# BubbleLingo vs Penguin

The clearest difference is rating: Penguin at 4.5 against BubbleLingo's 4.0. Penguin also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). BubbleLingo's advantage is ratings volume (12 vs 2) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BubbleLingo sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Penguin sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Penguin holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BubbleLingo has 12 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of BubbleLingo's written reviews are positive against 100% of Penguin's.

BubbleLingo ships an update every 2 weeks, Penguin every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BubbleLingo | Penguin |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bubblelingo-screen-translator/id6639613717/reviews) | **[4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguin-cbz-cbr-comic-reader/id6780071705/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **12** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 92.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 198 MB | 120 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Little Grass](https://appshunter.io/developer/1763215070) | [HAEDUN KIM](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896506869) |

## What reviewers say

### BubbleLingo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bubblelingo-screen-translator/id6639613717)

This app uses AI to translate manga and comics, overlaying translations directly onto images for an immersive reading experience. It also features an AI comic creator to generate artwork from text prompts and an in-app browser for discovering global content.

**Highlights:** AI Comic Creator, Instant Image Translation, Professional Text Overlay, Advanced OCR Technology, Web-Optimized Browser, Smart Downloads & Offline Reading

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Imtrans Pro - Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Imtrans Pro Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Free Trial | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Imtrans Pro - Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Pro Monthly | $17.99 | per month |
| Imtrans PRO - Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Imtrans PRO - Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Pro Annual | $79.99 | per year |


### Penguin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguin-cbz-cbr-comic-reader/id6780071705)

This app allows you to read your own comic collection in various formats, with on-device translation for Japanese manga. It offers a customizable reading experience and a smart bookshelf, all while prioritizing user privacy and local data processing.

**Highlights:** On-device manga translation for Japanese comics, Supports various file formats (CBZ, CBR, PDF, etc.), SMB and WebDAV network drive support, OPDS catalog compatibility, Smart bookshelf with automatic categorization, Customizable reading gestures and scrolling

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Lifetime — Buy Once | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BubbleLingo free?

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

### Is Penguin free?

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

### Which has better reviews, BubbleLingo or Penguin?

Penguin is rated higher. BubbleLingo averages 4.0 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Penguin averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do BubbleLingo or Penguin have ads?

Neither BubbleLingo nor Penguin shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BubbleLingo or Penguin?

BubbleLingo ships an update every 2 weeks, and Penguin every 3 days. Most recently, BubbleLingo was updated on October 16, 2026 and Penguin on October 13, 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.*