CertamenPrep vs Lectio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CertamenPrep
Practice Latin Certamen competitions with a comprehensive quiz platform. Master mythology, history, language, and more through timed challenges and detailed progress tracking. Rise through Roman military ranks as you improve.
- Character-by-character question streaming
- Multiple-choice answers with buzz-in simulation
- Rank progression system
- Review mode by category
- Comprehensive statistics and progress tracking
- Cloud-saved progress
- Full account deletion control
Read full descriptionHide full description
CertamenPrep brings real Certamen competition to your phone. Buzz in on streaming Latin toss-ups, beat the clock, and rise through 11 Roman military ranks — from raw recruit (Miles) all the way to legion commander (Legatus Legionis). With over 1,100 questions and zero ads, it's the focused way to train for tournament day. Whether you're drilling for a JCL competition or you just love ancient Rome, CertamenPrep turns Latin practice into a game you'll actually want to come back to. CERTAMEN-AUTHENTIC GAMEPLAY - Questions stream letter-by-letter, exactly like a real toss-up - Hit BUZZ once the clue is in, then lock in your answer before the timer runs out - Practice the buzz-in pressure so tournament day feels familiar, not foreign CHALLENGE MODE — YOUR PATH TO THE TOP - Take on sets of 10 to 50 questions drawn from your current rank - Climb all 11 ranks by mastering each pool — progress is earned through real mastery, not points - Press and hold the star to mark a question "mastered" when you know it cold - End every set with a clear summary: what you mastered, got right, and missed REVIEW MODE — TURN MISSES INTO MASTERY - Every question you miss in Challenge is saved for you automatically - Run a focused review session to work through everything you got wrong - Master a question in Review to clear it from your wrong list and add it to your total PRACTICE MODE — STUDY WITHOUT PRESSURE - Drill any of six categories: Mythology, History, Language, Literature, Culture & Life, and Living Latin - Same streaming questions and buzz-in timing as Challenge Mode - Practice never touches your rank or wrong-question list — perfect for warming up or trying a new topic LEARN FROM EVERY MISTAKE WITH AI - Get a clear, on-demand explanation for any question you've missed - Ask a follow-up when you want to understand it more deeply - The AI is built into your review loop — it helps you understand why, not just memorize what EVERYTHING AT A GLANCE - Track your rank, progress bar, mastered count, questions remaining, and review count on the Home screen - Build a daily streak by studying in Challenge or Review each day, and chase your all-time best FREE, PRIVATE, AND YOURS - Completely free — no ads, no subscriptions, no in-app purchases - Sign in with Google or Apple, or jump straight in as a Guest - Your progress saves to the cloud, and you can delete your account anytime Built for Certamen competitors, Latin students, teachers who want a dedicated drill tool, and anyone fascinated by the ancient Roman world. Good luck climbing the ranks. Vale!
Lectio
This app offers a comprehensive Latin learning experience, from beginner lessons to AP® exam preparation. It features interactive lessons, glossed texts, spaced-repetition flashcards, and exam-style quizzes. Sync your progress across devices and collaborate with classmates.
- Personalized level assessment
- Glossed Latin texts
- Spaced-repetition flashcards
- AP® exam style quizzes
- Sync across devices
- Classroom integration
Read full descriptionHide full description
Lectio takes you from your first Latin word to the AP® Latin exam: short lessons that find your level, every passage of Vergil and Pliny with each word glossed, and flashcards that come back just before you forget. START WHERE YOU ARE • A quick level check places you in the course, so you skip what you already know. • A step-by-step course from the first declension to the Aeneid, in short lessons with instant feedback. • A vocabulary track that works through the AP® Latin word list letter by letter, with a test for each part that lets you skip the words you already know. READ THE REAL TEXTS • Every required passage of Vergil's Aeneid and Pliny's Letters, and more, with a glossary on every word. • Highlight in four manuscript colors, add notes, flag hard lines, and read cold with the glossary off, the way the exam gives you the Latin. • Ask about any line: a parse, a construction, the scansion. REMEMBER WHAT YOU LEARN • Spaced-repetition flashcards: each word returns just before you'd forget it. • Words you look up while reading join your deck automatically. • A timed speed round, English derivatives, and a new line of Latin every day. • Review on Apple Watch, and see what's due at a glance with Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets. PREPARE FOR EXAM DAY • A quiz engine in the exam's style. Filter by author, passage, skill or question type; every answer is explained, and misses come back for review. • Literal translation drills scored in the exam's own segments. • Timed sight reading, a Scansion Lab with 6,500 lines of the Aeneid, and a workshop for all five free-response question types. • Full-length practice exams, and a study plan counted back from exam day. STUDY TOGETHER • Sign in to sync with the Lectio website, so study on your laptop and your phone counts as one. • Join your teacher's classroom with a code to see assignments and the class leaderboard. No account is needed to study, and there are no ads, no tracking and no purchases. AI feedback is optional, asks before it sends anything, and is always labeled. Every Latin text comes from a public-domain edition. AP® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.
Screenshots
Verdict
CertamenPrep and Lectio both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Lectio's written reviews are positive against 50% of CertamenPrep's. Lectio also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). CertamenPrep's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for CertamenPrep against 5.0 for Lectio. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 3 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of CertamenPrep's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lectio's.
CertamenPrep ships an update every 2 months, Lectio every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CertamenPrep | Lectio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | YUXING YUAN | MATTHEW ALAN SCHWEIGER |
Customer experience
CertamenPrep
Lectio
In-app purchases
CertamenPrep
No in-app purchases
Lectio
No in-app purchases









