Comparison

Unpack vs Poly Flashcards

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

Head to head
About

Unpack

Features
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Pause a podcast to look up a word? Never again. Unpack is a podcast player that listens with you. When you hear a term you don't know, ask Siri or shake your head with AirPods on and get a definition that's right for the conversation. "UGC" in a marketing podcast means User Generated Content, not Uganda. Unpack already knows. HANDS-FREE, IN THE MOMENT โ€ข Say "Hey Siri, define that in Unpack." Works with the screen off, phone in your pocket. โ€ข Shake your head with AirPods Pro, Max, 3, or 4 to trigger a definition. Nod or shake to navigate. Hear the answer spoken back. โ€ข Built for driving, cooking, running, and the gym, when picking up your phone isn't an option. โ€ข Tap any word in the live transcript to define it instantly. DEFINITIONS THAT FIT THE CONVERSATION Generic dictionaries don't know what you're listening to. Unpack reads the transcript around the moment you ask, so the definition matches the topic: economics, biology, marketing, history, whatever the show is about. Same definition quality for free and Premium users. The AI is not a paywall. MORE THAN SUMMARIES AND HIGHLIGHTS Other AI podcast apps summarize an episode or save the good parts for later. Unpack works on the part you didn't understand, while the episode is still playing. Definitions are generated on your device first using Apple's on-device model, so most lookups never leave your phone, and they work without a signal. LEARN, DON'T JUST LOOK UP โ€ข Every term you define joins your personal glossary, sorted by subject. โ€ข Unpack quizzes you on terms days later, so they actually stick. โ€ข See how many terms you've learned and which subjects you're strongest in. โ€ข Premium adds comprehension quizzes during playback, checking what you understood and not just what you heard. โ€ข Premium highlights unfamiliar terms in the transcript before you even ask, based on what you've looked up before. A REAL PODCAST PLAYER โ€ข Subscribe via RSS or import your shows from Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, or Castro with one OPML file. โ€ข Speed control, skip, sleep timer, lock screen and Now Playing controls. โ€ข Download episodes for offline listening. โ€ข Live Activity and Dynamic Island while you play. PRIVACY-FIRST Your podcasts, your glossary, and your listening history stay on your device. We never see them. Definitions run on-device first. When one needs the cloud, it goes through our proxy with no identity attached, and Settings has a switch to turn that off entirely. Read the full policy in-app. PREMIUM ($4.99/mo, $24.99/yr, or $79.99 lifetime) โ€ข Unlimited definitions โ€ข Unlimited review quiz sessions โ€ข AirPods head gesture trigger โ€ข Comprehension quizzes during playback โ€ข Proactive highlighting of unfamiliar terms in the transcript Free users get the full podcast player, AI-powered context-aware definitions, Siri triggers, 10 lookups per day, your personal glossary with vocabulary stats, and one review quiz a day. Forever. Try Premium free for 14 days. Cancel anytime in iOS Settings. --- Privacy: https://www.unpack.fm/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.unpack.fm/terms Support: https://www.unpack.fm/support By using Unpack you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy linked above.

About

Poly Flashcards

Features
Read full description

Remember more. Use what you learn. Turn your notes into flashcards, your audio into useful vocabulary, and everyday conversations into personal language practice. Poly brings creation, listening, speaking and spaced repetition together in one focused app. Learn a language, prepare for an exam, build professional knowledge or explore a new interest. Start with your own material and make it yours. A POWERFUL CORE, FREE Create unlimited decks and flashcards. Organize them into folders, edit your cards, import existing material and study with Smart Review. No Poly account or subscription is required for the core experience. REMEMBER MORE, EVERY DAY Smart Review uses FSRS spaced repetition to choose what needs attention next. Study one deck, a folder or your whole library. Focus on due cards, difficult material or new cards, and use Catch-Up when your backlog grows. Undo a mistaken rating and pause cards that need a rethink. TURN NOTES AND PICTURES INTO CARDS Paste structured notes or scan a page, then check and edit the cards before saving. Create two-way cards and fill-in-the-blank questions. Hide labels on diagrams and photos for visual recall. Keep useful images, audio and language details with your cards. LEARN FROM WHAT YOU HEAR Import an audio lesson and add or create a timed transcript. Jump to a sentence, repeat a difficult line and look up words in context. Save useful words or complete sentences as flashcards with their original audio clips. Listen, record and replay yourself with shadowing practice. PRACTISE EVERY SIDE OF A LANGUAGE Understand, Recall, Listen, Dictation, Type and Speak train different skills from the same material. Check typed answers, choose how strictly to handle accents and compare spoken answers with recognized text. Add readings, pronunciation and grammar to support your learning. MAKE LANGUAGE PERSONAL Build a Language Island: a bilingual script for introducing yourself, ordering food or talking about your life. Write or import sentence pairs, choose recall pauses and preview the first two pairs with device voices. AI+ creates the complete professional audio for repeated listening and practice. CREATE WITH OPTIONAL AI+ Build editable flashcards from a focused prompt, or enrich a word with examples, grammar and natural phrases. Explore due-word conversations, optional sound coaching and Card Doctor suggestions for troublesome cards. AI+ also includes professional speech and all Pro features. Check AI-generated facts and translations before studying. BRING YOUR LEARNING WITH YOU Import and export supported Anki packages, CSV and Quizlet text. Keep a complete Poly backup. Study saved material offline, use iPad handwriting and larger layouts, or transfer supported short text cards and audio to Apple Watch for quick sessions away from your phone. SEE YOUR PROGRESS GROW Follow your reviews, streaks and language activity. Build a routine with reminders and use your progress to choose what to practise next. Pro Lifetime adds iCloud sync and advanced retention, mastery and workload insights. CHOOSE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU The core app is free. Pro is an optional lifetime purchase. AI+ is an optional monthly or annual subscription with usage allowances. New AI requests and online downloads require a connection; speech recognition availability varies by device and language. Privacy Policy: https://getpoly.dev/privacy Terms: https://getpoly.dev/terms

Screenshots

Unpack4 screens
Poly Flashcards4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Unpack at every 3 days against Poly Flashcards's every 5 days. Poly Flashcards's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Unpack sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Poly Flashcards sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Unpack ships an update every 3 days, Poly Flashcards every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Unpack versus Poly Flashcards: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUnpackPoly Flashcards
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 days โ€” betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch โ€” better
Requires iOS26.017.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size69 MB26 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMijo KaligerColin Kelly

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Unpack

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Annual$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$79.99
3 purchases

Poly Flashcards

Subscriptions2
  • Poly AI+ Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Poly AI+ Annual$44.991 Year
One-time1
  • Poly Pro Lifetime$3.99

Questions

Is Unpack free?
Unpack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Poly Flashcards free?
Poly Flashcards is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Unpack or Poly Flashcards have ads?
Neither Unpack nor Poly Flashcards shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Unpack or Poly Flashcards?
Unpack ships an update every 3 days, and Poly Flashcards every 5 days. Most recently, Unpack was updated on October 28, 2026 and Poly Flashcards on October 31, 2026.

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