Comparison

Kimchi Reader vs ShadowFlow

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

Head to head
About

Kimchi Reader

Learn Korean through immersion with real media like YouTube videos and e-books. Instantly look up word definitions, grammar, and Hanja meanings. Mine sentences for flashcards and sync with Anki for spaced repetition.

Highlights
  • Immerse with YouTube and e-books
  • Instant tap-to-define dictionary
  • Sentence mining for flashcards
  • Anki sync for spaced repetition
  • Smart content recommendations
  • Monolingual dictionary access
Features
Read full description

IMPORTANT: Kimchi Reader is free to download, but it requires an active subscription to use. New users can start a 7-day free trial with just an email - no credit card required. --- Start learning Korean by enjoying the content you already love. Kimchi Reader is a powerful tool (not a course) built to help you immerse using real Korean media. READ & WATCH ANYTHING Immerse yourself in Korean on YouTube or by importing your own e-books (EPUB) and text files. INSTANT DICTIONARY ON TAP Every word is clickable. Tap any word to instantly see: - Detailed definitions (including a monolingual dictionary) - Grammar breakdowns - Hanja meanings - Frequency ratings, so you learn the important words first POWERFUL SENTENCE MINING Found a sentence you want to remember? Mine it. The app creates a rich flashcard with the word, its definition, and a video screenshot for full context. SYNC WITH ANKI Use the desktop add-on to seamlessly import your mined sentences into Anki for long-term memorization with spaced repetition. SMART RECOMMENDATIONS Mark words as "Known" and let the system find the perfect book or show for you from its massive content database. No more guessing what to study next. WHO IS THIS FOR? Learners who already know Hangul and some basic vocabulary. It is designed to take your immersion-based learning to the next level. BUILT BY A LEARNER, FOR LEARNERS This app was coded by a solo developer (me) who is also learning Korean and was tired of mediocre tools. Every feature is built to solve real problems learners face. If you have any questions, please join the Discord. There is always someone from the friendly community (real humans) online to help.

About

ShadowFlow

Features
Read full description

ShadowFlow turns YouTube videos into living language lessons. ■ Watch with karaoke subtitles Subtitles highlight word by word in sync with the video, so you never lose your place. Tap any line to jump to that scene. ■ Tap any word you don't know The dictionary opens instantly. Save words with one tap — review them as flashcards, hear the pronunciation, and jump back to the exact scene where each word appeared. ■ Practice speaking with shadowing (MAX) Record your own voice line by line and compare with the original. With headphones, your voice plays in the right ear and the original in the left. Pronunciation scoring shows exactly which words didn't come through, and rhythm bars compare your timing with the original. ■ A shared pool of subtitles (Pro) Subtitles created by users are shared in a pool — once someone transcribes and fixes a video, everyone can learn from it. New subtitles are created on the desktop web version (kotomori.app/shadowflow). ■ Plans - Free: watch subtitles you created, word list - Pro: unlimited access to the shared subtitle pool + folders - MAX: everything in Pro + shadowing practice Available in English, Japanese, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Korean, French, and German. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://kotomori.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://kotomori.app/privacy

Screenshots

Kimchi Reader4 screens
ShadowFlow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ShadowFlow at every 5 days against Kimchi Reader's every 2 weeks. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Kimchi Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ShadowFlow sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kimchi Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, ShadowFlow every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Kimchi Reader versus ShadowFlow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKimchi ReaderShadowFlow
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (12 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB6 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperKimchi Reader SàrlDaichi Tanabe

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Kimchi Reader

One-time1
  • Kimchi Reader 30 Days Access$17.99
4 purchases

ShadowFlow

Subscriptions4
  • ShadowFlow Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • ShadowFlow MAX (Monthly)7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • ShadowFlow Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$59.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • ShadowFlow MAX (Yearly)7 Days trial$129.991 Year

Questions

Is Kimchi Reader free?
Kimchi Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ShadowFlow free?
ShadowFlow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Kimchi Reader or ShadowFlow have ads?
Neither Kimchi Reader nor ShadowFlow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kimchi Reader or ShadowFlow?
Kimchi Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, and ShadowFlow every 5 days. Most recently, Kimchi Reader was updated on October 18, 2026 and ShadowFlow on September 28, 2026.

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