# American Heritage® Dictionary vs Dictionary.com

The clearest difference is price: Dictionary.com at Free against American Heritage® Dictionary's $12.99. Dictionary.com also leads on ratings volume (328K vs 207) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). American Heritage® Dictionary's advantage is review sentiment (66% vs 26%) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, in-app purchases, monetization model and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Dictionary.com is free to download; American Heritage® Dictionary costs $12.99 up front. American Heritage® Dictionary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Dictionary.com sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for American Heritage® Dictionary against 4.8 for Dictionary.com. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dictionary.com has 328K ratings behind it against 207, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of American Heritage® Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 26% of Dictionary.com's.

American Heritage® Dictionary ships an update every 2 months, Dictionary.com every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | American Heritage® Dictionary | Dictionary.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $12.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (207 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-heritage-dictionary/id284965601/reviews) | **[4.8 (328K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dictionarycom-english-words/id308750436/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 207 | **328K** |
| Positive reviews | **65.6% of reviews** | 25.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#57** | #172 |
| Size | 386 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Enfour, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284965604) | [Curiosity Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/332510497) |

## What reviewers say

### American Heritage® Dictionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-heritage-dictionary/id284965601)

**Currently charting:** #57 Top Paid · Reference (US App Store)

Access a comprehensive digital dictionary with nearly 300,000 terms and thousands of sound files. Features include advanced search, etymology, and AI-powered tools for deeper understanding and language learning.

**Highlights:** Full dictionary text, 33,000+ example sentences, 64,000+ recorded sound files, Three-way cross-referencing search, Etymology with root links, AI Teacher for ESL students, Offline use

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Roget's II Thesaurus | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 Comprehensive and authoritative
- 👍 Excellent pronunciation audio
- 👍 Helpful etymologies and word roots
- 👍 Seamless integration with Roget's Thesaurus

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔋 Large app size can cause sync issues
- 🔒 Concerning privacy/security issues with unauthorized social media posts
- 👎 Overpriced compared to alternatives
- 👎 Lack of customization options (font size, themes, etc.)

**Reported bugs**

- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Unreliable audio playback
- Unexpected behavior when clearing search history

**Requested features**

- Ability to bookmark words and organize them into custom categories
- Improved search functionality (e.g. tapping words in definitions to jump to them)
- Landscape mode support
- Better sync/backup options for user data
- More visual aids and illustrations


### Dictionary.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dictionarycom-english-words/id308750436)

**Currently charting:** #172 Top Free · Reference (US App Store)

Access over 2 million trusted definitions and synonyms for English words. Enhance your vocabulary with daily new words, example sentences, and audio pronunciations. This app provides grammar tips and editorial content to deepen your understanding of the English language.

**Highlights:** 2 million+ definitions and synonyms, Word of the Day, Example sentences, Audio pronunciations, Grammar tips, Search history

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rhyming Dictionary | $1.99 | one-time |
| Grammar & Tips | $1.99 | one-time |
| Idioms & Phrases | $1.99 | one-time |
| Example Sentences | $2.99 | one-time |
| Science Dictionary | $2.99 | one-time |
| Encyclopedia | $2.99 | one-time |
| Offline Dictionary | $2.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Power Pack | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Robust dictionary and thesaurus
- 🤓 Helpful resources like blogs and articles
- 💡 Useful word games and puzzles
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🤩 Great for expanding vocabulary

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent search results and missing definitions
- 💸 Aggressive ads even after paid upgrades
- 🤯 Frequent crashes and performance issues
- 🤔 Confusing layout changes and UI issues
- 🤷‍♀️ Paid features not always working as expected

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working as expected
- Inconsistent behavior when tapping on words
- Offline dictionary not downloading properly
- Frequent crashes and freezes on various devices
- Paid features not unlocking or resetting unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- Dedicated section to display all forms of a word
- Ability to create and manage custom word lists
- Improved offline mode with more functionality
- Better integration with other productivity apps
- More language support beyond just English


## Frequently asked questions

### Is American Heritage® Dictionary free?

American Heritage® Dictionary costs $12.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Dictionary.com free?

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

### Which has better reviews, American Heritage® Dictionary or Dictionary.com?

Dictionary.com is rated higher. American Heritage® Dictionary averages 4.7 out of 5 from 207 ratings, while Dictionary.com averages 4.8 from 328K ratings.

### Do American Heritage® Dictionary or Dictionary.com have ads?

Dictionary.com shows ads; American Heritage® Dictionary does not.

### Which is updated more often, American Heritage® Dictionary or Dictionary.com?

American Heritage® Dictionary ships an update every 2 months, and Dictionary.com every 3 weeks. Most recently, American Heritage® Dictionary was updated on October 31, 2026 and Dictionary.com on November 1, 2026.

### Which is more popular, American Heritage® Dictionary or Dictionary.com?

American Heritage® Dictionary currently peaks at #57 in the App Store charts, and Dictionary.com at #172. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*