Playaling vs Lahja
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Playaling
Learn Arabic through real-world videos with interactive captions and smart exercises. Explore words with an audio dictionary and create personalized word sets. Offers an alphabet course for beginners and supports various Arabic dialects.
- Authentic videos with interactive captions
- Smart exercises for reinforcement
- Audio dictionary for word exploration
- Personalized word sets
- Alphabet course for beginners
- Support for various Arabic dialects
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Learn Arabic the way it’s really spoken—in your chosen dialect or MSA! Trusted by top universities, Playaling makes Arabic easier and more fun through real-world videos, clickable captions, and interactive exercises. Start with a 7-day free trial! WHY YOU'LL LOVE PLAYALING - Authentic videos with interactive captions - Smart exercises to reinforce and review - Audio Dictionary to explore any word - Personalized word sets to grow faster - Alphabet course for complete beginners Join thousands mastering Arabic naturally—with confidence in dialect or Modern Standard Arabic. WHAT USERS SAY: “Whatever your level of Arabic, this tool is so rich and well-produced that you are sure to walk away with new communicative knowledge after even just a few minutes.” — Jacqueline Salzinger, Yale University “You guys are the only real resource for learning dialect. Nothing else out there meets the bar.” — Maya Sampath “As an Arabic instructor, I use Playaling in class and for my own continued study. Absolutely love it!” — Dr. Roger Anderson, Central State University Subscription pricing and terms: Playaling offers an auto-renewing monthly subscription at $15.99/month and an auto-renewing yearly subscription at $143.88/year to provide you with unlimited access to the Playaling functionalities while you maintain an active subscription. Both plans start with a 7-day free trial. Payment will be charged to the credit card connected to your iTunes Account when you confirm the initial subscription purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and the cost of the renewal will be identified. You may manage your subscription and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings after the purchase. Read more about our terms and conditions here: Terms of service: https://playaling.com/terms-and-conditions/ Privacy policy: https://playaling.com/privacy-policy/
Lahja
Learn five real Arabic dialects with this offline app. It uses spaced repetition and interactive exercises to help you master vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Start with the basics or dive into specific dialects for practical communication.
- Five real Arabic dialects
- Fully offline functionality
- Spaced repetition learning
- Interactive flashcards and quizzes
- Pronunciation practice with scoring
- Offline translator
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Speak Arabic the way people actually speak it. Most apps teach only formal Arabic — Lahja teaches five real dialects: Modern Standard, Saudi, Egyptian, Lebanese, and Jordanian. Choose the one you need and learn to be understood from day one. Fully offline. No account, no sign-up, no ads. Learn anywhere. WHY LAHJA • Five real dialects — switch anytime; your progress follows you. • Works fully offline — no sign-in needed, perfect for a plane or off the grid. • Built around how memory works — spaced repetition brings words back right before you forget them. • A warm, friendly design with Hilal, your learning companion. START FROM ZERO • The Arabic alphabet — all 28 letters, their forms, and handwriting you can trace. • Short vowels (harakat) — fatha, kasra, damma and more, with real examples. • Grammar made simple — nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and more, each with examples you can hear. LEARN THE WORDS YOU'LL USE • 1,000+ everyday phrases across topics: greetings, food, travel, family, numbers, directions and more. • Hear every phrase, see the transliteration, and read the Arabic script. • A built-in offline Translator — type English and get the Arabic with audio. • Reading practice — short leveled passages with tap-to-hear audio and comprehension checks. PRACTICE THAT STICKS • Flashcards with smart spaced repetition. • Quizzes — multiple choice, listen-and-pick, matching pairs, and a make-sentences game. • Pronunciation practice — speak out loud and get a score. • Hands-free review — sit back and listen on the go. • Find your level — a quick test that meets you where you are. STAY MOTIVATED • Daily streaks, goals, and a friendly daily coach. • Smart Review and Weak Spots target exactly what you keep missing. • Clear stats to track your progress. FREE TO START Learn the basics for free. Lahja Premium unlocks all five dialects, the daily coach, goal-based courses, smart review, unlimited hearts, and every practice mode. A 7-day free trial is available. Start today — أهلاً وسهلاً (welcome). Questions or feedback? We read every message. Thank you for learning with Lahja. — Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends; manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. A one-time Lifetime option is also available. Lahja Premium subscription • Lahja Premium Monthly — auto-renewable, one-month term • Lahja Premium Yearly — auto-renewable, one-year term • Lahja Lifetime — a one-time purchase (non-recurring) Subscriptions renew automatically unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your Apple Account is charged on confirmation of purchase, and the price is shown in the app before you buy. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms Of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy https://www.jigsawlab.com/lahja/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Playaling at 5.0 against Lahja's 3.3. Playaling also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Lahja's advantage is monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Playaling sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $15.99 per month and Lahja sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Playaling holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 3 respectively.
Playaling ships an update every 6 weeks, Lahja every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Playaling | Lahja |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better | 3.3 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gerstler-Holton, Jordan Elliot | iComet |
Customer experience
Playaling
Lahja
In-app purchases
Playaling
- Monthly Premium7 Days trial$15.991 Month
- Annual Premium7 Days trial$143.991 Year
Lahja
- Lahja Monthly Premium$0.991 Month
- Lahja Yearly Premium$8.991 Year
- Lahja Premium Lifetime$29.99








