Comparison

Papyrus vs Polyglot

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

Head to head
About

Papyrus

Features
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Your vocabulary journey starts here. Swipe through beautifully designed word cards and expand your English vocabulary in minutes a day. Each word comes with definitions, pronunciation, examples, synonyms, antonyms, and etymology โ€” everything you need to truly understand and remember it. LEARN AT YOUR LEVEL Papyrus uses the CEFR framework (A1 to C2) to match words to your proficiency. Whether you're a beginner or preparing for IELTS/TOEFL, you'll always see words that challenge you โ€” not bore you. STAY CONSISTENT WITH STREAKS Build a daily learning habit with streak tracking. Hit your daily word goal, earn streak shields to protect your progress, and celebrate milestones at 7, 14, 30, and 100 days. HEAR EVERY WORD Tap to hear native pronunciation for every word. Choose from multiple voice options to find the accent that works best for you. SAVE WHAT MATTERS Like and save words to your personal collection. Review them anytime, sorted by recency or alphabetically. SMART NOTIFICATIONS Get daily word reminders on your schedule. Choose how many words per day and when you want to be notified โ€” Papyrus handles the rest. BUILT FOR FOCUS No distractions. No clutter. Just words, beautifully presented in a clean, dark-themed interface designed for comfortable reading. WHAT'S INSIDE โ€ข Thousands of curated English words across multiple categories โ€ข Definitions, examples, IPA pronunciation, and etymology โ€ข 6 CEFR proficiency levels (A1โ€“C2) โ€ข Daily streak system with freeze shields โ€ข Customizable notification schedule โ€ข Multiple pronunciation voices โ€ข Save and organize your favorite words โ€ข Works offline โ€” no internet required Download Papyrus today and start building the vocabulary you've always wanted.

About

Polyglot

Features
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Polyglot helps you learn several languages at the same time, all on your device and all private. Most apps make you pick one language and follow one rigid path. Polyglot is built for people who want more. Study Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, English and more side by side, with tools that adapt to you. WHY POLYGLOT - Learn many languages at once, with a color for each one so they never blur together. - Smart flashcards use proven spaced repetition so you review at the right moment. - A private, on-device AI tutor builds lessons, quizzes and conversations for any topic you pick. - Fast, friendly games turn daily practice into a habit. - Speak out loud and get instant pronunciation feedback. - Translate in a tap and save anything as a flashcard. - Your data stays on your device. No account required. SMART FLASHCARDS Polyglot schedules every card with a modern spaced repetition engine, so you spend time on the words you are about to forget and breeze past the ones you know. Each card has an example sentence and pronunciation, with text to speech in a single tap. Add a word from Home and its meaning fills itself in on your device. AN AI TUTOR IN YOUR POCKET Type any topic, like ordering food or a job interview, and Polyglot writes a focused lesson with vocabulary, useful phrases, a short overview and a tip, at the level you choose. Add the new words to your flashcards in one tap. Chat freely and get gentle, in context corrections, or take a fresh AI quiz made just for you. It runs on device, with Apple Intelligence or a model you can download, so your practice stays private. GAMES THAT MAKE IT STICK - Polyglot Match: find one word in every language you are learning. - Match Pairs: link words with their meanings. - Fill the Blank: complete the missing word. - Build the Sentence: arrange word tiles into real sentences. - Listen and Choose: train your ear. - Say It: speak the phrase and get scored. - Handwriting: practice kana, hangul and characters. Mix all of your languages in one session to get sharp at telling them apart. TRANSLATE ANYWHERE Quick Translate remembers your language pair, keeps your recent translations and turns any result into a flashcard. Choose Apple Translation or a downloadable model that works fully offline. SEE YOUR PROGRESS Track reviews, sessions and streaks. A clean chart and calendar show your activity at a glance, a mastery bar shows how far you have come in each language, and achievements celebrate the milestones. WORKS WHERE YOU ARE - Widgets for your Home Screen and StandBy, plus a control to start a review from Control Center or the Lock Screen. - Siri and Shortcuts: add a word, translate or open a deck by voice. - Made for iPhone Duo: cards open like a textbook, tabletop mode gives hands-free speaking drills, and the cover screen keeps your streak alive. - Great on iPad too. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Polyglot works without an account and keeps your learning on your device. Optional iCloud sync keeps your cards in step across your iPhone and iPad. LANGUAGES Learn Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and English. The app itself is available in 16 languages, so lessons and meanings are explained in the language you already know. Start today. Pick your languages, set a daily goal, and build your streak.

Screenshots

Papyrus4 screens
Polyglot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Papyrus at every 9 days against Polyglot's every 3 weeks. Papyrus also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Papyrus ships an update every 9 days, Polyglot every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Papyrus versus Polyglot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPapyrusPolyglot
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days โ€” betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better18
Further details โ€” not scored
Size47 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIsa ZobuAJA Digital LLC

In-app purchases

None

Papyrus

No in-app purchases

None

Polyglot

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Papyrus free?
Papyrus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Polyglot free?
Polyglot is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Papyrus or Polyglot have ads?
Neither Papyrus nor Polyglot shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Papyrus or Polyglot?
Papyrus ships an update every 9 days, and Polyglot every 3 weeks. Most recently, Papyrus was updated on October 8, 2026 and Polyglot on October 25, 2026.

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