Comparison

ContextCat vs WordByWord Translate

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

Head to head
About

ContextCat

Features
Read full description

ContextCat helps you learn a language by reading things you actually want to read. Open a news article, a book from the library, a web page or your own PDF. When a word stops you, tap it. You get a short explanation of what it means in that exact sentence, written in your own language. No switching apps, no guessing which dictionary meaning fits. TAP ANY WORD See the meaning that fits the sentence, the word type, and how the word is built. Select a few words to translate the whole phrase. TODAY'S NEWS Each morning the Today tab has a new edition of real articles: world, science, tech, culture, sport, food and travel. Most stories are in English, and for several languages there is also a section from outlets in that language. Tap a headline and the article opens in the app, with every word one tap away. LISTEN WHILE YOU READ Natural voices read your books, PDFs and texts aloud, sentence by sentence, and highlight where you are. Pause, go back a sentence, or slow it down. ASK ABOUT WHAT YOU READ Not sure what a paragraph means? Ask. Answers come from the text in front of you. You can also ask for a quick quiz to check you understood it. WORDS THAT STAY WITH YOU Words you look up are saved for you. Study cards bring them back right before you would forget them, and you can watch the number of words you know grow. READ YOUR OWN THINGS Open a PDF, add a link to a web article, or paste text. You can also share a link or a PDF to ContextCat from Safari, Files and other apps. Everything you open stays in your library. NEW HERE? A short first read and a quick tour show you how it works. JUST WANT TO READ? Choose reading only if you read in your own language and want help with long or tricky documents. You still get listening and questions about the text, without the study tools. Explanations come in your language, in any of the 39 the app supports. SUBSCRIPTION ContextCat is free to try. The free plan includes a limited number of explanations, imports and questions. Premium lifts these limits. - Choose a monthly or yearly plan. Both renew automatically. - Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. - Your plan renews unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the current period ends. - Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://contextcatapp.blogspot.com/2025/06/contextcat-privacy-policy-english.html Terms of Use: https://contextcatapp.blogspot.com/2025/06/terms-and-conditions.html EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

WordByWord Translate

Features
Read full description

English concise submission version WordByWord is an AI-powered language learning assistant that helps you understand foreign-language content on any webpage more naturally and efficiently. Swipe right on any text to insert translations directly below the original, making sentence-by-sentence bilingual reading seamless. Double-tap a word to get fast, context-aware definitions, with phrase recognition when needed, so you can understand what words really mean in context. Whether you're reading news, browsing X, exploring blogs, or studying technical documents, WordByWord helps translation and learning happen right where you read. Core Features • Swipe to translate full sentences directly on the page • Optimized for X (formerly Twitter), so you can learn while keeping up with the latest updates • Double-tap words for fast, context-aware meanings • Recognizes common phrases and fixed expressions • Supports Language Chunk Extraction (currently English only) • Switch between Cloud translation and local translation engines • Supports Microsoft Azure, Google Translate, and local translation • Supports 20+ languages • Supports word and sentence playback • Choose from local voice engines for better playback quality (some voices require download) • Automatically saves translation and dictionary history Free & Plus Core features are available for free every day. Upgrade to Plus for more AI translations, more word analysis, expanded voice usage, and early access to new features. No need to switch between apps. With WordByWord, translation and comprehension happen naturally as you read. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ContextCat4 screens
WordByWord Translate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: WordByWord Translate at none against ContextCat's shown. ContextCat's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. ContextCat sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and WordByWord Translate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.90 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ContextCat ships an update weekly, WordByWord Translate every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
ContextCat versus WordByWord Translate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterContextCatWordByWord Translate
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB111 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperCaner GulayChi Jinlong

In-app purchases

3 purchases

ContextCat

Subscriptions3
  • ContextCat Pro (Monthly)$7.991 Month
  • ContextCat Pro (6 Months)$24.996 Months
  • ContextCat Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
2 purchases

WordByWord Translate

Subscriptions2
  • WordByWord Plus Monthly Plan$2.901 Month
  • WordByWord Plus Quarterly Plan$7.903 Months

Questions

Is ContextCat free?
ContextCat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WordByWord Translate free?
WordByWord Translate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ContextCat or WordByWord Translate have ads?
ContextCat shows ads; WordByWord Translate does not.
Which is updated more often, ContextCat or WordByWord Translate?
ContextCat ships an update weekly, and WordByWord Translate every 4 days. Most recently, ContextCat was updated on November 12, 2026 and WordByWord Translate on November 4, 2026.

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