# Shan Dictionary vs OpenTipitaka

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shan Dictionary at 50% against OpenTipitaka's 0%. OpenTipitaka's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 2.5) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

OpenTipitaka holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 5 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Shan Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 0% of OpenTipitaka's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Shan Dictionary ships an update every 3 months, OpenTipitaka every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shan Dictionary | OpenTipitaka |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shan-dictionary/id1645756819/reviews) | **[4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opentipitaka/id6760888347/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **5** |
| Positive reviews | **50.0% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 12 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Norhsangpha Boonhse](https://appshunter.io/developer/1611700417) | [Dhamma Sarana](https://appshunter.io/developer/1886633979) |

## What reviewers say

### Shan Dictionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shan-dictionary/id1645756819)

This app provides comprehensive translation capabilities between English, Shan, Burmese, Thai, Pali, and Chinese. It serves as a valuable tool for language learners and those needing to bridge communication gaps across these languages.

**Highlights:** English to Shan translation, Shan to English translation, Burmese to Shan translation, Shan to Burmese translation, Shan to Shan translation, Thai to Shan translation, Pali to Shan translation, Chinese to Shan translation

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### OpenTipitaka

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opentipitaka/id6760888347)

Access and study the Pali Tipiṭaka with multilingual translations and offline capabilities. Features include paragraph-by-paragraph comparison, fast search, and study tools like bookmarks and dictionary lookup.

**Highlights:** Pali Tipiṭaka reading, Multilingual paragraph-by-paragraph translations, Offline access, Fast search, Study tools (bookmarks, dictionary), Community correction suggestions

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shan Dictionary free?

Shan Dictionary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is OpenTipitaka free?

OpenTipitaka is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Shan Dictionary or OpenTipitaka?

OpenTipitaka is rated higher. Shan Dictionary averages 2.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while OpenTipitaka averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.

### Do Shan Dictionary or OpenTipitaka have ads?

Neither Shan Dictionary nor OpenTipitaka shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shan Dictionary or OpenTipitaka?

Shan Dictionary ships an update every 3 months, and OpenTipitaka every 3 weeks. Most recently, Shan Dictionary was updated on November 3, 2026 and OpenTipitaka on October 31, 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.*