Comparison

Wikipedia vs Merriam

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

Head to head
About

Wikipedia

Access the world's largest free knowledge base with over 60 million articles in nearly 300 languages. Explore trending topics, save articles for offline reading, and customize your reading experience with various themes and text sizes. Contribute to the community by editing articles and participating in discussions.

Highlights
  • Ad-free and free knowledge access
  • 60+ million articles in 300+ languages
  • Personalized trending news feed
  • Offline article saving
  • Customizable reading themes and text size
  • Map-based location discovery
  • Article discussion and contribution tools
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The official Wikipedia app for iOS helps you explore the world’s largest free knowledge project — ad-free and free of charge, forever. With 60+ million articles in nearly 300 languages, your favorite encyclopedia is always at your fingertips. Why you’ll love this app Free, open, and ad-free Wikipedia is written and verified by volunteers worldwide, supported by the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation. No ads, no tracking — just knowledge you can trust. Search smarter, discover more Find the information you need without distraction. Search across 300 languages, explore trending and breaking news through a personalized feed. Add knowledge to your Home Screen Use widgets for quick access to trending articles, featured content, or the “Picture of the Day,” right from your Home Screen. Read your way Choose from light, sepia, dark, or pure black themes. Adjust text size and image dimming for comfortable reading anytime, anywhere. Explore nearby places Learn about landmarks and locations near you — or places you dream of visiting — through map-based article discovery. Stay connected offline Save articles to custom reading lists and access them offline — perfect for travel or learning without internet access. Share and continue seamlessly Share articles and images with friends, or use Handoff to keep reading across your Apple devices. Get insights into your activity See your own reading and contribution activity on Wikipedia with personalized insights that help you understand and celebrate how you use engage with Wikipedia. Stay organized with tabs Open multiple articles in tabs and switch between them with ease, just like in a browser. Compare topics, keep your place, and dive deeper without losing track. Join the conversation Read and reply to article discussion pages, and get notifications when discussions you follow are updated. Contribute on the go Manage your Watchlist to help keep Wikipedia accurate and up to date. Additional Information Feedback: In the app, go to Settings → Send app feedback. Contribute to translations: https://translatewiki.net/wiki/Translating:WikimediaMobile Source code: https://github.com/wikimedia/apps-ios-wikipedia Privacy Policy: https://m.wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Privacy_policy Terms of Use: https://m.wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use About the Wikimedia Foundation: https://wikimediafoundation.org/

About

Merriam

Access America's most respected dictionary, updated with new words and meanings. This app offers offline access, voice search, daily vocabulary challenges, and a thesaurus. It's designed for English language reference, education, and vocabulary enhancement.

Highlights
  • Offline dictionary access
  • Voice search for words
  • Daily Word of the Day
  • Vocabulary word games
  • Integrated thesaurus
  • Audio pronunciations
Features
Read full description

Get America's most useful and respected dictionary, optimized for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Continuously updated with the newest words and meanings, this is the premier iOS app for English language reference, education, and vocabulary building. Key Features: * Offline access: Complete access to definitions and synonyms whether or not you're connected * Voice Search: look up a word without having to spell it * Word of the Day: learn a new word every day * Word Games: fun, fast quizzes to test your vocabulary * Favorite Words and Search History: keep track of the words that are most important to you * Favorite Word Syncing Through iCloud: share your favorites between devices and on the Web * In-app purchase: an ad-free experience + access to Kids, Medical, and Legal dictionaries * For Tablets: browse the entire dictionary with a scrolling index * Apple Watch Extension: see the Word of the Day and find watch-sized definitions with voice search Expert Word Guidance: * Integrated Thesaurus: more than 200,000 word choices with examples of their use * Example Sentences: understand how a word is used in context * Audio Pronunciations: voiced by real English speakers, not text-to-speech robots Terms of Use: https://www.merriam-webster.com/terms-of-use

Screenshots

Wikipedia4 screens
Merriam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Wikipedia at none against Merriam's 4. Wikipedia also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). Merriam's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (83% vs 55%). On price and chart position 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

Both are free to download. Merriam sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.79 per month. Wikipedia asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Merriam holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 331K ratings behind it against 6.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Wikipedia's written reviews are positive against 83% of Merriam's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Wikipedia ships an update fortnightly, Merriam every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Wikipedia versus Merriam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWikipediaMerriam
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (6.4K ratings)4.8 (331K ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.2% of reviews83.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6.4K331K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#24 — better#52
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size270 MB255 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperWikimedia FoundationMerriam-Webster, Inc.

Customer experience

Wikipedia

All ratings6,358 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral4.6%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews930 reviews
Positive55.2%
Neutral11.5%
Negative33.3%

Merriam

All ratings327,751 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews2,579 reviews
Positive83.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative12.0%

User reviews

Wikipedia

From 6.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Vast information repository
  • 👍 Customizable reading experience
  • 🚀 Convenient offline access
  • 👍 Reliable and trustworthy content
  • 👍 Excellent app design and UI

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
  • 🔋 High data usage and battery drain
  • 🔒 Concerns about political bias and censorship
  • 🔒 Unreliable editing process and information accuracy

Merriam

From 331K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Comprehensive definitions
  • 👍 Helpful thesaurus
  • 🚀 Offline access
  • 👍 Word of the day feature

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Ads can be intrusive
  • 🐛 Difficulty closing ads
  • 🐛 Repetitive game questions
  • 🐛 Missing words in dictionary
  • 🐛 Unreasonable level progression in games

Bugs and requests

Wikipedia

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Unresponsive save button
  • Duplicate saved articles issue
  • Broken search functionality
  • Landscape mode rendering problems
  • Syncing issues with offline content

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add tabs for multi-article browsing
  • Implement a forward navigation button
  • Improve saved articles management
  • Integrate text-to-speech functionality
  • Provide more granular content filtering options

Merriam

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when searching for certain words
  • Widget does not update daily word
  • Scribble feature is buggy
  • Inconsistent ad behavior

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add spelling correction suggestions
  • Improve word game timer and scoring
  • Expand etymology information
  • Add more languages beyond English
  • Improve widget functionality

In-app purchases

None

Wikipedia

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Merriam

Subscriptions4
  • Premium Monthly$1.791 Month
  • Remove Ads$2.991 Year
  • All References + Remove Ads7 Days trial$5.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium Annual7 Days trial$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Wikipedia free?
Wikipedia is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Merriam free?
Merriam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Wikipedia or Merriam?
Merriam is rated higher. Wikipedia averages 4.3 out of 5 from 6.4K ratings, while Merriam averages 4.8 from 331K ratings.
Do Wikipedia or Merriam have ads?
Merriam shows ads; Wikipedia does not.
Which is updated more often, Wikipedia or Merriam?
Wikipedia ships an update fortnightly, and Merriam every 3 months. Most recently, Wikipedia was updated on October 30, 2026 and Merriam on October 30, 2026.
Which is more popular, Wikipedia or Merriam?
Wikipedia currently peaks at #24 in the App Store charts, and Merriam at #52. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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