German Citizenship Explained vs Berlingo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
German Citizenship Explained
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Prepare for the German citizenship test (Einbürgerungstest) and the "Leben in Deutschland" test – with every question for your federal state, an explanation for each question and mock tests that follow the real exam. No ads, no account, works offline. The app is in German, just like the test. On iOS 18 or later you can translate questions and answers on your device – for example into English, Turkish, Arabic, Russian or Ukrainian. iOS downloads the language pack once. Translations are machine-made; the German text is what counts. THE TEST 33 questions (30 general + 3 about your federal state) in 60 minutes. For citizenship you need at least 17 correct answers (at the end of an integration course the test already counts as passed with 15). The app scores your mock tests against 17. INCLUDED – NO PURCHASE NEEDED • All 310 questions for your federal state (300 general + 10 state questions) • The full catalogue of all 460 questions, with search and filters • Practice without a daily limit, with the answer and an explanation after each question, in rounds of 20 – the app remembers where you stopped • Practise your 10 state questions on their own • One mock test per day that follows the real exam: results only after you hand in, then a review of every question with your answer and the right one • Review the questions you got wrong – a question leaves the list once you answer it correctly twice in a row • An explanation for every question • Your progress: questions you know well, streak, countdown to your test date and your last test result • Question of the day, up to 20 bookmarks and a daily reminder PREMIUM – ONE-TIME PURCHASE OR MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION • Unlimited mock tests, with your test history • Weak-spots test: favours questions you are not sure of yet • Every answer explained: why each option is right or wrong – with sources • Common traps and short topic lessons • Practise your weak spots, riskiest questions and typical error patterns • Readiness check: an estimated chance to pass (a forecast from your practice data, no guarantee), topic overview, checklist and PDF study report • Study plan up to your test date with planned reviews • Unlimited bookmarks The one-time purchase is not a subscription: pay once, unlocked for good – and shared with your family through Family Sharing. PRIVACY No ads, no tracking, no account. Your progress stays on your device. Works offline. PLEASE NOTE This is an independent study app by Aplo Apps, not an official app of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) or any other authority. The questions come from the publicly available question catalogue for the "Leben in Deutschland" test and the citizenship test (as of 7 May 2025). The explanations are our own study aids; you can report mistakes right in the app. The app helps you prepare but cannot guarantee that you pass. SUBSCRIPTION AND ONE-TIME PURCHASE The monthly subscription renews automatically for one month at a time unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Payment is charged to your Apple Account; manage or cancel the subscription in your Apple Account settings. The one-time purchase is charged once and does not renew. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://aploapps.com/apps/einbuergerungstest/privacy/
Berlingo
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Berlingo helps you understand spoken German and say it back, one sentence at a time. LISTEN AND WRITE (DICTATION) Play a short German video clip sentence by sentence. Type what you hear and Berlingo checks your answer word by word. LISTEN AND REPEAT (SHADOWING) Hear a sentence, record yourself saying it and get an accuracy score from speech recognition. Replay, compare and try again. VOCABULARY THAT STICKS More than 3,000 words in 185 topics, each with IPA, native audio and an example sentence. Learn them with Guess the Word, Flashcards and Quiz, then keep them with spaced-repetition reviews that come back on the right day. GERMAN FOR YOUR JOB Ten B1 career decks: nursing and elderly care, hospitality, construction, mechatronics and electrical, IT, logistics, manufacturing, agriculture, industrial cleaning and retail. Built for Ausbildung and work in Germany. A PLAN FOR EVERY DAY Today puts due reviews first, then suggests new words and a listening lesson that fit your level and goal. Track your streak, XP, study calendar and weekly progress. WHAT'S INSIDE • 327 video lessons and 12,000+ sentences from A1 to B2 • 3,000+ words with audio and IPA • Translation and IPA toggles for every sentence FREE AND PRO A1 and A2 lessons and vocabulary are free. Berlingo Pro unlocks B1, B2 and every career deck. Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel them in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://berlingo.app/en/terms Privacy Policy: https://berlingo.app/en/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
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Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Berlingo at every 3 days against German Citizenship Explained's every 3 weeks. German Citizenship Explained's advantage is iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). On price, ads, 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. German Citizenship Explained sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Berlingo sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
German Citizenship Explained ships an update every 3 weeks, Berlingo every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | German Citizenship Explained | Berlingo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nikolaos Sarantinos | Duong Ngoc Linh |
In-app purchases
German Citizenship Explained
- Premium (monthly)$0.991 Month
- Premium (one-time)$3.99
Berlingo
- Monthly$4.991 Month
- Yearly$29.991 Year
- Lifetime$79.99





