# Luminous E vs Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus

The clearest difference is rating: Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus at 4.6 against Luminous E's 4.0. Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus also leads on review sentiment (51% vs 24%) and ratings volume (29K vs 6). Luminous E's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, 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 Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus has 29K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Luminous E's written reviews are positive against 51% of Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus's.

Luminous E ships an update every 5 weeks, Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Luminous E | Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminous-e-j-dictionary/id600480308/reviews) | **[4.6 (29K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oxford-dictionary-and-thesaurus/id978674211/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **29K** |
| Positive reviews | 23.5% of reviews | **51.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#86** |
| Size | 1021 MB | 147 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [English Channel, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/597837764) | [MobiSystems, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/289579214) |

## 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 |


### Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oxford-dictionary-and-thesaurus/id978674211)

**Currently charting:** #86 Top Grossing · Reference, #94 Top Free · Reference (US App Store)

Access a vast collection of dictionaries and thesauruses with definitions, pronunciations, and etymology. Features include offline access, advanced search options, and personalized word lists. Ideal for students, professionals, and word enthusiasts.

**Highlights:** 15 Oxford Dictionaries, Thesaurus integration, Audio pronunciations, Offline access, Camera search, Word of the Day

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription ODE | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Oxford Dictionary Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| ODE Annual Subscription Promo | $9.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription ODE | $19.99 | per year |
| Oxford Dictionary Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Oxford Dictionary of English | $4.99 | one-time |
| Oxford Dictionary of English | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Reliable and simple to use
- 👍 Comprehensive and best for all English, especially rare and aged language
- 👍 Very useful for learning new words
- 👍 Excellent reference app
- 👍 Helps with homework or even if you forgot how to spell write or don't know the meaning of a word

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy, way too many ads
- 🔒 Annoying popup ads makes it unusable
- 🔒 Ads stuck in, despite payment
- 🐛 Never connect the server
- 🐛 Stopped working

**Reported bugs**

- Favorites folder disappearing after device restart
- Inconsistent behavior when looking up words
- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Inability to restore premium purchases on new devices

**Requested features**

- Improved formatting and typography for definitions
- Better organization of features and information
- More advanced search and filtering options
- Ability to sync favorites across devices
- More challenging and interesting 'word of the day' selections


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Luminous E free?

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

### Is Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus free?

Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Luminous E or Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus?

Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus is rated higher. Luminous E averages 4.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus averages 4.6 from 29K ratings.

### Do Luminous E or Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus have ads?

Neither Luminous E nor Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Luminous E or Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus?

Luminous E ships an update every 5 weeks, and Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus monthly. Most recently, Luminous E was updated on October 28, 2026 and Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus on November 3, 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.*