Ithildin vs Middle Earth Explorer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ithildin
Access a comprehensive, searchable dictionary of Tolkien's Elvish languages. Explore thousands of words across 48 languages with detailed information and various search modes. This offline tool is a tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien's linguistic creations.
- Comprehensive Eldamo.org vocabulary (48 languages)
- Search Elvish words or English translations
- Multiple search modes (wildcard, strict, regex)
- Includes community-created words
- Color-coded word reliability indicators
- Detailed word information screens
- Offline functionality
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Ithildin is a dictionary of the languages described in the work of JRR Tolkien. It is based on the Eldamo.org lexicon and contains a near-complete searchable vocabulary of those languages. The original vocabulary presented in this application was conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien and compiled by the efforts of many, most notably Christopher Tolkien and the authors of Parma Eldalamberon and Vinyar Tengwar (Christopher Gilson, Carl Hostetter, Arden Smith, Bill Welden, Patrick Wynne, and others). Paul Strack's Eldamo lexicon attempts to consistently organize that material, which adds up to many thousands of words in nearly fifty languages. This app is meant as a handy tool to search and access this vocabulary. Features: - very comprehensive: contains the complete Eldamo.org vocabulary (48 languages) - searching for either Elvish words or English translations - several search modes: wildcard (diacritic-insensitive), strict (diacritic-sensitive), begin- and end-of-word matching (useful to find rhyming words), verbatim and regular expressions - includes community-created words (neo-Sindarin, neo-Quenya) - roots, archaic words, community-contributed words and word reliability (is a word attested or speculative) are indicated by color coding - tapping a word opens a detail screen with glosses, examples, inflections, changes, cognates, elements, related words, variations and notes (when available) - where applicable: tapping a linked word in a detail category or the notes opens the detail screen for that word - configuration settings are stored locally in the app until changed - no internet connection is required Planned are: - other translations besides English (most likely German and French first) - UI internationalization - option to add user-created vocabulary - option to share user-created vocabulary with other users - extras like an Elvish / Shire calendar, star- and constellation names If you want to know more about these languages: their grammar, phonology or history, or about scripts like Tengwar and many other resources, we kindly refer to https://eldamo.org and the Vinyë Lambengolmor server on Discord. None of the material presented herein belongs to us, and we are not affiliated with the Tolkien Estate nor with Middle-earth Enterprises. No profit is being made from this app, which is distributed for free as a service to anyone interested, and a tribute to the work of JRR Tolkien. It is licensed under Creative Commons ShareAlike 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
Middle Earth Explorer
An interactive map and guide to the lands of Middle Earth, featuring over 50 locations, 90 events, and 10 quest timelines. Explore detailed lore, character journeys, and movie/book information. Works offline and supports accessibility features.
- Interactive Middle Earth map
- 50+ detailed locations
- 10 epic quest timelines
- 26 major character profiles
- Library of movies, books, and TV adaptations
- Full-text search and bookmarking
- Offline functionality
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Your companion to Middle-earth, ready for Season 3. Explore an interactive map, follow every quest, catch up in the right order without spoilers, and find live concerts and screenings near you. NEW IN 3.0 - Journey Order: the films, the series and Tolkien's books in release order or in-world order, with runtimes and page counts - Spoiler Shield: tell the app how far you've read or watched, and the map, timeline and search hide what comes later - Live events: Middle-earth concerts, film screenings and fan gatherings near you, plus upcoming film releases - Daily Riddle: a new Middle-earth puzzle every day, with streaks and a spoiler-free result to share - Find your fellow traveller: a 10-question personality quiz with a result card to share - Optional reminders for the daily riddle and Season 3, only after you turn them on, scheduled on your device EXPLORE THE MAP - Browse Middle-earth on a detailed hand-drawn style map with 50+ locations - Tap any place for its lore: the Shire, Rivendell, Mordor, Minas Tirith and more - Filter by people: Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Men and the creatures of shadow FOLLOW THE QUESTS - 10 quest timelines and 90+ events, from The Hobbit to the end of the War of the Ring - Step through battles, departures, encounters and milestones in story order - See where each event happened on the map with a single tap MEET THE CHARACTERS - Profiles for 26 major characters, with their journeys traced across the map - Discover how characters and events connect LIBRARY - Films and series with cast, crew and ratings - Tolkien's books with cover art - Video clips in a native player TOOLS - Search across locations, events and journeys - Save places, events and clips FELLOWSHIP+ (OPTIONAL) The map, timeline, lore, character profiles, the release, chronological and reading orders, film tracking, the daily riddle, the quiz and the basic Spoiler Shield are free. Fellowship+ is an optional subscription that adds: - Live events in any city, with the full list near you - Progress tracking for every episode and book part, so you always know what's next - Curated watch orders: First-timer and Lore deep dive - Spoiler Shield precision down to the exact book you're on - Alternate app icons: 12 icons, with 3 collector's editions, Elven and 8 lands of Middle-earth - The Riddle Archive: every past daily riddle, and unlimited clues - On this day reminders for every Middle-earth anniversary - The New Zealand trip planner: the live New Zealand map, a trip planner and unlimited check-ins Fellowship+ is available as a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription. Eligible new subscribers get a free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, or when the free trial ends. The subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://alpozcan.github.io/middleearth-site/privacy BUILT FOR EVERYONE - Available in more than 30 languages - VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support - The map and lore work offline; events, videos and film details need a connection Unofficial fan app, not affiliated with the Tolkien Estate, Middle-earth Enterprises, Amazon or Warner Bros. Ticket links open third-party sellers, and we may earn a commission on tickets bought through them. No ads.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Middle Earth Explorer at 4.6 against Ithildin's 3.7. Middle Earth Explorer also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 40%). Ithildin's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
Middle Earth Explorer holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Ithildin's written reviews are positive against 67% of Middle Earth Explorer's.
| Parameter | Ithildin | Middle Earth Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (7 ratings) | 4.6 (14 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 14 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 116 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Maike J Dulk | Alp Ozcan |
Customer experience
Ithildin
Middle Earth Explorer
In-app purchases
Ithildin
No in-app purchases
Middle Earth Explorer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Ithildin free?
Is Middle Earth Explorer free?
Which has better reviews, Ithildin or Middle Earth Explorer?
Do Ithildin or Middle Earth Explorer have ads?
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