Comparison

Dictionary Universal vs Dict А

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

Head to head
About

Dictionary Universal

Access a vast collection of dictionaries on your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. This app supports StarDict and Lingvo DSL formats, offering fast searches, morphology, fuzzy matching, and pronunciation. Organize dictionaries by language and save your favorites for quick access.

Highlights
  • StarDict and Lingvo DSL support
  • Fast search and fuzzy matching
  • Morphology support
  • Pronunciation playback
  • Dictionary profiles
  • Favorites and history
  • Clipboard lookup
Features
Read full description

Dictionary Universal is iPhone, iPod touch and iPad application for viewing StarDict dictionaries and dictionaries in Lingvo DSL format ¹. Many of these dictionaries are available on the Internet for free ². Features: * Very fast. After dictionary is indexed, minimal time is required to start before you can type text. List of matches appears without delay while you type. * Supports morphology for English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. * Fuzzy search. This functionality will help you find words if they are misspelled or when you don't know how to type word correctly. Just type in the text and hit Search button on the keyboard. * Pronunciation support. * Searching text in currently displayed article. * Profiles group dictionaries, pronunciation and morphology for quick switching. Useful if you work with several languages. * Favorites and Search History. * Ability to lookup word in clipboard when switching to the application. Copy word to clipboard and switch to Dictionary Universal to see translation. * Most complete StarDict format support in the AppStore (including images, synonyms, and various dictionary formats). * Color highlighting for better text readability (when supported by dictionary format). * Arbitrary word lookup. Tap any word in article to lookup it in loaded dictionaries. * Full screen mode support. * Compressed dictionaries and resources support. * Embedded web browser for downloading dictionaries from the Internet. ¹ Lingvo DSL format is a text format with dictionary source code. Dictionary Universal does not support compiled Lingvo dictionaries (LSD format). ² No dictionaries are bundled with the application. You will need StarDict or Lingvo DSL dictionaries to use them with the application.

About

Dict А

This app provides a comprehensive collection of Russian dictionaries, including spelling, synonyms, etymological, and foreign word references. It offers offline access to all dictionaries and features like word search, history, and favorites.

Highlights
  • Offline access to multiple Russian dictionaries
  • Spelling, synonyms, etymological, and foreign word definitions
  • Search with word forms and spelling correction
  • Word search from clipboard
  • Favorites and search history
  • Adjustable font size
  • Gesture support for navigation
Features
Read full description

Russian explanatory dictionary A large collection of Russian dictionaries: spelling, synonyms, explanatory, etymological, foreign words. The following sources were used in compiling this collection: - Spelling dictionary of Russian language (158,103 words), marked accent. - Dictionary of synonyms (19,107 words). - New glossary and word-formation dictionary of the Russian language, ed. Ephraim (123,999 words). - Dictionary of Russian language. Ozhegov, Shvedova. (41,118 words). - Explanatory Dictionary of Russian Language Dahl (43,460 words). - Dictionary of Russian Language, edited by Ushakov (88,279 words). - Etymological dictionary Vasmer (17,256 words). - Dictionary of foreign words and Latin expressions (16,627 words). -- Большой сборник русских словарей: орфографический, синонимов, толковые, этимологический, иностранных слов. Для работы программы не требуется подключение к интернету. Все словари доступны сразу после установки приложения. При составлении сборника были использованы следующие источники: - Орфографический словарь русского языка (158 103 слов), обозначены ударения. - Словарь синонимов (19 107 слов). - Новый толково-словообразовательный словарь русского языка под ред. Ефремовой (123 999 слов). - Толковый словарь русского языка. С.И. Ожегов, Н.Ю. Шведова. (41 118 слов). - Толковый словарь живого великорусского языка Даля (43 460 слов). - Толковый словарь русского языка под редакцией Д.Н. Ушакова (88 279 слов). - Этимологический словарь Фасмера (17 256 слов). - Словарь иностранных (заимствованных) слов и латинских выражений (16 627 слов). Важное замечание: Так как количество статей в используемых словарных источниках разное (от 16 до 158 тысяч слов), то возможны слова с короткими словарными статьями, содержащие в себе только орфографическое написание. Функции: - Поиск слова из буфера обмена при запуске программы - Поиск с учетом словоформ - Подсказка при неверном написании слова - Поиск слова из статьи по команде контекстного меню (команда Искать) - Случайная статья (встряхните устройство) - Поиск внутри статьи - Раздел Избранное - История запросов с сортировкой по частоте и времени (сортировка по частоте позволит Вам отслеживать наиболее проблемные понятия и лучше их изучить) - Изменение размера шрифта - Поддержка вертикального и горизонтального положений экрана Поддержка жестов: - проведите одним или двумя пальцами вправо для перехода на предыдущую статью - проведите одним или двумя пальцами влево для перехода на следующую статью - сдвиньте или раздвиньте пальцы на тексте статьи, чтобы изменить размер шрифта

Screenshots

Dictionary Universal4 screens
Dict А4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dictionary Universal at 4.7 against Dict А's 4.3. Dictionary Universal also leads on ratings volume (26 vs 3). Dict А's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $5.99). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Dictionary Universal costs $5.99 and Dict А $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dictionary Universal holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dictionary Universal has 26 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Dictionary Universal's written reviews are positive against 82% of Dict А's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dictionary Universal ships an update every 7 months, Dict А every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Dictionary Universal versus Dict А: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDictionary UniversalDict А
Price$5.99$3.99 — better
Rating4.7 (26 ratings) — better4.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews84.6% of reviews — better81.7% of reviews
Number of ratings26 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB132 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDmitry ZhukAlexey Solovyov

Customer experience

Dictionary Universal

All ratings26 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral3.8%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews182 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral5.5%
Negative9.9%

Dict А

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews71 reviews
Positive81.7%
Neutral7.0%
Negative11.3%

In-app purchases

None

Dictionary Universal

No in-app purchases

None

Dict А

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dictionary Universal free?
Dictionary Universal costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dict А free?
Dict А costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dictionary Universal or Dict А?
Dictionary Universal is rated higher. Dictionary Universal averages 4.7 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Dict А averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Dictionary Universal or Dict А have ads?
Neither Dictionary Universal nor Dict А shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dictionary Universal or Dict А?
Dictionary Universal ships an update every 7 months, and Dict А every 4 months. Most recently, Dictionary Universal was updated on September 27, 2026 and Dict А on September 29, 2026.

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