Comparison

Shakespeare vs ABAB Word

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

Head to head
About

Shakespeare

Access the complete works of Shakespeare, including plays, sonnets, and poems. Features include a powerful search, integrated glossary, note-taking, and customization options for a rich reading experience.

Highlights
  • Complete works of Shakespeare
  • Powerful search and concordance
  • Integrated glossary with definitions
  • Add and share personal notes
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Scene breakdowns and character descriptions
  • Modern translations and lexicons
Features
Read full description

“It’s really great!” —Kenneth Branagh, actor and director “I can't remember a time it wasn't on my iPhone. So feature rich!" —Stephen Fry, actor and writer “‘The app’s the thing.’ Hamlet was almost right. Great to see Shakespeare Pro superplaying with Shakespeare’s plays.” —David Crystal, linguist and author of Shakespeare's Words “The Shakespeare Pro app is simply terrific and filled with loads of wonderful information!” —Ken Ludwig, Tony and Olivier Award Winning Playwright Shakespeare Pro® includes the complete works of Shakespeare (41 plays, 154 sonnets and 6 poems, including apocrypha) and search the concordance to find the exact word or phrase you’re looking for (with “relaxed” searching to find words close to your search term). Shakespeare Pro is packed with these impressive features: ••• QUALITY TEXTS are a top priority and our team spent years compiling and editing the best references available. In the updated editions, the text is even more clear and each individual character is uniquely identified. ••• FIRST FOLIOS AND QUARTOS in original spelling show the works as they were originally published in Shakespeare’s time. ••• AN INTEGRATED GLOSSARY, based on the bestselling lexicon by David & Ben Crystal, Shakespeare’s Words™ is included. Simply tapping on a word will display its definition in context (not just a general definition). ••• ADD YOUR OWN NOTES AND SHARE THEM with your students, classmates, friends, and colleagues. Organize your notes into notebooks for use in the classroom, theatre, or just to remember key facts. Then share them via email or AirDrop. ••• POWER SEARCH THE WORKS by customizing multiple parameters like gender, genre, work, language, line form, soliloquies, and more. ••• CUSTOMIZE YOUR READING EXPERIENCE by choosing from a variety of color themes, change the font family and size, display long or short character names, jump around to different scenes, and view line numbers (*read the note below about line numbering). ••• BOOKMARK YOUR FAVORITE PARTS in addition to remembering the last page you viewed. Even copy/paste that great line. ••• DETAILED SCENE BREAKDOWNS give you an overview of the scenes within each play, their locations, and the characters present in each. ••• CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS help you better understand the actions and motivations of every character—all 1,155 of them. ••• MODERN TRANSLATIONS and lexicons to help you better understand Elizabethan English (extra add-ons). ••• GET THE FACTS by reading up on Shakespeare’s life, view data and chronology about his works, and an overview of scansion terminology or rhetoric. Character Arc Visualizers show individual character arcs or allow for comparison of multiple characters. ••• SHAKE YOUR DEVICE for Shakespeare himself to display a random memorable quote or insult. Or get a new random quote every day. ••• BROWSE THE GALLERY of famous Shakespeare portraits. ••• TEACHER CURRICULUM makes it easy for teachers to introduce students to Shakespeare's works. ••• COMPLETE APOCRYPHA is the most comprehensive breakdown of 14 plays Shakespeare may have had a hand in. ••• BARDFIND™ is the easiest way to find a Shakespeare theatre or venue anywhere in the world. These are just a few highlights of the great things in Shakespeare Pro. If you’re a student, professor, actor, or just plain love the Bard, this must-have app ensures you have the complete works at your fingertips. Like the new features? Having trouble and need support? Let us know at support@playshakespeare.com or at http://support.playshakespeare.com.

About

ABAB Word

This app helps users quickly build and review vocabulary through a simple flashcard system. It allows for the creation and management of personal word libraries, providing meanings, examples, synonyms, and antonyms for efficient learning.

Highlights
  • Personal word library creation
  • Flashcard vocabulary review
  • Meaning, example, synonym, antonym display
  • Fast and distraction-free learning
  • Simple and efficient interface
Features
Read full description

ABAB Word is a clean and efficient vocabulary learning app designed to help users build and review words quickly. Features: • Create and manage your personal word library • Review vocabulary with simple flashcards • See meanings, examples, synonyms, and antonyms • Fast and distraction-free learning experience ABAB Word focuses on simplicity and efficiency, making vocabulary learning easy and enjoyable.

Screenshots

Shakespeare4 screens
ABAB Word3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ABAB Word at none against Shakespeare's 27. ABAB Word also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 74%). Shakespeare's advantage is ratings volume (3.5K vs 2). On price, rating, ads 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. Shakespeare sells 27 one-off in-app purchases. ABAB Word asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ABAB Word holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shakespeare has 3.5K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Shakespeare's written reviews are positive against 100% of ABAB Word's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shakespeare ships an update every 3 weeks, ABAB Word every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Shakespeare versus ABAB Word: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShakespeareABAB Word
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (3.5K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.5K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size416 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPlayShakespeare.comABAB Labs LLC

Customer experience

Shakespeare

All ratings3,541 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.9%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews336 reviews
Positive74.1%
Neutral7.4%
Negative18.5%

ABAB Word

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Shakespeare

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on launch or opening plays
  • Scrolling and UI issues
  • Incompatible with latest iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add modern translations
  • Include line numbers
  • Improve search and navigation
  • Add more content like sonnets
  • Sync purchases across devices

ABAB Word

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

27 purchases

Shakespeare

One-time27
  • Modern Translation (AYLI)$1.99
  • Modern Translation (Sonnets)$1.99
  • Modern Translation (AWEW)$1.99
Show 24 more
  • Modern Translation(Coriolanus)$1.99
  • Modern Translation (CoE)$1.99
  • Modern Translation (WT)$1.99
  • Modern Translation (Othello)$1.99
  • Modern Translation (Much Ado)$1.99
  • Modern Translation (LLL)$1.99
  • Modern Translation (Hamlet)$2.99
  • Modern Translation (Macbeth)$2.99
  • Modern Translation (R&J)$2.99
  • Modern Translation (King Lear)$2.99
  • Glossary by Alexander Dyce$3.99
  • Glossary by C. T. Onions$3.99
  • Schmidt's Lexicon$3.99
  • Glossary by C. T. Onions$4.99
  • All Apocrypha$7.99
  • Course: Intro to Shakespeare$9.99
  • All Apocrypha$9.99
  • All Lexicons$9.99
  • Course Shakespeare for Kids$9.99
  • Upgrade to Shakespeare Pro$12.99
  • All Lexicons$12.99
  • Modern Translation (All Works)$14.99
  • Modern Translation (All Works)$19.99
  • Shakespeare Ultimate$59.99
None

ABAB Word

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shakespeare free?
Shakespeare is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ABAB Word free?
ABAB Word is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shakespeare or ABAB Word?
ABAB Word is rated higher. Shakespeare averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while ABAB Word averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Shakespeare or ABAB Word have ads?
Neither Shakespeare nor ABAB Word shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shakespeare or ABAB Word?
Shakespeare ships an update every 3 weeks, and ABAB Word every 2 days. Most recently, Shakespeare was updated on October 31, 2026 and ABAB Word on October 16, 2026.

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