Comparison

AIS Riyadh vs Arabius

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

Head to head
About

AIS Riyadh

Features
Read full description

Stay connected to AIS-R with news and updates for students, parents and staff! The official App of The American International School Riyadh. Staying connected to AIS-R is now easier and more enjoyable than ever before. With personal information for students, parents, staff and prospective families, the AIS-R App serves you with the latest news, daily updates, events, social media and pictures wherever you are. Features include · News · Notifications · Calendar and events · Gallery · Social Media · Timetables / Schedule · Blogs · Announcements Use for Public users and Students or Parents with login You can access the AIS-R App as a visitor and as a private user. Private users can login with their school username and password and can access more features and personal content. If you haven’t receive a username and password yet, please ask the office of AIS-R. Please note When launching the app for the first time, it can be helpful to be connected to WiFi as most information will be downloaded then.

About

Arabius

Learn Saudi Arabic through an immersive, customized, and experiential methodology. This app focuses on understanding and interacting with words via fun games, prioritizing natural language acquisition over memorization. It offers live sessions with native speakers and cultural insights.

Highlights
  • ICE Methodology for faster learning
  • Focus on understanding and interaction
  • Live virtual sessions with Saudi guides
  • Earn rewards for cultural insights
  • Learn Saudi dialect for daily life
  • Native speaker recordings
Features
Read full description

Learn Saudi Arabic in a using our unique ICE methodology (Immersive, Customized, Experiential) to understand new words faster than you thought possible! WHAT IS ARABIUS? Ed-tech linguistic company founded and based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to help expats learn Arabic, engage culture, and enjoy Saudi. Founders developed a revolutionary language learning methodology designed to be the most engaging and effective experience on earth. You will learn language faster and improve long-term retention. Rather than focusing on memorization and speaking, we focus first on simply understanding and interacting with words through fun and effective games. Languages are not memorized, they are acquired naturally. No studying or memorizing required. Just play the games and you will start to understand basic words and sentences quicker than you ever thought possible! WHY DO YOU FOCUS ON SAUDI ARABIC? First of all, because we love Saudi! It’s an extraordinary place marked by rich cultural heritage and a warm, hospitable society. Vision 2030, the country’s current social and economic transformation plan, is welcoming people from all over the world who are interested to travel, work, and live in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabic is what people actually speak in daily life in KSA. Modern Standard Arabic is a beautiful and important language, but our focus is on helping you in real communication in daily life. Within a few lessons in the Arabius app, you will know words, phrases, common greetings and responses. And with a few more, you will be hearing and arranging complete sentences in Saudi Arabic HOW IS ARABIUS BETTER? Other language-learning apps are focused on either getting you hooked rather than actual learning OR rote memorization. Instead we focus on teaching you new words in an intuitive way. Rather than focusing on speaking, we focus on teaching you to understand many words at once. We use recordings of native speakers rather than computer generated sounds so you can hear all the nuances of the language. We NEVER use English to teach Arabic! Translation methodologies do not work. Rather we use pictures to encourage your brain to associate the object with the sound of the new word. KEY APP FEATURES: MINI SESSIONS After completing specific milestones, you will be able to attend a mini session with a Saudi guide! To practice your language skills and improve your experience, you can join 30-minute, live virtual sessions with a native speaker trained in ICE Methodology. This feature makes the Arabius app unique from other language learning experiences that offer either only an app or an online tutor matching platform. CULTURE CARDS As you venture through the sessions, you will earn golden dates as a reward for your efforts. These can be cashed in at the souq for unique culture cards on interesting cultural topics such as Saudi coffee and dates, a cultural staple in society. TOUR SAUDI Since the Arabius app is entirely focused on Saudi Language and Culture, you will be traveling virtually through various regions of the country as you learn Saudi Arabic. Enjoy the distinct aspects of the Kingdom as you explore the 13 different regions and discover the architecture, geography, and cultural landmarks that make Saudi a land like no other. LEARNING STYLE While the instructional language of the app is English, when it comes to teaching Arabic, you will find that no English is used. All lessons and gameplay follow our immersive methodology which is deeply rooted in language learning neuroscience. Users will match sounds they hear to images they see, focusing on hearing and speaking first, then reading later. This allows for faster learning as it follows a more natural immersion style as if you were in Saudi and surrounded by native speakers. SPACED REPETITION WORD STRENGTHENING By strategically selecting when and how words are reviewed, repetition is minimized and language-learning speed remains efficient and effective.

Screenshots

AIS Riyadh3 screens
Arabius4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Arabius at every 2 months against AIS Riyadh's every 15 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AIS Riyadh ships an update every 15 months, Arabius every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
AIS Riyadh versus Arabius: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAIS RiyadhArabius
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (111 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—92.6% of reviews
Number of ratings—111 — better
Update frequencyEvery 15 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB89 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL RIYADHBAB AL ARABIA COMPANY FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Bugs and requests

AIS Riyadh

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Arabius

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Getting logged out after inactivity
  • App waits to finish lesson then makes user repeat
  • Errors or 'no internet' messages
  • App updated lesson, requires replay
  • Cannot reach continue button for next lesson
Show 1 more
  • App freezes during class

Requested features

16 requests
  • Make the app faster
  • Option to speed up speech
  • Label map sections by topic
  • Easier access to word/picture lists
  • More prepositions
Show 11 more
  • More content in some sections
  • Write spoken words as flash
  • English translation for words/phrases
  • Romanized Arabic words
  • Add widgets
  • Allow skipping lessons/levels
  • Add English translation under images
  • Make ID available saved during sign in
  • Add tests for different lessons
  • Skip instructions and demos
  • Expand lessons for more fluency

In-app purchases

None

AIS Riyadh

No in-app purchases

None

Arabius

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AIS Riyadh free?
AIS Riyadh is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Arabius free?
Arabius is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do AIS Riyadh or Arabius have ads?
Neither AIS Riyadh nor Arabius shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AIS Riyadh or Arabius?
AIS Riyadh ships an update every 15 months, and Arabius every 2 months. Most recently, AIS Riyadh was updated on October 10, 2026 and Arabius on November 12, 2026.

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