# Shadowing vs TalkTime

The clearest difference is monetization model: Shadowing at free with in-app purchases against TalkTime's subscription. Shadowing also leads on ratings volume (245 vs 12). TalkTime's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 84%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Shadowing sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year and TalkTime sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 — 4.6 for Shadowing against 4.7 for TalkTime. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shadowing has 245 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of Shadowing's written reviews are positive against 100% of TalkTime's.

Shadowing ships an update every 5 weeks, TalkTime every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shadowing | TalkTime |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (245 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowing-english-player/id1565721779/reviews) | **[4.7 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/talktime-learn-a-language/id6457257628/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **245** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | 83.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 140 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [秀平 罗](https://appshunter.io/developer/1435264909) | [Shumin Yu](https://appshunter.io/developer/435282917) |

## What reviewers say

### Shadowing

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowing-english-player/id1565721779)

Practice listening and speaking skills with this language learning tool. It automatically segments audio, allows for sentence repetition, and provides subtitle support for various languages. Import your own materials and track your progress.

**Highlights:** Automatic audio segmentation, Adjustable playback speed, Subtitle import and translation, Import local audio/video files, Vocabulary and sentence saving, Export learning content

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium for Annual | $2.99 | per year |
| Premium Member | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎯 Automatic sentence segmentation and subtitle generation
- 📚 Support for local audio/video files with auto-matching subtitles
- 🔄 Sentence revision and remark functionality
- 💰 Affordable premium pricing
- 🎓 Excellent for intensive listening practice and language learning

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent forced rating prompts that cannot be dismissed
- 🔋 High battery consumption and device heating issues
- ❌ Poor subtitle accuracy and recognition errors
- ⚠️ Automatic sentence segmentation often inaccurate
- 🔌 Crashes when importing certain audio formats (m4a, m4b)

**Reported bugs**

- Continuous playback interval adjustment not working
- macOS app crashes on audio import
- Crashes when selecting subtitle files
- M4a/M4b file import causes high-probability crashes
- Membership lost after app updates

**Requested features**

- Fullscreen mode for video with subtitle toggle
- Keyboard shortcuts for navigation (arrow keys for previous/next sentence)
- Bluetooth headphone controls for sentence navigation
- Background playback functionality
- iCloud synchronization across devices


### TalkTime

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/talktime-learn-a-language/id6457257628)

Enhance foreign language skills through listening and reading with custom sentence learning. Supports multiple languages and offers automatic translation, pronunciation, and grammar analysis. Includes recall tests to reinforce learning.

**Highlights:** Learn with custom sentences, Automatic translation, Generate example sentences, Automatic pronunciation, Recall test function, Grammar analysis

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shadowing free?

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

### Is TalkTime free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Shadowing or TalkTime?

TalkTime is rated higher. Shadowing averages 4.6 out of 5 from 245 ratings, while TalkTime averages 4.7 from 12 ratings.

### Do Shadowing or TalkTime have ads?

Neither Shadowing nor TalkTime shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shadowing or TalkTime?

Shadowing ships an update every 5 weeks, and TalkTime every 8 days. Most recently, Shadowing was updated on November 7, 2026 and TalkTime on November 4, 2026.

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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.*