Comparison

Merriam vs Larousse Spanish Basic

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

Head to head
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

About

Larousse Spanish Basic

Access a comprehensive Spanish dictionary with over 30,000 entries and 75,000 definitions. Look up words by typing or taking a picture, and get detailed information including grammatical category, idioms, synonyms, antonyms, and examples. An internet connection is not required for definitions.

Highlights
  • 30,000+ lexical entries
  • 75,000+ definitions
  • Search by typing or photo
  • Grammatical category
  • Locutions and idiomatic expressions
  • Synonyms and antonyms
  • Offline access for definitions
Currently charting
Read full description

This app won the 2012 Award for Editorial Art in Electronic Publications granted by Mexico's publishing association, CANIEM. Type or take a picture of a word and you will easily find the most comprehensive definition and information of it. This app features more than 30 000 lexical entries and 75 000 definitions. Entries include: - Grammatical category. - Locutions and idiomatic expressions. - Synonyms and antonyms. - Numerous examples with phrases that contribute to a better understanding of the definitions. Just write the word or take a picture of it to find extensive information. Internet connection is not required for getting word definitions. For any issues related to this app please contact us directly at apps@larousse.com.mx. Dir. © 2024 Ediciones Larousse, S.A. de C.V. Renacimiento 180, C.P. 02400, México, D.F.

Screenshots

Merriam4 screens
Larousse Spanish Basic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Merriam at 83% against Larousse Spanish Basic's 37%. Merriam also leads on price (Free vs $1.99) and rating (4.8 vs 3.7). Larousse Spanish Basic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On device support and iOS requirement 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

Merriam is free to download; Larousse Spanish Basic costs $1.99 up front. Merriam sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.79 per month. Larousse Spanish Basic asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Merriam holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 328K ratings behind it against 75, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Merriam's written reviews are positive against 37% of Larousse Spanish Basic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Merriam ships an update every 3 months, Larousse Spanish Basic every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Merriam versus Larousse Spanish Basic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMerriamLarousse Spanish Basic
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.8 (328K ratings) — better3.7 (75 ratings)
Positive reviews83.2% of reviews — better36.7% of reviews
Number of ratings328K — better75
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 13 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#34 — better#170
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size255 MB112 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMerriam-Webster, Inc.Ediciones Larousse

Customer experience

Merriam

All ratings327,751 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews2,510 reviews
Positive83.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative12.0%

Larousse Spanish Basic

All ratings75 ratings
Positive64.0%
Neutral9.3%
Negative26.7%
Written reviews60 reviews
Positive36.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative56.7%

User reviews

Merriam

From 328K 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

Larousse Spanish Basic

From 75 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent dictionary content
  • 👍 Useful for learning Spanish
  • 👍 Provides good examples
  • 👍 Practical for daily use
  • 👍 Accurate definitions

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes on launch
  • 🐛 Not working with iOS 11
  • 🐛 Content not visible after update
  • 🐛 Limited vocabulary
  • 🐛 Basic, primary school level

Bugs and requests

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

Larousse Spanish Basic

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App disappears after purchase
  • Content not visible after latest update
  • App does not open with iOS 11
  • App crashes upon opening
  • App crashes upon launch
Show 4 more
  • Search does not work
  • App does not work with iOS 8
  • App does not work with iOS 11
  • Inconsistent functionality

Requested features

10 requests
  • Update for iOS 11
  • Update for iOS 8
  • Support Spain Spanish
  • Add audio pronunciations
  • Tap words in definitions to look up
Show 5 more
  • Add more synonyms
  • Add phrases for usage
  • Add 'vosotros' conjugation
  • Add missing words (soeza, laso, escolio, etc.)
  • Fix adjective inflection error

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
None

Larousse Spanish Basic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Merriam free?
Merriam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Larousse Spanish Basic free?
Larousse Spanish Basic costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Merriam or Larousse Spanish Basic?
Merriam is rated higher. Merriam averages 4.8 out of 5 from 328K ratings, while Larousse Spanish Basic averages 3.7 from 75 ratings.
Do Merriam or Larousse Spanish Basic have ads?
Merriam shows ads; Larousse Spanish Basic does not.
Which is updated more often, Merriam or Larousse Spanish Basic?
Merriam ships an update every 3 months, and Larousse Spanish Basic every 13 months. Most recently, Merriam was updated on September 30, 2026 and Larousse Spanish Basic on September 29, 2026.
Which is more popular, Merriam or Larousse Spanish Basic?
Merriam currently peaks at #34 in the App Store charts, and Larousse Spanish Basic at #170. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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