Comparison

basicEnglish850 vs Kay Ogden

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

Head to head
About

basicEnglish850

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Learn the 850 core English words selected by linguist Charles Kay Ogden — the foundation of Basic English communication. FEATURES • 850 carefully curated vocabulary words • Flashcard quiz with swipe gestures • Learning progress tracking with daily streaks • Star words for focused review • 5 beautiful themes: Clean, Warm, Night, Paper, Play • Chinese and Japanese translations included • Works fully offline — no internet required ABOUT BASIC ENGLISH 850 In the 1930s, linguist Charles Kay Ogden identified 850 words sufficient to express any idea in English. Mastering these words provides a powerful foundation for English communication. LEARNING APPROACH Browse words by category, study details with example sentences and collocations, then test yourself with the flashcard quiz. Your progress is saved automatically on your device.

About

Kay Ogden

Features
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Kay Ogden helps you learn English with Ogden Basic English — the practical 850-word core and the 1368-word library. British and American audio is now built into the app. Tap any word, definition, or example and hear it immediately, even on a plane or a subway. New Concept English Book 1 audio is included; Books 2–4 can be downloaded when you need them. Study with flashcards, IPA pronunciation, phrases, stories, daily review, and New Concept lessons. When you need help writing a sentence, AI writing assistance is there. Kay Ogden is the focused native iOS edition for learners who want a calm, classic vocabulary routine — offline first. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

basicEnglish8504 screens
Kay Ogden4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: basicEnglish850 at none against Kay Ogden's 2. basicEnglish850 also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 days) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Kay Ogden sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. basicEnglish850 asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

basicEnglish850 ships an update daily, Kay Ogden every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
basicEnglish850 versus Kay Ogden: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterbasicEnglish850Kay Ogden
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB804 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer显华 董小琦 王

In-app purchases

None

basicEnglish850

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Kay Ogden

Subscriptions2
  • AI Writing Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Kay Support$1.991 Month

Questions

Is basicEnglish850 free?
basicEnglish850 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Kay Ogden free?
Kay Ogden is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do basicEnglish850 or Kay Ogden have ads?
Neither basicEnglish850 nor Kay Ogden shows ads.
Which is updated more often, basicEnglish850 or Kay Ogden?
basicEnglish850 ships an update daily, and Kay Ogden every 2 days. Most recently, basicEnglish850 was updated on September 18, 2026 and Kay Ogden on September 8, 2026.

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