Polyglot vs Ombra
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Polyglot
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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.
Ombra
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Ombra plays short Italian sentences, one after another, and gives you time to say them out loud. That's it. No streaks to protect, no cartoon mascot, no AI chat. Just a clean player built for one thing: getting Italian into your mouth. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick a course and press Start. 2. A short A1 sentence plays, with its English translation on screen. 3. It repeats, with a pause after each one for your voice. 4. The next sentence arrives automatically. You never touch the screen again. Put the phone in your pocket, lock it, and keep going while you walk, cook, or commute — the audio keeps playing. WHEN YOU'RE READY, MAKE IT HARDER Hide the Italian text and echo what you hear by ear. Hide the translation too, and you're doing pure shadowing. You decide when to move up. BUILT FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS Most listening material is too fast and too long for someone just starting. Every sentence in Ombra is three to eight words, built from roughly 500 core A1 words, and grouped into ten themed courses: · Primi passi — everyday basics · Al bar e al ristorante — ordering food and drinks · In giro per la città — getting around town · La mia giornata — daily routine and time · Parlare di sé — family, hobbies, weather · In viaggio — travel and transport · Ieri e il weekend — talking about the past · Salute e benessere — health and how you feel · Usciamo insieme? — making plans · Progetti e sogni — the future 500 sentences in total, all recorded with natural Italian voices. EVERYTHING IS ADJUSTABLE · Sentences per session (5–50) · Playback speed (0.5× to 1.5×) · Repeats per sentence (1 to 5) · Length of your speaking pause (×0.5 to ×2) · Italian text on or off · Translation on or off · In order or shuffled HONEST ABOUT WHAT THIS DOES Shadowing mainly trains your ear and your mouth — hearing where words begin and end, and getting comfortable with the sounds and rhythm of Italian. It is not a grammar course, and it will not teach you to hold a conversation on its own. It works best alongside whatever else you are studying. It also only works if you understand what you are saying. That is why the translation is shown by default, and why every sentence stays short. FREE All ten courses are free. A small banner appears on the session summary screen only — never while you are practising. If you would like to remove it and support development, there is a one-time purchase. Found a sentence that sounds off? There is a report button on every one, and I read all of them.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Polyglot at none against Ombra's 4. Polyglot also leads on ads (none vs shown). Ombra's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18). On price, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Ombra sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Polyglot asks for nothing beyond the download.
Polyglot ships an update every 3 weeks, Ombra every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Polyglot | Ombra |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AJA Digital LLC | Naoki Oshima |
In-app purchases
Polyglot
No in-app purchases
Ombra
- Offer a Caffè$0.99
- Offer an Aperitivo$2.99
- Remove Ads & Support$3.99
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- Offer a Cena$4.99









