Comparison

Phrase Translator vs Lingwa

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

Head to head
About

Phrase Translator

This app helps you learn and remember practical phrases in multiple languages. It provides natural phrasing with explanations, pronunciation practice, and spaced repetition quizzes to aid retention. Offers AI correction for diary entries and customizable learning plans.

Highlights
  • Natural phrase translation with explanations
  • Spaced repetition quizzes for memorization
  • Pronunciation practice with speech recognition
  • AI correction for diary entries
  • Phrase saving and sharing
  • Support for 15 languages
  • Customizable learning pace
Features
Read full description

Just search the phrase you want to say. Phramo is a multilingual phrase translator built for learning phrases. Wondering how to say something in Spanish, Japanese or Korean? Type it the way you'd say it, and Phramo gives you the natural phrase people actually use in that situation, with a short explanation. 15 languages, including Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, French, German and Italian. ■ Why Phramo • Straight from your words: Phramo works out what you mean (the situation, who's speaking, the tone) instead of translating word for word. • Explained: a short note on why it's said that way and when to use it, plus how casual or formal it is. • No ads: nothing interrupts your learning. ■ Review right before you forget • Saved phrases come back as quizzes after 1, 3, 10 and 24 days. Get one right 4 times in a row and it's learned. • "Today's 5" keeps it to five phrases a day, so it's easy to keep going. • A reminder at the time you choose (no promotional notifications). • You check your own answers, so strict auto-grading never gets in your way. • A weekly report of what you learned. ■ Features • Phrase search: just type what you want to say (add the situation and tone if you like) • Other ways to say it, and related phrases • Example conversations with audio • Pronunciation practice with iPhone speech recognition • AI correction of diary entries written in the language you're learning • New phrases every day (everyday talk, work, travel, slang and more) • Save and share phrases as image cards • Choose your variety: US, UK or Australian English; Mexican or Spain Spanish; Brazilian or European Portuguese • Adjustable text size ■ Languages (15) English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Turkish, Hindi ■ Great for • Travel, studying or working abroad, and making friends in another language • Learning how people really talk, not textbook translations • Remembering only the phrases you'll actually use • Learning more than one language in one app [Free and Phramo Pro] Phramo is free to use. New users get unlimited use for the first 3 days. Free plan limits • Phrase searches: 3 a day • Saved phrases: 6 a day • Diary corrections: 1 a day • Languages: 2 Today's 5 and the quizzes stay unlimited on the free plan. Phramo Pro • Unlimited phrase searches, saves and diary corrections • All languages • Lifelike voice audio (choose a female or male voice) • Regenerate example conversations and related phrases Monthly and yearly plans are available; see the App Store for prices. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings. Terms of Use: https://phramo.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://phramo.app/privacy.html

About

Lingwa

Learn over 14 languages using real-world content like videos, books, and news. Improve listening, pronunciation, and vocabulary through interactive lessons and AI-powered practice tools. Build your personal vocabulary with flashcards and spaced repetition.

Highlights
  • Learn 14+ languages
  • Real-world content (videos, books, news)
  • Tap to translate words
  • AI-powered pronunciation practice
  • Listening comprehension exercises
  • Personalized vocabulary building
  • Spaced repetition review
Features
Read full description

Lingwa is a language learning app that helps you learn 14+ languages through real-world content such as videos, books, and news. Instead of memorizing isolated lessons, improve listening, pronunciation, vocabulary, and comprehension while learning from content you actually enjoy. Turn every video, book, or news article into a personalized lesson. Tap any word to see its meaning, save useful vocabulary, practice listening with Dictation, improve speaking with AI-scored Shadowing, and review words with Flashcards and Spaced Repetition. LEARN LANGUAGES WITH REAL-WORLD CONTENT • Watch videos and learn from authentic spoken language. • Read books while checking words directly in context. • Follow news and discover useful vocabulary naturally. • Save content and favorite sentences to study again later. TAP ANY WORD TO SEE ITS MEANING When you find an unfamiliar word, simply tap it to see its meaning without leaving the content you are studying. Save words you want to remember and build your own vocabulary library. Learning words inside real sentences helps you understand how they are actually used instead of memorizing isolated definitions. PRACTICE SHADOWING WITH AI Improve speaking and pronunciation with Shadowing practice based on real sentences from the content you are learning. Listen to the original sentence, repeat it aloud, and let AI analyze your performance. Lingwa provides detailed Shadowing scores to help you identify areas that need improvement so you can listen, repeat, review, and practice again. IMPROVE LISTENING WITH DICTATION Do you understand a sentence when reading subtitles but struggle to catch it when someone says it naturally? Dictation trains detailed listening. Listen to a sentence, type what you hear, then compare your answer with the original text to see which words or sounds you missed. Regular Dictation practice can improve word recognition, listening accuracy, and your ability to notice details in connected speech. Combine Dictation with Shadowing to practice both listening and speaking. BUILD VOCABULARY WITH FLASHCARDS Words you save while watching videos, reading books, or following news become part of your personal vocabulary collection. Review saved words with Flashcards to strengthen recall and recognition. Instead of studying random vocabulary lists, you review words you have already encountered in meaningful contexts. SPACED REPETITION FOR BETTER REVIEW Lingwa uses Spaced Repetition to help you review vocabulary at useful intervals. Words return for review over time so you can focus more on vocabulary you have not fully mastered and spend less time reviewing words you already know. SAVE FAVORITE SENTENCES & CONTENT Found a useful sentence in a video, an interesting passage in a book, or a news article you want to revisit? Save favorite sentences and learning content in one place. Return to them later for listening practice, Shadowing, vocabulary review, or simply to continue where you left off. LEARN 14+ LANGUAGES IN ONE APP Lingwa supports learning 14+ languages in one place. Whether your goal is better listening, pronunciation, vocabulary, reading, or daily exposure, Lingwa helps you build a routine around content you genuinely enjoy. LINGWA IS FOR YOU IF YOU WANT TO: • Learn languages through videos, books, and news. • Practice pronunciation and speaking with AI-scored Shadowing. • Improve listening with Dictation. • Tap words for meanings while reading or watching. • Save vocabulary and review it with Flashcards. • Use Spaced Repetition for smarter vocabulary review. • Save favorite sentences and content for later practice. • Learn multiple languages in one app. A short video, a few pages of a book, one news article, or a few minutes of vocabulary review can all become part of your language learning journey. Turn the content you love into daily language lessons with Lingwa. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Phrase Translator4 screens
Lingwa4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Phrase Translator at 80% against Lingwa's 33%. Phrase Translator also leads on ads (none vs shown). Lingwa's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Phrase Translator sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Lingwa sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lingwa holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 5 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Phrase Translator's written reviews are positive against 33% of Lingwa's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phrase Translator ships an update weekly, Lingwa every 3 days. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Phrase Translator versus Lingwa: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhrase TranslatorLingwa
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)4.8 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings45 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB102 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKenshin NishiharaLingoland Company Limited

Customer experience

Phrase Translator

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

Lingwa

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Phrase Translator

Subscriptions2
  • Phramo Pro (Monthly)$6.991 Month
  • Phramo Pro (Yearly)$39.991 Year
8 purchases

Lingwa

Subscriptions5
  • 1 Month$7.991 Month
  • 3 Months$15.993 Months
  • 1 Year$23.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • 1 Year1 Year trial3 variants$23.991 Year
  • 1 Year$47.991 Year
One-time3
  • 1000 Gems$0.99
  • 2500 Gems$1.99
  • 4000 Gems$2.99

Questions

Is Phrase Translator free?
Phrase Translator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lingwa free?
Lingwa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Phrase Translator or Lingwa?
Lingwa is rated higher. Phrase Translator averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Lingwa averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.
Do Phrase Translator or Lingwa have ads?
Lingwa shows ads; Phrase Translator does not.
Which is updated more often, Phrase Translator or Lingwa?
Phrase Translator ships an update weekly, and Lingwa every 3 days. Most recently, Phrase Translator was updated on November 13, 2026 and Lingwa on November 13, 2026.

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