# local.ch vs PONS Translate & Dictionary

The clearest difference is review sentiment: local.ch at 92% against PONS Translate & Dictionary's 57%. local.ch also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 15). PONS Translate & Dictionary's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 16). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PONS Translate & Dictionary sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. local.ch asks for nothing beyond the download.

PONS Translate & Dictionary holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PONS Translate & Dictionary has 1.1K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 92% of local.ch's written reviews are positive against 57% of PONS Translate & Dictionary's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

local.ch ships an update every 6 weeks, PONS Translate & Dictionary every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | local.ch | PONS Translate & Dictionary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/localch/id300110733/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pons-translate-and-dictionary/id577741918/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 16 | **1.1K** |
| Positive reviews | **92.3% of reviews** | 57.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1 MB | 165 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Swisscom Directories AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/299241021) | [PONS Langenscheidt GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/577049805) |

## What reviewers say

### local.ch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/localch/id300110733)

Discover over 500,000 Swiss businesses, book restaurant tables, and schedule appointments online. Find contact details, locations, and even block spam calls.

**Highlights:** Find Swiss businesses and contact details, Book restaurant tables online, Schedule appointments with service providers, Search for locations and addresses, Caller ID and spam call blocking, Filter by restaurant categories

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### PONS Translate & Dictionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pons-translate-and-dictionary/id577741918)

Translate text and words between 40 languages with over 50 dictionaries. Features intelligent search, voice translation, and offline access to saved entries. Ideal for travelers and language learners.

**Highlights:** Text and word translation, Over 50 dictionaries, Intelligent search with suggestions, Camera translation, Voice translation and conversation mode, Offline access to favorites, Pronunciation audio

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No ads for 1 month | $1.99 | per month |
| 1 month English-Spanish | $2.49 | per month |
| 1 month English-French | $2.49 | per month |
| 1 month English-German | $2.99 | per month |
| 3 months English-German | $7.49 | per 3 months |
| 3 months Spanish-German | $7.49 | per 3 months |
| No ads for 1 year | $8.99 | per year |
| Premium version 1 month | $8.99 | per month |
| 1 year Spanish-German | $18.49 | per year |
| 1 year English-Spanish | $18.49 | per year |
| 1 year English-German | $18.49 | per year |
| 1 year English-French | $18.49 | per year |
| Premium version for 1 year | $29.99 | per year |
| This app without ads for 1 year | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Accurate translations
- 💡 Comprehensive dictionary with examples
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Helpful for language learning

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 💸 Aggressive ads even in paid version
- 🔍 Limited functionality compared to previous versions
- 🔍 Fails to recognize some words and phrases
- 👎 Unreliable pronunciation feature

**Reported bugs**

- Search function not working reliably
- Purchased ad-free version still showing ads
- Inconsistent behavior across devices
- Frequent crashes and freezes

**Requested features**

- Offline mode
- Improved text translation capabilities
- More language options
- Better handling of handwritten scripts
- Customizable font sizes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is local.ch free?

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

### Is PONS Translate & Dictionary free?

PONS Translate & Dictionary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, local.ch or PONS Translate & Dictionary?

PONS Translate & Dictionary is rated higher. local.ch averages 4.4 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while PONS Translate & Dictionary averages 4.7 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do local.ch or PONS Translate & Dictionary have ads?

Both local.ch and PONS Translate & Dictionary show ads.

### Which is updated more often, local.ch or PONS Translate & Dictionary?

local.ch ships an update every 6 weeks, and PONS Translate & Dictionary every 5 weeks. Most recently, local.ch was updated on October 22, 2026 and PONS Translate & Dictionary on October 23, 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.*