Comparison

Lingden vs Die Kartei

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

Head to head
About

Lingden

Features
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Learn real languages through real sentences. Not random words. Not boring drills. Lingden teaches Norwegian, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian and 7 more languages the way they're actually spoken - one real sentence at a time, with word-by-word meaning, native audio, and proven spaced-repetition that locks vocabulary into long-term memory. Understand a language. Don't memorize it. LEARN 12 LANGUAGES Norwegian, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Turkish, Russian, Greek. CEFR levels A1 to B2 - from your very first word to confident conversation. SCAN A BOOK INTO FLASHCARDS Point your camera at any page - a novel, a menu, a sign at the station - and Lingden turns the sentences you pick into full flashcards. Your iPhone reads the page itself using Apple Vision; the photo is never uploaded, and only the sentences you choose ever leave your device. Works for every language except Greek, which is still to come. EVERY FLASHCARD IS A MICRO-LESSON Tap any word to hear it. See the IPA pronunciation. Read the dictionary meaning. Listen to the full sentence in a native voice. Lingden treats every flashcard like an annotated textbook page, so you don't just memorize vocabulary, you understand how a sentence is built. SPACED REPETITION THAT WORKS A five-box review system based on proven spaced-repetition research. Words you struggle with come back sooner; words you've mastered move further out. Just 10 to 20 minutes a day and your review queue keeps shrinking while your vocabulary keeps growing. NATIVE-SPEAKER AUDIO ON EVERY WORD High-quality voices for every supported language. Hear correct pronunciation for every word and every full sentence. Build your ear before you ever speak. 6,700+ VERB CONJUGATIONS Master verbs across 7 tenses: present, past, future, perfect, imperfect, conditional, imperative. Every conjugation arrives as a real example sentence with audio. Finally understand why Spanish has so many verb endings and why French verbs surprise you. CREATE YOUR OWN CARDS WITH AI Pro users paste any word or phrase and Lingden generates a complete flashcard: a real example sentence at your level, word-by-word breakdown, IPA, meaning, and native audio. Build a deck from this morning's article, your favorite song lyrics, or the words your language partner taught you yesterday. TOPIC AND LEVEL FILTERS Focus on travel vocabulary before a trip. Drill medical terms before an appointment. Lock to A1 basics or push into B2 nuance. Your study plan, your way. VOCABULARY BROWSER Browse every word you've ever learned. Search, filter, sort by mastery, and see your progress as a real, growing personal dictionary. FREE FOREVER 1 language, 10 new cards per day, full A1 to B2 access, spaced repetition, word-by-word breakdowns, audio and IPA. No ads, no time limits, no trial countdown. LINGDEN PRO Unlock unlimited languages, 50 new cards per day, scan-a-book, AI card generation, verb conjugations, topic filters, and the full vocabulary browser. Monthly or yearly subscription - the yearly plan is the best value. Cancel anytime in iOS Settings. PRIVACY FIRST We never sell your data. We never track you across the web. Your progress syncs securely with your account so you can switch devices without losing a streak. WHY PEOPLE LOVE LINGDEN - Real sentences from your very first card - Works offline once a deck is loaded - No autoplay videos, no streak shame, no mascot guilt - Built by language learners, for language learners WHO IT IS FOR - Travelers who want to actually speak the language - Heritage speakers reconnecting with their roots - Students supplementing classroom courses - Anyone tired of language apps that feel like a game show START LEARNING TODAY Pick a language. Pick a level. Hit Continue. You will be on your first real sentence in 30 seconds. Privacy Policy: https://lingden.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://lingden.app/terms

About

Die Kartei

Features
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A GERMAN MODEL, FINE-TUNED FOR THIS APP German Tutor is trained specifically on German instruction rather than general chat. Pick the size that fits your phone, the app reads your available memory and recommends one, then it writes the stories, runs the drills, and builds your cards, all on device. Model and training data are open on Hugging Face. A COACH THAT KNOWS WHAT YOU GET WRONG An entrance quiz places you from A1 to C1. From there the app tracks the mistakes you make across flashcards, stories, games, and conversations, then works those weak spots back into your practice. Set a daily goal in minutes, watch your level and your pyramid fill in, and check the streak calendar for what you actually did. Reminders on whatever cadence you set, or none. GAMES THAT USE YOUR OWN VOCABULARY Vocab Matching pairs German and English against the clock using your own decks. Der/Die/Das is rapid article practice drawn from an on-device dictionary. Prepositions drills the one nobody masters: Akkusativ, Dativ, Wechsel, or Genitiv, with the Wohin/Wo examples that show you why. QUEUE THE HEAVY WORK Line up stories, decks, and illustrations and let your phone build them while you are away. Plan It for Me fills the queue from a few questions. Jobs run top to bottom with a time estimate, and you can leave the app while they finish.

Screenshots

Lingden4 screens
Die Kartei4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Die Kartei at none against Lingden's 2. Lingden's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, ads 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. Lingden sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Die Kartei asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lingden ships an update fortnightly, Die Kartei every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Lingden versus Die Kartei: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLingdenDie Kartei
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightly โ€” betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 โ€” better26.2
Further details โ€” not scored
Size9 MB99 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMohammad JasourKyle Essenmacher

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Lingden

Subscriptions2
  • Lingden Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Lingden Pro Yearly$49.991 Year
None

Die Kartei

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lingden free?
Lingden is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Die Kartei free?
Die Kartei is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Lingden or Die Kartei have ads?
Neither Lingden nor Die Kartei shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lingden or Die Kartei?
Lingden ships an update fortnightly, and Die Kartei every 5 weeks. Most recently, Lingden was updated on October 6, 2026 and Die Kartei on October 12, 2026.

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