Comparison

Yomio vs ShadowGerman

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

Head to head
About

Yomio

Features
Read full description

Tired of flashcards? Staring at word lists, repeating the same cards, memorizing today and forgetting tomorrow? Many Japanese learners face the same problems. Words are hard to remember. Studying feels boring and mechanical. Even if a word is memorized, it is hard to recognize it in real sentences. Yomio takes a different approach. Instead of memorizing words in isolation, Yomio helps you learn Japanese vocabulary by reading meaningful context. Words are learned naturally by seeing them again and again in real usage. With Yomio, words are learned through a simple tap and reading. Yomio keeps track of your learning status for each word. With just one tap, it selects words you are currently learning and generates a short paragraph at your level. You can choose different styles such as short stories, diaries, or news. After reading, you simply report whether the words felt familiar. Based on your feedback, Yomio automatically updates your learning progress and prepares the next reading for you. You do not need to manage anything yourself. By meeting words repeatedly in different contexts, you begin to recognize them faster and understand how they are actually used. Vocabulary gradually becomes more familiar without forcing yourself to memorize. Yomio is designed to be simple and calm. There are no endless flashcards and no complicated settings. You just tap, read, and let Yomio handle the rest. If you believe that language is learned through reading and real usage, not drills, Yomio is made for you.

About

ShadowGerman

Features
Read full description

Learn to speak German the way fluent speakers actually do it: by shadowing. Hear a native German sentence, then say it back โ€” matching the rhythm, melody, and sounds until it feels natural in your own mouth. WHY SHADOWING WORKS Reading and flashcards build knowledge. Speaking builds fluency. ShadowGerman puts your voice at the center: listen, repeat out loud, record yourself, and compare โ€” the fastest way to a natural accent and real confidence. HOW YOU PRACTICE โ€ข Listen to a clear, native German voice for every sentence โ€ข Slow it down or speed it up until you can keep pace โ€ข Record your own voice and play it back against the original โ€ข See both waveforms side by side to spot where you drifted โ€ข Show the translation โ€” English, Chinese, Japanese or Korean โ€” when you need it, hide it when you don't 1,000 LESSONS, A1 TO C2 A full path from absolute beginner to advanced, graded by the official CEFR levels. Every lesson comes with interactive exercises โ€” multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, translation, and word ordering โ€” that grade themselves the moment you answer. BRING YOUR OWN GERMAN Studying for an exam or reading a book? Import your own text or a PDF and ShadowGerman splits it into clean German sentences you can shadow line by line. A WORDBOOK THAT REMEMBERS FOR YOU Save the words you meet and review them with spaced repetition, so they resurface right before you'd forget. Tap any word to hear it pronounced. WORKS OFFLINE The German voice runs entirely on your device โ€” no internet, no streaming, no waiting. Practice on a plane, on the subway, anywhere. BUILT TO KEEP YOU GOING Earn XP, level up, and keep a daily streak alive. Your progress syncs privately through your own iCloud between iPhone and iPad, and there's no account to create. FREE & PREMIUM Start completely free with all of Level A1 โ€” 200 lessons โ€” plus importing your own texts. Unlock A2 through C2, another 800 lessons, with Premium: โ€ข Monthly or yearly (with a 7-day free trial) โ€ข Or a one-time Lifetime purchase, yours forever Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the current period ends; manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase Premium. Privacy Policy: https://mzjpg.com/policy/shadowing-german Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Yomio4 screens
ShadowGerman4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Yomio at none against ShadowGerman's 3. Yomio also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). ShadowGerman's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. ShadowGerman sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Yomio asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Yomio ships an update every 3 months, ShadowGerman monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
Yomio versus ShadowGerman: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterYomioShadowGerman
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly โ€” better
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size58 MB174 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPoYuan WangDajiale

In-app purchases

None

Yomio

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

ShadowGerman

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$49.99

Questions

Is Yomio free?
Yomio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ShadowGerman free?
ShadowGerman is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Yomio or ShadowGerman have ads?
Yomio shows ads; ShadowGerman does not.
Which is updated more often, Yomio or ShadowGerman?
Yomio ships an update every 3 months, and ShadowGerman monthly. Most recently, Yomio was updated on October 13, 2026 and ShadowGerman on October 11, 2026.

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