Comparison

ContextCat vs Lectory

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

Head to head
About

ContextCat

Features
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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

Lectory

Features
Read full description

TURN ANY TEXT INTO AUDIO WITH LECTORY Revolutionize the way you read with cutting-edge voice technology. Listen to documents, books, or any text while working out, driving, or doing other tasks. Lectory instantly transforms any written content into natural, high-quality audio. MAIN FEATURES: • TURN BOOKS INTO AUDIOBOOKS Snap a photo of any printed page and Lectory will read it aloud with smooth, natural voices. • TRANSLATE & LISTEN IN ANY LANGUAGE Import or scan text in any language and listen to it translated into your preferred language. • SPEED UP YOUR READING Adjust playback speed from 200 to 600 words per minute — up to 4x faster than traditional reading. You choose the pace that fits you best, gaining more knowledge in less time. • NATURAL & EXPRESSIVE VOICES Enjoy clear, easy-to-follow voices — just like those you hear every day. • TOTAL FLEXIBILITY Convert text from images, documents, or any photo of any surface into ready-to-listen audio. ADDITIONAL BENEFITS: • WORD-BY-WORD HIGHLIGHTING Follow along as the text is highlighted in sync with the audio to boost comprehension and retention. • BACKGROUND PLAYBACK Keep listening while you drive, work out, or multitask. • AUTO DARK MODE Lectory adapts to protect your eyes during nighttime reading sessions. • UNIVERSAL ACCESSIBILITY Perfect for users with dyslexia, ADHD, low vision, or other reading challenges. TEXT-TO-SPEECH & INTERFACE AVAILABLE IN: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Hindi, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Polish, Czech, Romanian, Slovak, Turkish, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Croatian, and more. OUR MISSION Lectory was built to democratize global, multilingual reading access. Students, professionals, and reading enthusiasts already use Lectory to break language barriers and expand their knowledge. DOWNLOAD LECTORY & START NOW! Enjoy the freedom of listening to any text, anytime, anywhere. FREE TRIAL available. • Privacy Policy: https://lectory.myspeech.app/privacy-policy/ • Terms of Service: https://lectory.myspeech.app/terms-of-use/

Screenshots

ContextCat4 screens
Lectory4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Lectory at none against ContextCat's shown. ContextCat's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.6). On price, 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 Lectory sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ContextCat ships an update fortnightly, Lectory every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
ContextCat versus Lectory: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterContextCatLectory
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCaner GulayDaniel PerlerA

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

Lectory

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Subscription3 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Annual Subscription$19.991 Year

Questions

Is ContextCat free?
ContextCat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lectory free?
Lectory is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ContextCat or Lectory have ads?
ContextCat shows ads; Lectory does not.
Which is updated more often, ContextCat or Lectory?
ContextCat ships an update fortnightly, and Lectory every 4 months. Most recently, ContextCat was updated on October 28, 2026 and Lectory on October 25, 2026.

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