Comparison

LDOCE vs LDOCE (InApp)

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

Head to head
About

LDOCE

This comprehensive English dictionary app offers an extensive vocabulary of over 230,000 words and phrases, with integrated thesaurus and collocations. It provides real-world examples, pronunciation guides, and grammar notes to enhance fluency and accuracy for advanced learners.

Highlights
  • 230,000+ words, phrases, and meanings
  • Integrated Thesaurus and Collocations Dictionary
  • 165,000+ real-world example sentences
  • Pronunciation files in UK & US accents
  • Grammar and warning notes
  • AI Teacher for ESL students
  • Flashcards and Word-of-the-Day
Features
Read full description

More features than any other dictionary app available! And the most "connected" dictionary app on iOS -plays nice with more third-party dictionaries and apps than anyone else. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - For Advanced Learners © Longman's flagship learner’s dictionary is now available as an iOS application. Improve your fluency in English with the most up-to-date learner's dictionary at your fingertips. Now with integrated Thesaurus and Collocations Dictionary. Dictionary details: ● 230,000 words, phrases, and meanings - more than any other learner's dictionary ● 165,000 examples based on real, natural English from the Longman Corpus Network show how English is really used ● 10,000 encyclopedic entries -people and places. ● 5,000 verb conjugation tables. ● graphics and videos to explain meanings at a glance. ● Clear definitions written using only 2,000 common words. ● Most frequent 3,000 words in spoken & written English, highlighted to show which are the most important to know ● Register Notes focus on the differences between spoken and written English. ● The Academic Word List is highlighted to help you improve your essays and presentations. ● Grammar and warning notes ensure that you avoid the most common errors. ● Integrated Collocations Dictionary. Over 80,000 collocations will improve your fluency. ● Integrated Thesaurus. Over 20,000 synonyms, antonyms, and related words will improve your vocabulary range. ● 86,000 pronunciation files —all headwords in both UK & US accents. PLUS ● another 86,000 recorded example sentences (via external links due to size) Over 20GB of audio online! Making this the largest resource of English available on ANY mobile platform! ________________________________________ Application Features: ● full contents of the print dictionary - PLUS additional collocations, synonyms & word histories ● complete front matter and additional resources ● unique three-way cross-referencing search ● real-time progressing look-up ● wildcard pattern searches -with * ? ● online search backup for rare words and slang ● spelling suggestion dictionary included ● hyperlinking directly to meanings & appendices ● example sentence search ● search on idioms and phrasal verbs ● search on synonym and "sign-post" meanings ● an "AI Teacher" for deeper explanations or help for ESL students in 98 languages ● Bookmarks with folders and editable notations ● Bookmark syncing across devices via iCloud ● automatic history listing ● Flashcards to test yourself ● Teacher's resources in PDF for printing or email ● "Word-of-the-Day" sets including TOEIC® & TOEFL® ● "Today" widget for finding new words ● "Share" extension​ to search inside other apps ● another extension​ to search from a second device or SplitView ● search from other applications via a public API ● iPad Pro multi-screen and Drag & Drop ● DarkMode & 3D Touch support ● OS-independent app localization ● Siri support ● Dyslexic mode and VoiceOver support ● Supports iOS 12 through to iOS 26 ● iPhone, iPod, iPad and macOS support ● complete offline use ___________________ Social Media: ● supports Facebook, Twitter, Sina Weibo & Evernote posts. ● Full layout for definition emails and Evernote posts. ________________________________________ The ultimate learner's resource of the English language for use anywhere and anytime. Copyright: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English © Pearson Education Limited 2009, 2011, 2015

About

LDOCE (InApp)

This comprehensive English learner's dictionary offers over 230,000 words and meanings, with integrated thesaurus and collocations. It provides clear definitions, real-world examples, and pronunciation files to enhance fluency and vocabulary.

Highlights
  • 230,000+ words, phrases, and meanings
  • Integrated Thesaurus and Collocations Dictionary
  • 165,000+ real-world example sentences
  • Pronunciation files in UK & US accents
  • Clear definitions using a 2,000-word vocabulary
  • Academic Word List and Register Notes
  • Wildcard and spelling suggestion searches
Features
Read full description

This app is not free! An InApp purchase is required to activate the dictionary. ________________________________ Longman's flagship learner’s dictionary, fully updated and now with integrated Thesaurus and Collocations Dictionary ________________________________ Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - For Advanced Learners © Longman's flagship learner’s dictionary is now available as an iPhone/iPod touch application. Improve your fluency in English with the most up-to-date learner's dictionary at your fingertips. Now with integrated Thesaurus and Collocations Dictionary. Dictionary details: ● 230,000 words, phrases, and meanings - more than any other learner's dictionary ● 165,000 examples based on real, natural English from the Longman Corpus Network show how English is really used ● 10,000 encyclopedic entries -people and places. ● 5,000 verb conjugation tables ● Clear definitions. Written using only 2,000 common words. ● Most frequent 3,000 words in spoken & written English highlighted for you ● Register Notes focus on the differences between spoken and written English. ● The Academic Word List is highlighted to help you improve your essays and presentations. ● Grammar and warning notes ensure that you avoid the most common errors. ● Integrated Collocations Dictionary. Over 80,000 collocations will improve your fluency. ● Integrated Thesaurus. Over 20,000 synonyms, antonyms, and related words will improve your vocabulary range. ● 83,000 pronunciation files —all headwords in both UK & US accents. PLUS ● another 86,000 recorded example sentences (via external links or bulk download) Making this the largest resource of English available on ANY mobile platform! ________________________________ Application Features: ● full contents of the print dictionary - PLUS additional collocations, synonyms & word histories ● complete front matter and additional resources ● unique three-way cross-referencing search ● real-time progressing look-up ● wildcard pattern searches -with * ? ● an "AI Teacher" for deeper explanations or help for ESL students in 98 languages ● spelling suggestion dictionary included ● hyperlinking directly to meanings & appendices ● example sentence search ● search on idioms and phrasal verbs ● search on synonym and "sign-post" meanings ● an "AI Teacher" for deeper explanations or help for ESL students in 98 languages ● Bookmarks with folders and editable notations ● Bookmark syncing across devices via iCloud ● Flashcards to test yourself ● automatic history listing ● Teacher's resources in PDF for printing or email ● Evernote posts with the full layout for definitions ● full layout in emails, Facebook and printing ● -plus Twitter & Sina Weibo ● "Word-of-the-Day" sets including TOEIC® & TOEFL® ● iPad Pro SplitView and Drag & Drop ● "Today" & LockScreen widgets ● "Share" extension​ to search inside other apps ● "LDOCE Broadcast" - search to a second device or iPad SplitView ● Open to search with Siri ● search from other applications via a public API ● OS-independent app localization ● iPad Pro multi-screen and Drag & Drop ● Dyslexic mode and VoiceOver support ● DarkMode & 3D Touch support ● Supports iOS 12 through to iOS 26 ● iPhone, iPod, iPad and macOS support ● complete offline use ________________________________ The ultimate learner's resource of the English language for use anywhere and anytime. Copyright: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English © Pearson Education Limited 2009, 2011, 2015

Screenshots

LDOCE4 screens
LDOCE (InApp)4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: LDOCE (InApp) at Free against LDOCE's $24.99. LDOCE (InApp) also leads on ratings volume (1.2K vs 359). LDOCE's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). On update cadence, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

LDOCE (InApp) is free to download; LDOCE costs $24.99 up front. LDOCE sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and LDOCE (InApp) sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LDOCE holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 359 and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of LDOCE's written reviews are positive against 40% of LDOCE (InApp)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 30, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
LDOCE versus LDOCE (InApp): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLDOCELDOCE (InApp)
Price$24.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (359 ratings) — better4.4 (1.2K ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better40.5% of reviews
Number of ratings3591.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac
Requires iOS9.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.3 GB1.3 GB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperEnfour, Inc.English Channel, Inc.

Customer experience

LDOCE

All ratings359 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews348 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral10.6%
Negative22.7%

LDOCE (InApp)

All ratings1,225 ratings
Positive85.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews763 reviews
Positive40.5%
Neutral5.9%
Negative53.6%

User reviews

LDOCE

From 359 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Comprehensive dictionary
  • 🔊 Good audio quality
  • 📚 Extensive example sentences
  • 🔖 Useful bookmark system
  • 🌐 Supports both US and UK pronunciations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent malfunctions and bugs
  • 🚫 App not working after iOS updates
  • 🔍 Search issues (e.g., blank results)
  • 🤯 Frustrating customer support
  • 💾 Unreliable bookmarking and data loss

LDOCE (InApp)

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent dictionary with clear definitions
  • 🔊 High-quality audio pronunciations
  • 🗂️ Comprehensive database of words and phrases
  • 🔍 Intuitive search functionality
  • 🎓 Helpful for learning and improving English

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes after updates
  • 🔐 Difficulty restoring purchases on new devices
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases required
  • 🕰️ Slow content downloads
  • 🤔 Confusing upgrade process for existing users

Bugs and requests

LDOCE

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes after iOS 17 update
  • Search results always blank after update
  • Bookmarks deleted after updates
  • App not working on certain devices/iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add hotkey/shortcut to jump to search box
  • Integrate with iOS Shortcuts app
  • Improve thesaurus and word relationships
  • Add vocabulary training/quiz features
  • Allow importing/exporting of bookmarks

LDOCE (InApp)

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes after iOS updates
  • Restore purchase feature not working
  • Blank screens when searching for words
  • Offline content not downloading properly
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Integrate with other dictionary apps
  • Add more example sentences and usage notes
  • Implement dark mode and customization options
  • Improve iCloud sync for bookmarks and history
  • Provide better customer support and communication

In-app purchases

3 purchases

LDOCE

One-time3
  • Example sentence search activationFree
  • Example Sounds download activation$0.99
  • Longman Activator Thesaurus$7.99
5 purchases

LDOCE (InApp)

Subscriptions1
  • LDOCE Dictionary$2.991 Month
One-time4
  • Full-text Search activationFree
  • Example Sounds download activation$0.99
  • Longman Activator Thesaurus$7.99
Show 1 more
  • LDOCE5 activation$24.99

Questions

Is LDOCE free?
LDOCE costs $24.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is LDOCE (InApp) free?
LDOCE (InApp) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, LDOCE or LDOCE (InApp)?
LDOCE is rated higher. LDOCE averages 4.8 out of 5 from 359 ratings, while LDOCE (InApp) averages 4.4 from 1.2K ratings.
Do LDOCE or LDOCE (InApp) have ads?
LDOCE (InApp) shows ads; LDOCE does not.
Which is updated more often, LDOCE or LDOCE (InApp)?
LDOCE ships an update every 5 weeks, and LDOCE (InApp) every 5 weeks. Most recently, LDOCE was updated on September 30, 2026 and LDOCE (InApp) on September 30, 2026.

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