Comparison

Shakespeare vs ReelLearn

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

ReelLearn

Features
Read full description

Learning finally feels like scrolling. ReelLearn is a swipe-based study app that turns flashcards into fast, addictive, bite-sized learning sessions. Built for students, self-learners, and anyone with a cooked attention span, ReelLearn helps you study smarter through active recall, spaced repetition, and quick daily review. Instead of forcing yourself through boring notes, endless rereading, or traditional flashcards that feel like homework, ReelLearn lets you swipe through your study material like a feed, but this time, your screen time actually makes you smarter. Whether you are preparing for exams, memorizing terms, reviewing concepts, or building a daily study habit, ReelLearn makes learning feel lighter, faster, and easier to stick with. Why ReelLearn? Swipe-Based Flashcards Review cards with a simple swipe interface designed for fast, focused learning. Active Recall That Sticks Train your memory by testing yourself instead of passively rereading notes. Spaced Repetition Review what matters at the right time so you can remember more with less burnout. Bite-Sized Study Sessions Learn in small moments throughout the day — between classes, during breaks, or whenever you have a few minutes. Built for Modern Attention Spans ReelLearn makes studying feel familiar, fast, and motivating without turning learning into a chore. Track Your Progress Stay consistent with streaks, progress tracking, and quick review flows that keep you locked in. Perfect For Students preparing for quizzes, exams, finals, board reviews, language learning, vocabulary building, science terms, history facts, definitions, formulas, and any subject that needs memorization. ReelLearn is for anyone who wants to turn scrolling into studying. Less doomscrolling. More remembering. Your academic comeback starts one swipe at a time. Privacy Policy: https://reel-learn-site.vercel.app/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://reel-learn-site.vercel.app/terms.html

Screenshots

Shakespeare4 screens
ReelLearn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Shakespeare at Free against ReelLearn's $4.99. Shakespeare also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). ReelLearn's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 27) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). On 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

Shakespeare is free to download; ReelLearn costs $4.99 up front. Shakespeare sells 27 one-off in-app purchases. ReelLearn asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shakespeare ships an update every 3 weeks, ReelLearn every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Shakespeare versus ReelLearn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShakespeareReelLearn
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.8 (3.5K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews74.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings3.5K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size416 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPlayShakespeare.comJayvee Ballesteros

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

ReelLearn

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

ReelLearn

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shakespeare free?
Shakespeare is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ReelLearn free?
ReelLearn costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Shakespeare or ReelLearn have ads?
Neither Shakespeare nor ReelLearn shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shakespeare or ReelLearn?
Shakespeare ships an update every 3 weeks, and ReelLearn every 4 days. Most recently, Shakespeare was updated on October 31, 2026 and ReelLearn on October 31, 2026.

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