# The Great Courses vs EWA

The Great Courses and EWA both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% of EWA's written reviews are positive against 40% of The Great Courses's. EWA also leads on ratings volume (196K vs 17K) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). The Great Courses's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Great Courses sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and EWA sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for The Great Courses against 4.7 for EWA. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: EWA has 196K ratings behind it against 17K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 40% of The Great Courses's written reviews are positive against 75% of EWA's.

The Great Courses ships an update fortnightly, EWA weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Great Courses | EWA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-great-courses/id1017813651/reviews)** | [4.7 (196K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ewa-learn-languages/id1200778841/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 17K | **196K** |
| Positive reviews | 39.9% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#109** | #122 |
| Size | 120 MB | 208 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [The Great Courses](https://appshunter.io/developer/636818508) | [Lithium Lab Pte Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1419510513) |

## What reviewers say

### The Great Courses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-great-courses/id1017813651)

**Currently charting:** #109 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

Access thousands of educational videos from world-renowned professors and experts. Explore a vast range of subjects, from history and science to personal development, with flexible learning options available online and offline. Start your learning journey with a free trial.

**Highlights:** Thousands of educational videos, Courses by world-class professors, Diverse subject matter, Online and offline access, Flexible learning pace, Free trial available

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TGCPlus Monthly Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| Quarterly Subscription | $44.99 | per 3 months |
| TGCPlus Annual Subscription | $149.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic, use it all the time
- 👍 Excellent content and Outstanding Educators
- 👍 best app you'll ever subscribe to
- 👍 Math courses are phenomenal!
- 👍 Loving the content in the app!

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Ok content, weak app
- 🐛 Broken
- 🐛 Technical problems trying to cast
- 🐛 Great content, poor streaming
- 🐛 Far fewer courses than before? App VERY buggy

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
- Audio goes out of sync with video
- App constantly logs users out
- Downloading content doesn't work offline

**Requested features**

- Can we get a ton of courses on AI please, it's a mite urgent
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Allow audio-only downloads
- Ability to download an entire course in one go


### EWA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ewa-learn-languages/id1200778841)

**Currently charting:** #122 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

Master English, Spanish, or French with this app. Read books with instant translations, practice speaking with TV characters, and use flashcards to build vocabulary. Learn at your own pace with engaging games and dialogues.

**Highlights:** Books with real-time translation, Speaking courses with TV characters, Everyday dialogues, Flashcards with spaced repetition, Language learning games, Vocabulary building

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One-Month Subscription | $11.99 | per month |
| One-Month EWA Premium Subscription | $15.99 | per month |
| One-Month Subscription | $15.99 | per month |
| Six-Month Subscription | $34.99 | per 6 months |
| Six-Month Subscription | $34.99 | per 6 months |
| One-Year Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| One-Year Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| One-Year Subscription | $99.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy and fun to learn
- 📚 Great selection of books
- 🎬 Engaging movie/TV clips
- 🎓 Helpful for improving vocabulary and reading skills
- 🤩 Entertaining and interactive learning experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inaccurate translations and definitions
- 🤔 Lack of advanced content for intermediate/experienced learners
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🤖 Poor pronunciation from text-to-speech
- 🤷‍♀️ Inconsistent app performance and bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Lessons and progress getting reset unexpectedly
- Subscription issues and unauthorized charges
- Inability to cancel subscription or get refunds
- App crashing or freezing during use
- Incorrect or missing translations in books and lessons

**Requested features**

- Add more language options beyond English and Spanish
- Improve translation accuracy and provide context-based definitions
- Offer more advanced content and customization options
- Integrate speech recognition for speaking practice
- Improve app stability and reduce technical issues


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Great Courses free?

The Great Courses is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is EWA free?

EWA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, The Great Courses or EWA?

The Great Courses is rated higher. The Great Courses averages 4.8 out of 5 from 17K ratings, while EWA averages 4.7 from 196K ratings.

### Do The Great Courses or EWA have ads?

EWA shows ads; The Great Courses does not.

### Which is updated more often, The Great Courses or EWA?

The Great Courses ships an update fortnightly, and EWA weekly. Most recently, The Great Courses was updated on September 24, 2026 and EWA on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, The Great Courses or EWA?

The Great Courses currently peaks at #109 in the App Store charts, and EWA at #122. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*