# Merriam vs Advanced Dictionary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Merriam at none against Advanced Dictionary's 1. Merriam also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (22K vs 25). Advanced Dictionary's advantage is review sentiment (91% vs 82%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On rating, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Merriam costs $9.99 and Advanced Dictionary $14.99 up front. Advanced Dictionary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Merriam asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Merriam against 4.9 for Advanced Dictionary. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 22K ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Merriam's written reviews are positive against 91% of Advanced Dictionary's.

Merriam ships an update every 5 months, Advanced Dictionary every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Merriam | Advanced Dictionary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$9.99** | $14.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (22K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merriam-webster-dictionary-plus/id478126577/reviews) | **[4.9 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/advanced-dictionary-ldoce-6th/id1465367140/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **22K** | 25 |
| Positive reviews | 82.0% of reviews | **90.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#16** | — |
| Size | 238 MB | 379 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Merriam-Webster, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/399452290) | [Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1321248741) |

## What reviewers say

### Merriam

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merriam-webster-dictionary-plus/id478126577)

**Currently charting:** #16 Top Paid · Reference (US App Store)

Access America's leading dictionary with over 15,000 extra entries for people and places. Enjoy offline access, voice search, and daily vocabulary builders. This app offers expert word guidance with a thesaurus and example sentences.

**Highlights:** Ad-free experience, 15,000+ premium entries, Offline dictionary access, Voice search functionality, Daily Word of the Day, Vocabulary-building word games, Integrated thesaurus

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clear and intuitive layout
- 🚀 Convenient offline access
- 🔍 Comprehensive word definitions
- 🔠 Helpful thesaurus and word games
- 🔊 Useful audio pronunciations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app freezes and crashes
- ⚠️ Missing words and incomplete definitions
- 🔍 Lack of spell-check and word suggestions
- 🔍 Limited search functionality
- 🔀 Difficulty navigating back to previous words

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes and crashes on launch
- Audio pronunciations not working in some cases
- Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
- Syncing issues between devices

**Requested features**

- Improved search with spell-check and suggestions
- Ability to mark and review words
- Integration with system search and Siri
- Support for landscape mode and dark mode
- Expanded word coverage and more detailed definitions


### Advanced Dictionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/advanced-dictionary-ldoce-6th/id1465367140)

Enhance your English with a comprehensive vocabulary and grammar resource. Access over 150,000 examples, learn key word lists, and improve pronunciation with British and American English audio. Write and speak more fluently with integrated thesaurus and collocation tools.

**Highlights:** Complete vocabulary and grammar resource, 150,000+ corpus-based examples, Communication 9000 and top word lists, British and American English pronunciation, Integrated Thesaurus and Collocations Dictionary, Offline access after initial setup

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Offline and Remove Ads | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Merriam free?

Merriam costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Advanced Dictionary free?

Advanced Dictionary costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Merriam or Advanced Dictionary?

Advanced Dictionary is rated higher. Merriam averages 4.8 out of 5 from 22K ratings, while Advanced Dictionary averages 4.9 from 25 ratings.

### Do Merriam or Advanced Dictionary have ads?

Advanced Dictionary shows ads; Merriam does not.

### Which is updated more often, Merriam or Advanced Dictionary?

Merriam ships an update every 5 months, and Advanced Dictionary every 6 months. Most recently, Merriam was updated on October 29, 2026 and Advanced Dictionary on October 24, 2026.

---

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