Lectia vs Mango Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lectia
Master a new language with authentic audio, video, and reading materials from native speakers. This free app offers structured lessons, cultural notes, and progress tracking for all levels, with offline study options available.
- Authentic audio, video, and reading passages
- Language learning activities for comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar
- Cultural, historical, and vocabulary notes
- Transcript and translation
- Offline study options
- Goal tracking and proficiency tests
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Don’t just learn a new language, master it! Completely free with no ads, Lectia is the first language learning app to offer in-depth content using real-life audio, video, and reading passages from countries where the target language is spoken. Developed by language experts at the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland, Lectia features: - Language learning activities to build comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar that increase in difficulty as you progress - Cultural, historical, and vocabulary notes - Transcript and translation - Highlighted text-tracking to help you follow along - Extensive glossary Choose from seven languages Arabic | Chinese | French | Korean | Persian | Russian | Spanish | more languages coming in 2022! Authentic materials created by and for native speakers: - Local and national news reports - Expert interviews - Weather reports - Apartment listings - Product and service ads - Recipes, and more! Benefits of Lectia: - No hidden costs or in-app purchases. Ever! - No ads - For all language levels (beginner, intermediate or advanced)! - Proficiency test at the end of each level - No wifi? No problem! Download lessons for offline study. - Goal tracking feature to measure your progress - Whether you’re already comfortable with the language or just starting out, Lectia has an option for you! For 35 years, the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland has been helping people understand each other and the world around them. To learn more about our work, visit us at www.nflc.umd.edu. Connect with us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umdnflc/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NationalForeignLanguageCenter Twitter: @NFLC_UMD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-foreign-language-center Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nflc.umd.edu/ Got an idea? We want to hear from you! Share your feedback with us at nflc-feedback@umd.edu.
Mango Reader
This app helps intermediate language learners improve their skills by providing real-time translations and pronunciation for words on any website. Users can save new vocabulary, bookmark content, and enjoy an ad-free reading experience.
- Real-time website translation
- Word and phrase pronunciation
- Personalized vocabulary lists
- Ad-free reader mode
- Website and article bookmarking
- Supports 14 languages
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With Mango Reader, you can go to any website on the internet and get translations for words you don’t know, in real time, while you’re reading. Designed with Intermediate-level language learners in mind, this powerful tool will help boost your language proficiency to an Advanced level. • Visit any website in the language you're learning and immerse yourself in content that interests you. • Highlight unfamiliar words and phrases to see their translation and hear them pronounced. • Save vocabulary you want to learn to personalized lists with the tap of a button. • Convert web pages into readable content without ads or distractions using "Reader Mode." • Bookmark your favorite websites and articles. • For the full experience, get the Mango Languages app to practice new vocabulary. Mango Reader supports 14 languages, including Modern Standard Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Latin American Spanish, and English.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Mango Reader at monthly against Lectia's every 4 months. Mango Reader also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.4). Lectia's advantage is review sentiment (78% vs 63%) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 16.4). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Mango Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 13 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of Lectia's written reviews are positive against 63% of Mango Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Lectia ships an update every 4 months, Mango Reader monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lectia | Mango Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (38 ratings) | 4.6 (13 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 77.8% of reviews — better | 62.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 38 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.1 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 86 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | University of Maryland | Creative Empire, LLC |
Customer experience
Lectia
Mango Reader
In-app purchases
Lectia
No in-app purchases
Mango Reader
No in-app purchases









