Comparison

Language Lab vs ForeignLanguage Graded Readers

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

Head to head
About

Language Lab

Enhance your language learning with interactive flashcards, quizzes, and audio exercises. Practice vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation with content from bestselling language programs. Study on-the-go and track your progress with this comprehensive tool.

Highlights
  • Flashcard sets with study and quiz modes
  • Review quizzes for concept mastery
  • Progress tracking and self-assessment
  • Audio recordings of reading passages
  • Pronunciation practice with native speaker comparison
  • Text-to-speech pronunciation guidance
Features
Read full description

This app helps you study vocabulary, grammar, verbs, and more from many of our bestselling language programs. Designed by our expert authors, these flashcards, quizzes, and audio recordings are perfect for study on-the-go! FEATURES: Depending on the program, this app supports McGraw-Hill books with: ● Flashcard sets, with study mode and quiz mode, for all vocabulary lists in the book. ● Review quizzes that provide additional practice and ensure mastery of key concepts. ● Progress checks that allow self-assessment of your understanding. ● Audio recordings of reading passages and exercise answers from the book. ● Record yourself function to compare your pronunciation with native speakers. ● Text-to-speech pronunciation guidance for most flashcards. LANGUAGES: English (ESL), French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Also, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean. PROGRAMS: The content in this app is designed to support bestselling books from the Trade division of McGraw-Hill, including programs in our "Practice Makes Perfect", "Easy Step-by-Step", "Easy Reader", and "The Ultimate Review and Practice" series.

About

ForeignLanguage Graded Readers

Learn languages through engaging short stories tailored to your proficiency level. Expand vocabulary and improve comprehension in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, or English with controlled language and authentic dialogues. Designed for enjoyable self-study or classroom use.

Highlights
  • Eight short stories per collection
  • Controlled language at your level
  • Authentic spoken dialogues
  • Vocabulary lists
  • Chapter summaries and comprehension questions
  • Variety of genres
Features
Read full description

Read for pleasure at your level and learn a foreign language the fun way! Teach Yourself Short Stories by Olly Richards is a series of easy graded readers for adult and young adult language learners. Featuring eight unmissable short stories for beginners, high-beginners and intermediate learners, the series is available in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian and English. “Olly's top-notch language-learning insights are right in line with the best of what we know from neuroscience and cognitive psychology about how to learn effectively. I love his work - and you will too!” - Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for Numbers Expand your vocabulary and improve your comprehension in an enjoyable and natural way: Read in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian or English and improve your language learning skills! The Short Stories collection is designed to give you a sense of achievement, a feeling of progress and most importantly - enjoyment! Each foreign language reader gives you: • Eight stories in a variety of exciting genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller - making learning fun, while you acquire a wide range of new vocabulary • Controlled language at your level, including the 1000 most frequent words, to help you progress confidently • Authentic spoken dialogues, to help you learn conversational expressions and improve your speaking ability • Accessible grammar so you learn new structures naturally, in a stress-free way • Vocabulary lists so you can quickly look up unfamiliar words without interrupting your flow. • Chapter summaries and comprehension questions to help you follow the plot and understand the story. • Enjoyment! It's much easier to learn a new language when you're having fun, and research shows that if you're enjoying reading or listening in a foreign language, you won't experience the usual feelings of frustration – “It's too hard!” “I don't understand!” The Beginners collection is for students from high-beginner to low-intermediate level (A2-B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference). Intermediate is for low-intermediate to intermediate learners (B1-B2)! You can also purchase a sample to read a story before you buy the full collection. Discover the joy of being entertained in a foreign language, while learning new skills at the same time – Short Stories for Beginners in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian or English! These stories are Ideal for self-study, as well as in the classroom as supplementary learning material. If you are interested in using this content with your students, contact learningsolutions@teachyourself.com What the experts say: “As researchers in language acquisition, we need to study people like [Olly Richards]”. -Stephen Krashen, Emeritus Professor, University of Southern California “Olly's advice on language learning is the real deal, and I recommend you pay attention to what he has to say!” - Benny Lewis, Fluent in 3 Months “When we wanted to create a free online course on how to learn a language we asked Olly to write it with us”. - Dr Tita Beaven, The Open University “Learning a language is challenging, but it's one of the best things you can do for your brain and your learning skill set... Olly Richards is doing some seriously incredible work to empower more and more people to rise to the challenge”. - Jonathan Levi “Olly bridges the gap between theory and practice by helping you to use scientific principles to get real results with your language learning”. - Anthony Metivier, Magnetic Memory Method

Screenshots

Language Lab4 screens
ForeignLanguage Graded Readers4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Language Lab at none against ForeignLanguage Graded Readers's 5. Language Lab also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). ForeignLanguage Graded Readers's advantage is review sentiment (35% vs 24%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. ForeignLanguage Graded Readers sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Language Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.2 for Language Lab against 3.3 for ForeignLanguage Graded Readers. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 52 and 27 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 24% of Language Lab's written reviews are positive against 35% of ForeignLanguage Graded Readers's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Language Lab ships an update every 4 months, ForeignLanguage Graded Readers every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Language Lab versus ForeignLanguage Graded Readers: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLanguage LabForeignLanguage Graded Readers
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (52 ratings)3.3 (27 ratings) — better
Positive reviews24.1% of reviews35.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings52 — better27
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size79 MB94 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperMcGraw-HillHachette UK (Holdings)Limited

Customer experience

Language Lab

All ratings52 ratings
Positive46.2%
Neutral15.4%
Negative38.5%
Written reviews137 reviews
Positive24.1%
Neutral16.8%
Negative59.1%

ForeignLanguage Graded Readers

All ratings27 ratings
Positive51.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative37.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive35.3%
Neutral17.6%
Negative47.1%

Bugs and requests

Language Lab

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Audio not working
  • App crashing when trying to record
  • Incorrect answers in quizzes and flashcards
  • Missing content for certain books

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add audio playback speed controls
  • Improve stability and reduce crashes
  • Proofread content and fix errors
  • Ensure all books are supported
  • Enhance user interface and navigation

ForeignLanguage Graded Readers

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Language Lab

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

ForeignLanguage Graded Readers

One-time5
  • Pack of 2 Credits$1.99
  • Pack of 11 Credits$10.99
  • Pack of 13 Credits$12.99
Show 2 more
  • Pack of 15 Credits$14.99
  • Pack of 65 Credits$64.99

Questions

Is Language Lab free?
Language Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ForeignLanguage Graded Readers free?
ForeignLanguage Graded Readers is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Language Lab or ForeignLanguage Graded Readers?
ForeignLanguage Graded Readers is rated higher. Language Lab averages 3.2 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while ForeignLanguage Graded Readers averages 3.3 from 27 ratings.
Do Language Lab or ForeignLanguage Graded Readers have ads?
Neither Language Lab nor ForeignLanguage Graded Readers shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Language Lab or ForeignLanguage Graded Readers?
Language Lab ships an update every 4 months, and ForeignLanguage Graded Readers every 6 months. Most recently, Language Lab was updated on October 9, 2026 and ForeignLanguage Graded Readers on October 10, 2026.

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