# Dictionary vs Dictionaries

Dictionary and Dictionaries both sit at 4.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 94% of Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 57% of Dictionaries's. Dictionary also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 23). Dictionaries's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Dictionaries sells 23 one-off in-app purchases. Dictionary asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for Dictionary against 4.1 for Dictionaries. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dictionaries has 84 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 57% of Dictionaries's.

Dictionary ships an update every 3 weeks, Dictionaries every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dictionary | Dictionaries |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dictionary/id473493861/reviews) | **[4.1 (84 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dictionaries/id1380563956/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **84** |
| Positive reviews | **94.0% of reviews** | 56.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 28 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Catalystwo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1651079501) | [物書堂](https://appshunter.io/developer/284350529) |

## What reviewers say

### Dictionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dictionary/id473493861)

Instantly look up words from your iOS Home Screen without opening the app. Get definitions in seconds to aid studying, reading, or satisfying curiosity, keeping you focused and learning.

**Highlights:** Home Screen widget for instant lookups, No app launch required, Quick definitions, Seamless learning experience, Focus on tasks

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Dictionaries

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dictionaries/id1380563956)

Access and search multiple dictionaries simultaneously in one app. Purchase various language dictionaries, including English and Japanese, from an in-app store. Features include batch searching, handwriting input, and cross-dictionary navigation.

**Highlights:** Batch search multiple dictionaries, Purchase language dictionaries, Handwriting input support, Trace and Jump between words, Bookmark and categorize words, iCloud synchronization, Multitasking with other apps

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (23)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WISDOM English-Japanese 2 | Free | one-time |
| WISDOM English-Japanese | Free | one-time |
| COBUILD American 2nd edition | Free | one-time |
| COBUILD Advanced 9th edition | Free | one-time |
| DAIJIRIN | Free | one-time |
| 柯林斯 COBUILD 高级英汉双解词典 | Free | one-time |
| RGKO12 Upgrade | Free | one-time |
| REIKAI GAKUSHU KOKUGO 11th | $15.99 | one-time |
| REIKAI GAKUSYU KANJI 9th | $15.99 | one-time |
| Nihongo Bunkei Ziten: English | $19.99 | one-time |
| Basic Japanese Grammar | $20.99 | one-time |
| SHINMEIKAI 8 | $20.99 | one-time |
| Gendai Shin Kokugo Jiten | $20.99 | one-time |
| Meikyo Japanese Dictionary | $22.99 | one-time |
| DAIJISEN | $22.99 | one-time |
| Japanese Colloquial Expressions | $25.99 | one-time |
| WISDOM English-Japanese 3 | $26.99 | one-time |
| DAIJIRIN 4 | $28.99 | one-time |
| Shogakukan Chinese-Japanese | $31.99 | one-time |
| OALD 10 | $32.99 | one-time |
| Japanese Collocations | $33.99 | one-time |
| NHK Japanese Pronunciation | $36.99 | one-time |
| SHOGAKUKAN Korean-Japanese | $47.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dictionary free?

Dictionary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Dictionaries free?

Dictionaries is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Dictionary or Dictionaries?

Dictionaries is rated higher. Dictionary averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Dictionaries averages 4.1 from 84 ratings.

### Do Dictionary or Dictionaries have ads?

Dictionary shows ads; Dictionaries does not.

### Which is updated more often, Dictionary or Dictionaries?

Dictionary ships an update every 3 weeks, and Dictionaries every 4 days. Most recently, Dictionary was updated on September 20, 2026 and Dictionaries on September 21, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*