Comparison

Polyglot Reader vs Bunpo

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Polyglot Reader

Read books in foreign languages and learn new vocabulary. Tap on unknown words for instant translations and save them to flashcards for later study. Supports various document formats and offers pronunciation practice and knowledge tests.

Highlights
  • Read books in multiple formats (PDF, EPUB, TXT)
  • Translate unknown words and phrases instantly
  • Create flashcards for vocabulary learning
  • Pronunciation support for words and phrases
  • Knowledge tests for vocabulary sets
  • Scan and recognize text from documents
Features
Read full description

Read books in any foreign language and turn every unknown word into a flashcard you'll actually remember. Version 5.0 brings a complete redesign — a calmer reader, a smarter library and a new way to study. Polyglot Reader is your pocket library, dictionary and flashcard trainer in one app. Tap any word or phrase in a book, get an instant translation with transcription, hear the pronunciation, and save it to a deck to review later. Built for iPhone, iPad and Mac, with a refined dark theme. — READ — • Completely redesigned reader, bookmarks, translation popup and settings • New System theme that follows iOS automatically, plus refined Light and Dark • Open books in PDF, EPUB, FB2, RTF and TXT • Import from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or any file app • Scan a paper page — the app recognizes the text and saves it as a book • Highlights words you don't know yet, right inside the page • Vertical scrolling, comfortable type settings, picture zoom — LIBRARY — • Thousands of free classic books in 38+ languages, sorted into sections like Classics, Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare, Horror & Mystery, Children's Books, Philosophy, Adventure • Adapted A2–B1 readers for German learners, plus original literature in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Latin, Greek and many more • New sorting, new sections and search inside every shelf • Filter to show only recent books • Difficulty level and tags shown right on each cover • Drag and drop to reorganize your shelves • New "Added manually" section for everything you imported yourself • Smoother search, scroll and sharing on iPad — LEARN — • Redesigned cards and study screens • Ready-made flashcard sets for English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese and Japanese — verbs, nouns and themed categories • Smart virtual decks: All cards, Recent, Unknown — see progress at a glance • Quick preview and actions inside every deck • Pick a default deck for new words you save while reading • Per-card knowledge level with a colored progress bar (red → green as you master each word) • Three study modes: foreign only, foreign + native, native only • Hands-free mode — keep learning without touching the screen • Long-press context menu: mark as known or unknown in one tap • Optional shuffled order during study • Filter to show only words you haven't learned yet • Pronunciation for both the word and its translation • Knowledge tests for every deck • Export and import cards in CSV — TRANSLATE — • 111 offline dictionaries — no internet, no quota • On-the-fly transcription for all popular languages • Speech-to-text: just say the word, get the translation • Translate your own phrases and add them to any deck • Edit translations when you want a better wording • 90+ languages supported, including Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese and many more — AND ALSO — • System, Light and Dark themes • Choose Google or Yandex as default online translator • Compact mode on iPhone, expanded card view on iPad • Notifications to bring you back to recent cards Whether you're reading Sherlock Holmes in English, Kafka in German, Don Quijote in Spanish or Dostoevsky in Russian — Polyglot Reader turns reading into vocabulary, one tap at a time. Questions or feedback: support@readandlearnapp.com

About

Bunpo

Master multiple languages with this comprehensive learning app. It offers detailed grammar explanations, vocabulary building, and smart review systems to help you progress from beginner to advanced levels. Learn Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, and Chinese with interactive exercises and personalized study plans.

Highlights
  • Learn 6 languages
  • Master grammar with detailed explanations
  • Build vocabulary and kanji knowledge
  • Spaced repetition for smart review
  • Interactive quizzes and example sentences
  • Offline learning for Spanish, French, German, Chinese
Features
Read full description

Learn languages with Bunpo! Learn Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, English and more! Master speaking, grammar, and vocabulary from beginner to advanced, trusted by over 5 million learners worldwide. From your first Hiragana あ to JLPT N1, from "annyeong" to a real Korean conversation, or any of our 8+ languages, Bunpo takes you from day one to fluency. ========= Why Bunpo works for language learning - Speak from day one: Start speaking from your very first lesson with advanced speech recognition technology. - 8+ languages, one app: Learn Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, and English, and switch between them anytime without juggling multiple apps. - Grammar that makes sense: Detailed explanations in plain English, plus exercises that make it stick. - Smart review: A personalized study plan powered by spaced repetition (SRS) so you remember more, faster. - From the alphabet to advanced: Start with your very first character and build all the way to advanced grammar, whatever language you choose. Whether you're learning for travel, a higher grade, JLPT, a career boost, or just to feel confident in a new conversation, Bunpo's got your back. ========= Japanese Course - Master the Japanese alphabets (Hiragana & Katakana) so you can read menus, train signs, and even your favorite manga without guessing. - Learn Japanese grammar for every JLPT level (N5 to N1) with clear, no-nonsense explanations because "This is a pen" will only get you so far. - Build real-world Japanese vocabulary and kanji knowledge you can actually use in daily conversations, not just in textbooks. - Practice with 1,800+ Japanese example sentences and 8,000+ interactive quizzes designed to make new grammar and vocab stick. - Search any topic instantly in the Japanese grammar dictionary, perfect for "What does that mean again?" moments. - Review smarter, not harder, with a spaced repetition system (SRS) that reminds you before you forget. ========= Korean Course - Master the Korean alphabet (Hangul) with a guided chart, listening, and writing practice. - Build Korean vocabulary you'll actually use in everyday conversations. - Practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking so every skill grows together. ========= Spanish Course - Learn Spanish offline - Master Spanish grammar from A1 to B1 level - Spanish verb conjugation - Perfect your Spanish pronunciation ========= French Course - Learn French offline - Master French grammar from A1 to A2 level - French verb conjugation - Perfect your French pronunciation ========= German Course - Learn German offline - Master German grammar from A1 to C1 level - German verb conjugation - Perfect your German pronunciation ========= Chinese Course - Learn Chinese offline - Master Chinese vocabulary and phrases - Listen, speak, and write Chinese ========= Subscription pricing and terms Bunpo offers an auto-renewing monthly subscription and an auto-renewing yearly subscription to provide you with unlimited access to the Bunpo courses while you maintain an active subscription. These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary, and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. The subscription will automatically renew unless turned off in your iTunes Account Settings at least 24 hours before the current period ends. You can go to your iTunes Account settings to manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew. Your iTunes Account will be charged when the purchase is confirmed. Bunpo also offers a Forever subscription, which is paid for by a one-off upfront payment with unlimited access to the Bunpo courses forever. Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: https://bunpo.app/privacy.html Any feedback? Feel free to contact us at: iphone@bunpo.app

Screenshots

Polyglot Reader4 screens
Bunpo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Bunpo at 4.9 against Polyglot Reader's 4.4. Bunpo also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Polyglot Reader sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Bunpo sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bunpo holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bunpo has 18K ratings behind it against 74, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Polyglot Reader's written reviews are positive against 73% of Bunpo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Polyglot Reader ships an update every 2 months, Bunpo every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Polyglot Reader versus Bunpo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPolyglot ReaderBunpo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (74 ratings)4.9 (18K ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.7% of reviews72.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7418K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size120 MB189 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnton IvanovBunpo Language Learning

Customer experience

Polyglot Reader

All ratings74 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral6.8%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive65.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative20.0%

Bunpo

All ratings18,012 ratings
Positive98.1%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews1,129 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral9.3%
Negative18.2%

Bugs and requests

Polyglot Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Bunpo

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes during lesson reviews
  • Incorrect answers marked as wrong
  • Text and keyboard issues on smaller screens
  • Audio playback problems

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add landscape mode support for tablets
  • Improve review options to revisit specific grammar points
  • Expand vocabulary lessons and practice
  • Add more languages beyond Japanese

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Polyglot Reader

Subscriptions8
  • Monthly subscription$3.991 Month
  • Monthly subscription3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Monthly subscription$7.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Monthly subscription$9.991 Month
  • Annual subscription$22.991 Year
  • Annual subscription$34.991 Year
  • Annual subscription7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Annual subscription$59.991 Year
One-time3
  • Upgrade from advanced to professional version$3.99
  • Upgrade from Starter to Advanced version$15.99
  • Full version$99.99
9 purchases

Bunpo

Subscriptions7
  • Bunpo Plus Monthly2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Bunpo Platinum Monthly7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Bunpo Platinum Monthly$19.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Bunpo Plus Yearly$29.991 Year
  • Bunpo Plus Yearly$39.991 Year
  • Bunpo Platinum Yearly7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Bunpo Platinum Yearly$79.991 Year
One-time2
  • Bunpo Plus Lifetime$39.99
  • Bunpo Plus Lifetime$44.99

Questions

Is Polyglot Reader free?
Polyglot Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bunpo free?
Bunpo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Polyglot Reader or Bunpo?
Bunpo is rated higher. Polyglot Reader averages 4.4 out of 5 from 74 ratings, while Bunpo averages 4.9 from 18K ratings.
Do Polyglot Reader or Bunpo have ads?
Polyglot Reader shows ads; Bunpo does not.
Which is updated more often, Polyglot Reader or Bunpo?
Polyglot Reader ships an update every 2 months, and Bunpo every 9 days. Most recently, Polyglot Reader was updated on September 23, 2026 and Bunpo on September 25, 2026.

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