Kitabi vs Lahja
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kitabi
Learn Arabic by reading actual books, stories, and dialogues. Tap any word for instant meaning, or a sentence for translation. Practice vocabulary with smart flashcards and import your own content for interactive lessons.
- Read actual Arabic books and dialogues
- Tap words for instant meaning and roots
- Tap sentences for full translation
- Smart flashcards for vocabulary practice
- Import YouTube videos and articles
- Track vocabulary progress
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Kitabi is a different kind of Arabic learning app. Instead of endless multiple-choice quizzes, you read and watch real Arabic — books, stories, dialogues and videos. Tap any word to see its meaning instantly. Tap a sentence to see the full translation. It's the closest thing to having a tutor sitting beside you. YOUR OWN ARABIC LIBRARY Browse a growing collection of Arabic books: stories of the prophets, the life of the Prophet Muhammad saw, hadith, supplications, everyday dialogues and more. Every word is tappable — meaning, root and related forms, one tap away. Save the words you want to remember and watch them highlight across every book you read. WATCH REAL ARABIC Cartoons, stories and vlogs in Arabic, with live subtitles that follow the video. Tap any word as it's spoken to see what it means. Pick a topic, or search for a word and jump straight to the moment it's said. TAP TO TRANSLATE Read naturally. When you hit a word you don't know, tap it. A clean panel shows the meaning, the root and related words. Tap the sentence for the full translation. No switching apps, no copy-pasting into a translator. HEAR EVERY WORD Native-quality audio throughout. Tap to hear a single word pronounced correctly, or listen to a whole passage read aloud while you follow along. EXPLORE ARABIC ROOTS Arabic is built from three-letter roots, and once you see them the language stops feeling random. The Explorer maps any word back to its root and shows you the family it belongs to — the verbs, the nouns and the patterns that connect them. VOCABULARY THAT STICKS Every word you meet is tracked. Practise with flashcards that adapt to your level, plus listening, matching, scramble and speed-match exercises. Words you struggle with come back more often. Picture Words teaches everyday vocabulary with animated illustrations across 35+ topics, and the built-in dictionary is always a tap away. START FROM ZERO Never seen the Arabic script before? The alphabet course takes you letter by letter — the shapes, the sounds, and how each one changes at the start, middle and end of a word. IMPORT YOUR OWN VIDEOS Paste a YouTube link and Kitabi turns it into an interactive Arabic lesson, with word-by-word translation and playback synced to the text. LEARN IN YOUR LANGUAGE The app speaks your language: English, French, German, Spanish, Turkish, Russian, Urdu, Bengali, Indonesian, Malay and more. FREE AND PREMIUM Kitabi is free to start. You get free chapters in every book, daily flashcard practice, the dictionary, Picture Words, exercises and the alphabet course. Kitabi Premium unlocks everything: • Every book and every chapter • Watch — the full Arabic video feed • Unlimited flashcards and practice • The full root and word-family Explorer • Import from YouTube • Everything we add later SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Kitabi Premium is available as an auto-renewing subscription. The annual plan includes a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically for the same period and price unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal at any time in your Apple ID account settings. In some regions Kitabi Premium is also available as a one-time purchase that does not renew. Whether you're a complete beginner or an intermediate learner who wants to understand real Arabic, Kitabi gives you the tools to actually understand what you're reading and hearing — not just memorise words in isolation. Start reading Arabic today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://kitabi.space/privacy
Lahja
Learn five real Arabic dialects with this offline app. It uses spaced repetition and interactive exercises to help you master vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Start with the basics or dive into specific dialects for practical communication.
- Five real Arabic dialects
- Fully offline functionality
- Spaced repetition learning
- Interactive flashcards and quizzes
- Pronunciation practice with scoring
- Offline translator
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Speak Arabic the way people actually speak it. Most apps teach only formal Arabic — Lahja teaches five real dialects: Modern Standard, Saudi, Egyptian, Lebanese, and Jordanian. Choose the one you need and learn to be understood from day one. Fully offline. No account, no sign-up, no ads. Learn anywhere. WHY LAHJA • Five real dialects — switch anytime; your progress follows you. • Works fully offline — no sign-in needed, perfect for a plane or off the grid. • Built around how memory works — spaced repetition brings words back right before you forget them. • A warm, friendly design with Hilal, your learning companion. START FROM ZERO • The Arabic alphabet — all 28 letters, their forms, and handwriting you can trace. • Short vowels (harakat) — fatha, kasra, damma and more, with real examples. • Grammar made simple — nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and more, each with examples you can hear. LEARN THE WORDS YOU'LL USE • 1,000+ everyday phrases across topics: greetings, food, travel, family, numbers, directions and more. • Hear every phrase, see the transliteration, and read the Arabic script. • A built-in offline Translator — type English and get the Arabic with audio. • Reading practice — short leveled passages with tap-to-hear audio and comprehension checks. PRACTICE THAT STICKS • Flashcards with smart spaced repetition. • Quizzes — multiple choice, listen-and-pick, matching pairs, and a make-sentences game. • Pronunciation practice — speak out loud and get a score. • Hands-free review — sit back and listen on the go. • Find your level — a quick test that meets you where you are. STAY MOTIVATED • Daily streaks, goals, and a friendly daily coach. • Smart Review and Weak Spots target exactly what you keep missing. • Clear stats to track your progress. FREE TO START Learn the basics for free. Lahja Premium unlocks all five dialects, the daily coach, goal-based courses, smart review, unlimited hearts, and every practice mode. A 7-day free trial is available. Start today — أهلاً وسهلاً (welcome). Questions or feedback? We read every message. Thank you for learning with Lahja. — Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends; manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. A one-time Lifetime option is also available. Lahja Premium subscription • Lahja Premium Monthly — auto-renewable, one-month term • Lahja Premium Yearly — auto-renewable, one-year term • Lahja Lifetime — a one-time purchase (non-recurring) Subscriptions renew automatically unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your Apple Account is charged on confirmation of purchase, and the price is shown in the app before you buy. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms Of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy https://www.jigsawlab.com/lahja/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Kitabi at 5.0 against Lahja's 3.3. Kitabi also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Lahja's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Kitabi sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and Lahja sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Kitabi holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 3 respectively.
Kitabi ships an update every 3 weeks, Lahja every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 11, 2026.
| Parameter | Kitabi | Lahja |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 3.3 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 160 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Zani Dobruna | iComet |
Customer experience
Kitabi
Lahja
In-app purchases
Kitabi
- Kitabi Premium$12.991 Month
- Kitabi Premium7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Lahja
- Lahja Monthly Premium$0.991 Month
- Lahja Yearly Premium$8.991 Year
- Lahja Premium Lifetime$29.99









