (folios, quartos, octavos) the main focus of this update, including: • NEW! Scroll sync: when using compare view to compare two editions, enabling sync now keeps the two views in sync to make comparing lines easier (Pro) • NEW! Scene markers: most historical editions don't have act/scene divisions, but they now have markers where modern act/scene divisions are to help you navigate (Pro) • NEW! Updated scene menu: historical editions now have full act/scene list for navigation (see the Help section to understand the format) (Pro) • NEW! Compare view is now available on iPhone Pro Max (previously only available on iPad) (Pro) • NEW! Characters are now categorized by major, supporting, etc. • Improved Mac experience • Improved overall legibility of the historical editions • Improvements to the Help section • Improvements to accessibility • Search optimizations for complex queries, new search scenes • Improved TEI compatibility • Small usability improvements and some bug squashing The PlayShakespeare.com editions used in the app are the best open source versions of Shakespeare's works available. They are TEI compatible and available in GitHub. We've compiled some historical milestones for those interested: • October 2007: The Web version was created for the original iPhone which provided the complete works. • July 2008: Shakespeare 1.0 went live, one of only 500 apps on the Apple App Store when it launched. There are over 1.8 million apps available today. • December 2009: Shakespeare Pro features were introduced, including a glossary and advanced search. • April 2010: Shakespeare hits 1 million downloads. • July 2016: Shakespeare Pro for Mac 1.0 released. • May 2023: Shakespeare and Shakespeare Pro apps pass 30 million downloads. • December 2024: We released Shakespeare 9.3.1, our final update in 2024 and the 105th update to the app since 2008. • January 1, 2025: To date, we've supported 46 different models (16 generations) of the iPhone, 30 different models (10 generations) of the iPad, and 238 iOS/iPadOS updates. ### 9.4.1 — 2025-03-12 This is a big upgrade for all users. We made the historical editions (folios, quartos, octavos) the main focus of this update, including: • NEW! Scroll sync: when using compare view to compare two editions, enabling sync now keeps the two views in sync to make comparing lines easier (Pro) • NEW! Scene markers: most historical editions don't have act/scene divisions, but they now have markers where modern act/scene divisions are to help you navigate (Pro) • NEW! Updated scene menu: historical editions now have full act/scene list for navigation (see the Help section to understand the format) (Pro) • NEW! Compare view is now available on iPhone Pro Max (previously only available on iPad) (Pro) • NEW! Characters are now categorized by major, supporting, etc. • Improved Mac experience • Improved overall legibility of the historical editions • Improvements to the Help section • Improvements to accessibility • Search optimizations for complex queries, new search scenes • Improved TEI compatibility • Small usability improvements and some bug squashing The PlayShakespeare.com editions used in the app are the best open source versions of Shakespeare's works available. They are TEI compatible and available in GitHub. We've compiled some historical milestones for those interested: • October 2007: The Web version was created for the original iPhone which provided the complete works. • July 2008: Shakespeare 1.0 went live, one of only 500 apps on the Apple App Store when it launched. There are over 1.8 million apps available today. • December 2009: Shakespeare Pro features were introduced, including a glossary and advanced search. • April 2010: Shakespeare hits 1 million downloads. • July 2016: Shakespeare Pro for Mac 1.0 released. • May 2023: Shakespeare and Shakespeare Pro apps pass 30 million downloads. • December 2024: We released Shakespeare 9.3.1, our final update in 2024 and the 105th update to the app since 2008. • January 1, 2025: To date, we've supported 46 different models (16 generations) of the iPhone, 30 different models (10 generations) of the iPad, and 238 iOS/iPadOS updates. ### 9.3.1 — 2024-12-19 Another update with some small fixes for the latest version of iOS/iPadOS (we also added the first quarto of Arden of Faversham for apocrypha fans). Are you using MacOS? Shakespeare and Shakespeare Pro are now available on macOS! If you've already purchased Shakespeare Pro on iOS/iPadOS, you can now download it for FREE on the Mac App Store. Make sure you use the same method you originally used when purchasing Shakespeare Pro. Did you catch any of our recent updates? Here are just some of the goodies added: • NEW! Support added for dynamic app icons in iOS 18 • NEW! Added a widget for StandBy mode • NEW! Show the global line numbers, not just scene-based line numbers • NEW! Added the titles in 20 different languages for each play (now you know what "Ιούλιος Καίσαρας" means) • NEW! Add character disguises to their descriptions—see when people are in a disguise throughout the plays • NEW! Add character deaths to their descriptions—see when characters die and their reason/means of death • NEW! Add ghosts to character descriptions—see when a character is or becomes a ghost throughout the plays • NEW! Add character ascensions and depositions—see when a character ascends in rank or is removed from power • NEW! Search by character archetype ## Apps similar to Shakespeare | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Memorize Texts - MemoCoach](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/memorize-texts-memocoach/id1220188894) | 4.6 (2,568) | Free | Education | | [Proloquo2Go AAC](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/proloquo2go-aac/id308368164) | 4.8 (12,022) | $249.99 | Education | | [Writey Cursive Handwriting](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writey-cursive-handwriting/id1512640380) | 4.5 (12,053) | Free | Education | | [Braille Academy: Play & Learn](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/braille-academy-play-and-learn/id1561530189) | 4.9 (1,632) | Free | Education | | [The ASL App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-asl-app/id921030207) | 3.6 (838) | Free | Education | | [ASL Bloom - Sign Language](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asl-bloom-sign-language/id1631587710) | 4.9 (33,110) | Free | Education | ## More apps by PlayShakespeare.com - [Shakespeare Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shakespeare-pro/id341392367) - [Soliloquy: Classic Monologues](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soliloquy-classic-monologues/id946592671) - [Soliloquy Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soliloquy-pro/id1029313343) - [Scriptigo Script Reader](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scriptigo-script-reader/id1186136533) - [Scriptigo Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scriptigo-pro/id1444743519) All apps by PlayShakespeare.com: https://appshunter.io/developer/809094812 ## Related topics [shakespeare in bits](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare-in-bits) · [shakespeare](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare) · [shakespeare translator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare-translator) · [shakespeare plays](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare-plays) · [shakespeare insults](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare-insults) · [shakespeare qoutes](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare-qoutes) · [shakespeare lexicon](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare-lexicon) · [shakespeare wordclouds](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare-wordclouds) · [shakespeare swipespeare](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare-swipespeare) · [shakespeare pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare-pro) · [shakespearean insult creator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespearean-insult-creator) · [shakespeare pronunciation](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare-pronunciation) · [sonnet connect](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/sonnet-connect) · [shakespeare unmasked](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare-unmasked) · [actors bible](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/actors-bible) · [a shakespeare glossary](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/a-shakespeare-glossary) · [cavalierp](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/cavalierp) · [macbeth](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/macbeth) · [shakespeare trivia](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shakespeare-trivia) · [litanysoft](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/litanysoft) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*