# Dictionary.com vs Urban Dictionary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Urban Dictionary at none against Dictionary.com's 9. Urban Dictionary also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (39% vs 26%). Dictionary.com's advantage is ratings volume (328K vs 3.5K) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Dictionary.com sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Urban Dictionary asks for nothing beyond the download.

Dictionary.com holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dictionary.com has 328K ratings behind it against 3.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 26% of Dictionary.com's written reviews are positive against 39% of Urban Dictionary's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Dictionary.com ships an update every 3 weeks, Urban Dictionary every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dictionary.com | Urban Dictionary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (328K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dictionarycom-english-words/id308750436/reviews)** | [4.5 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/urban-dictionary/id584986228/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **328K** | 3.5K |
| Positive reviews | 25.7% of reviews | **39.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#135** | — |
| Size | 35 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Curiosity Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/332510497) | [Urban Dictionary](https://appshunter.io/developer/584986251) |

## What reviewers say

### Dictionary.com

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

**Currently charting:** #135 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


### Urban Dictionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/urban-dictionary/id584986228)

Access a vast collection of user-submitted definitions for slang and non-slang words. Search, vote on definitions, and discover new words with daily updates. Share interesting terms easily with friends.

**Highlights:** Unlimited free searches, Slang and non-slang definitions, Vote on definitions, Share definitions, Today's Urban Word of the Day, Autocomplete suggestions

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Entertaining and informative
- 👍 Useful for understanding slang and new terminology
- 🤓 Provides creative and humorous definitions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes or stops working
- 🙄 Politically biased content
- 🤢 Inappropriate or vulgar content
- 🤔 Outdated or no longer supported

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on newer iOS versions
- Search bar issues on certain devices
- Notification feature not working

**Requested features**

- Add ability to submit own definitions
- Implement dark mode option
- Categorize content for better browsing
- Add push notifications for word of the day


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dictionary.com free?

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

### Is Urban Dictionary free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Dictionary.com or Urban Dictionary?

Dictionary.com is rated higher. Dictionary.com averages 4.8 out of 5 from 328K ratings, while Urban Dictionary averages 4.5 from 3.5K ratings.

### Do Dictionary.com or Urban Dictionary have ads?

Dictionary.com shows ads; Urban Dictionary does not.

### Which is updated more often, Dictionary.com or Urban Dictionary?

Dictionary.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and Urban Dictionary every 2 months. Most recently, Dictionary.com was updated on October 23, 2026 and Urban Dictionary on October 20, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*