Shadowing English vs Alex
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shadowing English
Improve spoken English by repeating segments from real YouTube videos and movies. Get instant pronunciation feedback to close the gap between understanding and speaking. Practice for just 5 minutes a day with bilingual subtitles.
- Practice with real YouTube videos
- Instant speech scoring
- Bilingual subtitles
- 5-minute daily practice
- Progress tracking (Pro)
- 16 interface languages
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Understand English but freeze the moment you have to speak? That's the passive-vocabulary gap — and shadowing is how you close it. Shadowing · real YouTube videos · instant speech scoring — finally speak the words you already know. From Steve Jobs speeches to Friends, TED talks to JENNIE — turn the videos you already love into speaking practice. The same method used by professional interpreters, just 5 minutes a day. THE LOOP: LISTEN → REPEAT → SCORE 1. Pick a real video you love 2. Listen to a short segment 3. Repeat it out loud 4. See your pronunciation score — try again until you nail it WHY SHADOWING WORKS Shadowing trains your mouth to produce the sounds you already understand — the way interpreters at the UN build fluency. It works at every level. WHY SPEAKFOX • Real YouTube, not textbooks — real accents, real context, not scripted audio • Instant speech scoring — feedback on what you SAY, not just what you recognize • Bilingual subtitles — understand every line in English and your own language • Built for your level — beginner to advanced, videos matched to you • 5 minutes a day — daily streaks keep you coming back 16 INTERFACE LANGUAGES Use the app in your native language while learning English. FREE vs PRO Free: up to 15 segments per day Pro: unlimited practice, AI pronunciation scoring, full progress tracking, priority support Start speaking the English you already understand. Try SpeakFox free today. Terms of Use: https://speakfox.app/terms-of-use/ Privacy Policy: https://speakfox.app/privacy-policy/
Alex
Learn a new language by typing messages on your phone. This app transforms your everyday writing into interactive lessons, offering vocabulary building, sentence construction, and review tools. Track your progress and unlock rewards as you master new words and phrases.
- Learn languages through typing
- Interactive lessons and vocabulary review
- Progress tracking and rewards
- Customizable keyboard integration
- Offline translation option
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Learn a language with your messages. Alex combines an app and an iPhone keyboard: what you write every day becomes your Spanish, French, Italian or Portuguese lessons. YOUR KEYBOARD IS THE STARTING POINT Type in your own language, as usual. Alex spots useful words in your sentences and helps you learn a new language. Your vocabulary grows from the language you actually use. The Alex Mirror line above the keys translates your sentence while you type: tap the translation to put it straight into your message. SHORT LESSONS, REAL PRACTICE Match words, build sentences, reply to Alex and write in your own words. Stuck? Ask Alex. Every word you tap is read aloud. Review your vocabulary with flashcards and multiple-choice questions. SEE YOUR PROGRESS Finish a lesson to open a booster and stick its cards in your album. Earn coins to dress Alex up, travel from world to world and keep your streak alive. AN ACCOUNT THAT GOES WITH YOU Sign in with Apple if you like: your progress and your subscription follow you to a new iPhone. YOU STAY IN CONTROL Ordinary typing and corrections work on your iPhone, and passwords and secure fields are never read. The sentences you finish with Alex’s keyboard are kept for your lessons, and the newest are sent to our server and our AI providers to write them. They are never sold or used for advertising. With Premium, the Mirror line translates online unless you choose On iPhone. Optional usage analytics exclude your typed texts. Everything is explained in Settings › My privacy. The keyboard requires Allow Full Access to save progress in Alex. Lessons, online translation and account backup require an Internet connection. You can delete your online account in Settings › My account. ACCESS Alex Premium gives access to the lessons. In many countries, the yearly plan starts with a free week. Monthly and yearly subscriptions are available. Prices and any trial are shown before purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled in your Apple account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Alex at 100% against Shadowing English's 50%. Alex also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2). Shadowing English's advantage is ratings volume (101 vs 6) and update cadence (daily vs every 3 days). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Shadowing English sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Alex sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Alex holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shadowing English has 101 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Shadowing English's written reviews are positive against 100% of Alex's.
Shadowing English ships an update daily, Alex every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shadowing English | Alex |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (101 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 101 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 3 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 305 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Roman Abramov | Roudot Timothe |
Customer experience
Shadowing English
Alex
In-app purchases
Shadowing English
- Plus$5.991 Month
- SpeakFox Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
- Plus3 Days trial$24.991 Year
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- Plus$24.991 Year
- SpeakFox Pro Yearly3 Days trial$69.991 Year
- SpeakFox Pro Yearly$69.991 Year
Alex
- Espiga · Weekly access$1.997 Days
- Alex · Monthly$9.991 Month
- Alex · Monthly · Trial7 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Espiga · Annual$34.991 Year
- Espiga · Annual · Trial7 Days trial$34.991 Year
- Espiga · Annual access$49.991 Year
- Espiga · Annual access · Trial7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Alex · Annual$69.991 Year
- Alex · Annual · Trial7 Days trial$69.991 Year
- Alex · Annual1 Year trial$69.991 Year









