Comparison

Ling vs Umi

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

Head to head
About

Ling

Learn over 80 languages, including rare ones, with fun, bite-sized lessons and native speaker audio. Develop speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills while exploring cultural insights. Track progress and stay motivated with achievements.

Highlights
  • Learn 80+ languages
  • Bite-sized lessons
  • Native speaker audio
  • Develop all four skills
  • Cultural insights
  • Progress tracking
  • Gamified learning
Features
Read full description

Take the easy path to hard languages with Ling! Learn Tagalog, Serbian, Cebuano, Albanian, and 75+ more languages with bite-sized lessons and real native-speaker audio. Start with 2 free units in any language. One subscription unlocks all 80 languages, and annual plans include a 7-day free trial. WHY LEARNERS CHOOSE LING - Languages others overlook: We specialize in Asian and Eastern European languages, plus rare and endangered ones you won't find in most apps - Real native speakers: Every lesson uses recordings of native speakers talking naturally, so you learn how the language really sounds - Speak, read, write, and listen: Build all four skills in one place, from your first words to real conversations - Learning that feels fun: Bite-sized lessons and exercises that never feel like homework - Culture Notes: Understand the people and traditions behind the language - Stay motivated: Build your streak, unlock achievements, and track your progress across 200+ lessons CHOOSE FROM 80 LANGUAGES Afrikaans • Albanian • Amharic • Arabic • Armenian • Azerbaijani • Bengali • Bosnian • Bulgarian • Burmese • Cantonese • Catalan • Cebuano • Chinese Simplified • Chinese Traditional • Croatian • Czech • Danish • Dutch • English • Estonian • Finnish • French • Georgian • German • Greek • Gujarati • Hebrew • Hindi • Hungarian • Icelandic • Ilocano • Indonesian • Irish • Italian • Japanese • Javanese • Kannada • Kazakh • Khmer • Korean • Lao • Latvian • Lithuanian • Macedonian • Malayalam • Malaysian • Maori • Marathi • Mongolian • Nepali • Norwegian • Pashto • Persian • Polish • Portuguese • Punjabi • Romanian • Russian • Serbian • Sinhala • Slovak • Slovenian • Somali • Sorbian • Spanish • Sundanese • Swahili • Swedish • Tagalog • Taiwanese Hokkien • Tamil • Telugu • Thai • Turkish • Ukrainian • Urdu • Uzbek • Vietnamese • Yoruba SUBSCRIPTIONS Ling offers monthly and annual subscriptions for full access to every language. The 7-day free trial is available on annual plans only. Payment is charged to your Apple ID when you confirm your purchase, or when the free trial ends. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. FOLLOW LING https://ling-app.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ling_app/ https://www.youtube.com/@LingLearnLanguages https://www.tiktok.com/@ling_app https://www.facebook.com/Ling.learn.languages/ Questions or feedback? Reach us at support@ling-app.com Terms of Use: https://ling-app.com/terms-of-use/ Privacy Policy: https://ling-app.com/privacy-policy/

About

Umi

Master a new language through engaging TV clips, from beginner to fluent in a year. This app offers a fun, scientifically backed immersion method with vocabulary, listening, and reading practice. Learn from native speakers in real-life contexts without textbooks or lectures.

Highlights
  • Learn languages from 0 to fluency
  • Watch TV clips for learning
  • Vocabulary, listening, and reading practice
  • Immersion method
  • Learn from native speakers
  • 24 free lessons
Features
Read full description

Learn a language from 0 to fluency in 1 year, by watching TV clips! 24 lessons for free! Learn Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German or English! Vocabulary, listening, and reading all in one app... and it's fun! A revolutionary scientifically backed method; natural exposure with short videos is the best way to gain REAL comprehension. No textbooks. No boring lectures. Learn from native speakers! Understand how people talk in real life situations. Start learning today with the revolutionary immersion method, and actually achieve fluency! Privacy: https://www.umiapp.co/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Ling4 screens
Umi4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is chart position: Ling at #61 against Umi's unranked. Ling also leads on ratings volume (17K vs 2.8K) and review sentiment (61% vs 53%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Ling sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month and Umi sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Ling against 4.8 for Umi. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ling has 17K ratings behind it against 2.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 61% of Ling's written reviews are positive against 53% of Umi's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ling ships an update weekly, Umi every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Ling versus Umi: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLingUmi
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (17K ratings)4.8 (2.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.1% of reviews — better52.8% of reviews
Number of ratings17K — better2.8K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 10 days
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#61 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size195 MB79 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperSIMYA LABS COMPANY LIMITEDImmersely Inc.

Customer experience

Ling

All ratings16,916 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews2,194 reviews
Positive61.1%
Neutral12.3%
Negative26.6%

Umi

All ratings2,362 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral1.9%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews288 reviews
Positive52.8%
Neutral14.9%
Negative32.3%

User reviews

Ling

From 17K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Bite-sized lessons
  • 🎮 Gamified learning
  • 📚 Offers rare languages
  • 🗣️ Good pronunciation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy, glitchy
  • 💰 Expensive, pay to learn
  • 🤖 Robotic voices
  • 🧠 Lessons not in logical order
  • 🔍 Lack of basic vocabulary and grammar

Umi

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Engaging and immersive learning experience
  • 👍 Helpful for improving listening and comprehension
  • 💡 Unique approach using real-world media clips
  • 🤩 Fun and enjoyable way to learn vocabulary

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate translations and subtitles
  • 🐛 Inconsistent clip quality and content
  • 💰 Paywall limits free access to full features
  • 🤔 Lack of structured learning progression

Bugs and requests

Ling

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Progress resets to zero
  • Incorrect translations and pronunciations
  • Lessons skipping ahead unexpectedly
  • Microphone issues, can't record properly
  • Sync issues across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow retry/go back in lessons
  • Improve speech recognition
  • Add grammar explanations
  • Provide more review and practice options
  • Introduce alphabet/writing system first

Umi

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent app crashes and loading issues
  • Inability to delete account or access full free version
  • Inconsistent performance and playback problems

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more language options like Mandarin and Russian
  • Improve spaced repetition and word review system
  • Provide more detailed grammar and conjugation explanations
  • Add a search function to find specific vocabulary

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Ling

Subscriptions8
  • Monthly Language Learning Plan$10.991 Month
  • Ling Monthly Subscription2 variants$14.991 Month
  • Ling Pro 1 Month Subscription$16.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Learn Language Pro Yearly 77 Days trial$48.991 Year
  • Ling Pro Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$54.991 Year
  • Ling Yearly Subscription7 Days trial2 variants$79.991 Year
  • Ling Pro 12 Month Subscription7 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Ling Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$99.991 Year
10 purchases

Umi

Subscriptions9
  • Umi Plus + Monthly7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Umi Plus - Monthly3 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Umi Premium - Monthly3 Days trial$14.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Umi Pro - Monthly3 Days trial$17.991 Month
  • Umi Plus - 6 months3 Days trial$34.996 Months
  • Umi Plus + Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Umi Plus - Annual3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Umi Premium - Annual3 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Umi Pro - Annual3 Days trial$69.991 Year
One-time1
  • Umi - Plus$149.99

Questions

Is Ling free?
Ling is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Umi free?
Umi is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ling or Umi?
Umi is rated higher. Ling averages 4.6 out of 5 from 17K ratings, while Umi averages 4.8 from 2.8K ratings.
Do Ling or Umi have ads?
Both Ling and Umi show ads.
Which is updated more often, Ling or Umi?
Ling ships an update weekly, and Umi every 10 days. Most recently, Ling was updated on November 10, 2026 and Umi on November 7, 2026.

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