Amharic vs Selam
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Amharic
This app offers a fun and easy way to learn the Amharic language, covering its alphabet, numbers, vocabulary, and common phrases. It includes interactive games, audio pronunciations by native speakers, and visual aids to enhance the learning experience.
- Learn Amharic alphabet and sounds
- Interactive letter puzzle game
- Vocabulary builder with common phrases
- Audio pronunciation by native speakers
- Visual vocabulary with images
- Flashcards for vocabulary practice
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Amharic app makes learning the language so easy and fun. Long the sole official language of Ethiopia, the Amharic language has recently been joined by a handful others to be designated as one of the working languages of the country. Amharic is spoken by a large part of the country population and its diaspora either as a first language or as a second. It is one of the most widely spoken Semitic languages in the world. Amharic app allows you to get familiar with the various parts of this intriguing language at your own pace. And if you are already fluent in Amharic, you will find this app to be an excellent reference. You can learn the basics starting with the letters of the Alphabet and then work your way through the numeric symbols and punctuation marks. You may then go on to build your Amharic word power one by one, by navigating through categories or by searching for their English equivalents in the vocabulary section. While you are in the Vocabulary section, you can learn how to communicate with common phrases such as ‘Thank You’, ‘Hello’, ‘Goodbye’ and much more. In the likely case that you are interested in the sounds of the words and characters of the Amharic language you can hear how they sound as recorded by a native speaker. Just tap on a letter. in the Alphabet section. Or a numeral in the Numbers section. Or on the audio button next to the pronunciation guide to a word or phrase in the Vocabulary section. Using the Amharic iOS app, you can - Learn the symbols and sounds of the letters in the Amharic alphabet - Play a fun game of Amharic Letter Puzzle. You drag to move the letters around to get them in syllable order and win the game. - Learn about the number symbols used in the Amharic language and how they sound. - Convert Arabic numbers to their Amharic equivalent (some features require subscription) - Get to know punctuation marks used in Amharic text - Browse through and amass a vocabulary of words and phrases in the Amharic language - Associate words with images (whenever available) in the visual vocabulary section. - Enhance your Amharic learning with Vocabulary Flash Cards. Test yourself by switching from English to Amharic and vice-versa. Tap on the Amharic letter to learn the pronunciation. - Get more tips and learning resources in the "For You" tab. Coming Soon: - Lots more words and phrases to enjoy in the vocabulary section. - Additional features and enhancements suggested by users.
Selam
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Learn to speak everyday Amharic, Ethiopia's working language, through short, focused lessons designed around how memory actually works. Every word and phrase is paired with audio recorded by a native Ethiopian speaker, so you learn how things actually sound, not how they look on a page. Built around proven learning science: • Spaced repetition: the words you struggle with come back at the perfect intervals to make them stick, while words you've mastered fade gracefully into the background • Active recall before passive recognition: you're prompted to produce the Amharic for a concept before you see it, so vocabulary moves from short-term to long-term memory • Eight varied exercise formats: listening comprehension, sentence-building, contextual scenarios, recall checks, matching pairs, and more. The variety isn't decoration; it's how your brain encodes language across multiple retrieval pathways • Cultural anchoring: every lesson is grounded in real Ethiopian context (coffee ceremonies, family, market bargaining), so vocabulary attaches to vivid memory hooks rather than floating in isolation Why it's actually enjoyable: • A daily Word of the Day on the home screen, bite-sized exposure that takes 30 seconds • Streaks and earned milestones marked in beautiful Ethiopic numerals that reward consistency without nagging • A warm, considered visual design with no animated mascots, no fake urgency, no anxiety-driven nag prompts • Tap any word, anywhere in the app, to hear it spoken What you get: • 25 hand-curated lessons across 5 chapters: greetings, numbers, family, food, travel, emotions, body, weather, work, and more • Almost 200 vocabulary words, each with romanised text and the traditional Ge'ez (Ethiopic) script. Toggle whichever you prefer. • Female-form alternates for greetings that change by who you're addressing. A real feature of spoken Amharic that most apps skip. • Built-in review mode that organises everything you've learned by what's due next What you don't get: • No account or sign-in. Your progress lives on your phone. • No ads. Anywhere. • No tracking. None. • No subscription pressure. Whether you're planning a trip to Addis Ababa, reconnecting with family heritage, or just curious about one of the world's oldest written languages, Speak Amharic gives you something most language apps don't: a real human voice, science-backed practice, and a pace that respects you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Selam at none against Amharic's 1. Selam also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 months) and price ($3.99 vs $4.99). On ads, 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
Amharic costs $4.99 and Selam $3.99 up front. Amharic sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Selam asks for nothing beyond the download.
Amharic ships an update every 6 months, Selam every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Amharic | Selam |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $3.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (6 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Teklegiorgis | Jan de Haan |
In-app purchases
Amharic
- Arabic Number to Amharic$0.99
Selam
No in-app purchases









