Canals5D vs Lingi
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Canals5D
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17th century travellers believe the Dutch landscape to be unique; a dense network of cities, connected by rivers and canals, some with towpaths. Movement regulates life. Currents have met here for centuries: trade, people and ideas. Newcomers arrive in great numbers: fleeing persecution or seeking a better life. The English Pilgrims are part of this flow of newcomers, arriving in Leiden in 1609. Here they can exercise their faith in freedom. What do they find here? Canals5D enables you to look around in the 17th century, at the places where the Pilgrims live, work and pray. You accompany them on their boat trip from Leiden to Delfshaven. From there they leave for America in 1620. Travelling along the Vliet and Schie, the 17th century landscape passes by: windmills, polders and locks, along quays, city walls and church spires. With Canal5D you visit Leidschendam, Voorburg, Delft and Overschie, as well as Leiden and Delfshaven.
Lingi
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Lingi is a fast-paced language learning game that blends vocabulary training with reaction-based gameplay. Match English and foreign words against a ticking timer, build streaks, and unlock higher multipliers as you push your score and your memory to the limit. Fast, reactive gameplay Quick rounds, real pressure: Each game starts with a short timer and a 5×5 word grid. Tap an English word, then its foreign translation (or vice versa) before time runs out. Fixed grid, pure focus: Word positions never slide around; only the text changes. That keeps your brain on language, not layout. Heat system and multipliers: Consecutive correct matches build “heat” and unlock 2x, 3x, and 4x score multipliers. One mistake, and your heat drops back to normal. Standard mode: Use powerups and upgrades to chase ever higher scores and longer streaks. Ranked mode (“Lingi Score”): A pure daily challenge. No powerups, no continues, no upgrades—just you, the timer, and the leaderboard. Real learning under the hood Lingi is a game first, but everything is wired around language learning: Word mastery system: Every word tracks how many times you’ve answered it correctly. Reach mastery and earn Gold rewards. Smart word pool: The game starts with simpler words and gradually introduces more complex vocabulary as you improve. Glossary and review: Every word you’ve seen lives in a searchable glossary with bilingual display and mastery progress. Weak words view: Focus on the words you miss most and watch them drop off the “problem list” as you improve. Pronunciation (TTS): Tap to hear words pronounced using native text-to-speech, so you learn how they sound, not just how they look. Progression, upgrades, and powerups Everything you do in Lingi feeds into a long-term progression loop: Earn Gold through play: Score, streaks, mastery, and performance bonuses all generate Gold. Powerups (per round): Choose boosts like extra starting time, a second chance, or a high-risk Turbo run before each game. Permanent upgrades: Spend Gold in the shop to improve time bonuses, point multipliers, streak rewards, burst chances, and combo scoring. Unlock chain: New upgrades appear only after you’ve levelled earlier ones, creating a clear sense of progression. Skill-based bonuses: End-of-round Gold now scales with your accuracy, heat level, and streaks, rewarding genuine skill rather than simple grind. Streaks, achievements, and long-term goals Daily streak system: Play at least one round each day to grow your streak and earn increasing daily Gold rewards. Break the streak, and it resets. Integrated “learner bonus”: Your daily reward also scales with your lifetime score, so long-term play always feels valuable. Achievements: Unlock one-time Gold rewards for milestones like words mastered, streak length, accuracy, rounds played, ads watched, and more. Lingi is fully playable and enjoyable without spending anything. All progression, upgrades, and language content can be earned through play. For players who want to accelerate: Gold packs: Optional Gold bundles that let you unlock upgrades faster instead of grinding. Lifetime x2 Gold upgrade: A one-time purchase that permanently doubles all future Gold you earn. Piggybank: A separate Gold stash that slowly fills with a percentage of everything you earn; you can choose to unlock it when it’s full. Ad-based boosts: After a round, you can optionally watch a rewarded ad to double the Gold you just earned. No subscriptions required. No paywalls on core features. Designed for short, powerful sessions Ideal for quick five-minute learning bursts. Strong feedback loop of match → streak → heat → multiplier → reward. Terms of use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://joshinem.github.io/lingi/privacy-policy.md
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Canals5D at none against Lingi's 8. Canals5D also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.2). On price and device support 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
Both are free to download. Lingi sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Canals5D asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Canals5D | Lingi |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | — |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 18.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Stichting Verborgen Stad | Josh Cooling |
In-app purchases
Canals5D
No in-app purchases
Lingi
- Small Pouch$0.99
- Starter Pack$2.99
- Lifetime ×2 Game Gold$2.99
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- Piggybank Claim$2.99
- Pro Bundle$4.99
- Mega Hoard$9.99
- Ultra Vault$19.99
- Mythic Vault$49.99









