# Luminous E vs Dictionaries

Luminous E and Dictionaries both sit at 4.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 57% of Dictionaries's written reviews are positive against 24% of Luminous E's. Dictionaries also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (84 vs 6). Luminous E's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.4). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Luminous E sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Dictionaries sells 23 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for Luminous E against 4.1 for Dictionaries. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dictionaries has 84 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 24% of Luminous E's written reviews are positive against 57% of Dictionaries's.

Luminous E ships an update every 5 weeks, Dictionaries every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Luminous E | Dictionaries |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminous-e-j-dictionary/id600480308/reviews) | **[4.1 (84 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dictionaries/id1380563956/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **84** |
| Positive reviews | 23.5% of reviews | **56.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1021 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [English Channel, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/597837764) | [物書堂](https://appshunter.io/developer/284350529) |

## What reviewers say

### Luminous E

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminous-e-j-dictionary/id600480308)

This comprehensive English-Japanese and Japanese-English dictionary app offers extensive vocabulary and grammar explanations. It includes audio pronunciations, search functionalities, and export options, making it a powerful tool for all English learners.

**Highlights:** Extensive vocabulary (approx. 100,000 entries each), Audio pronunciations for words, Incremental search and spelling suggestions, Bookmark with notes, Export definitions and bookmarks, Daily vocabulary notifications, iPad multitasking and Drag & Drop support

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Luminous activation | $14.99 | one-time |


### 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 Luminous E free?

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

### Is Dictionaries free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Luminous E or Dictionaries?

Dictionaries is rated higher. Luminous E averages 4.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Dictionaries averages 4.1 from 84 ratings.

### Do Luminous E or Dictionaries have ads?

Neither Luminous E nor Dictionaries shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Luminous E or Dictionaries?

Luminous E ships an update every 5 weeks, and Dictionaries every 4 days. Most recently, Luminous E was updated on September 21, 2026 and Dictionaries on September 25, 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.*