Comparison

Penguin vs Shadow

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

Head to head
About

Penguin

Features
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Penguin is an innovative language and vocabulary learning app that makes mastering new languages fun and effective through interactive games. Key Features: • Personalized Lessons & Words: Custom lessons and vocabulary sets tailored to your personal goals and learning pace. • Learning Through Games: Memorize words effortlessly by playing engaging games designed for active learning. • Audio Voiceovers & Pronunciation: Improve your speaking and listening skills with clear and accurate audio pronunciations for all words. • Scores & Progress Tracking: Aim for high scores in games and track your accomplishments in real-time. • Email Notifications: Stay motivated with daily study reminders and weekly progress reports sent straight to your inbox. Explore the world of words and learn new languages easily with Penguin! Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Shadow

Features
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Shadow is how people actually learn to speak a language: by listening to a native speaker, saying it back, recording yourself and hearing the difference. Bring in anything you want to sound like — a YouTube video, a podcast, a voice note, a song, a scene from a film. Shadow transcribes it, splits it into phrases you can repeat, and loops them until the words come out without thinking. ASK SHADOW — YOUR COACH, IN THE APP Stuck on how to say something? Ask in your own language and get the English a native would really use, with two or three ways to say it and what each one brings with it. Paste a sentence you wrote and see it rewritten the way people actually speak. Hear every answer in a British, American or Australian voice, see the phonetics under the words, and save the good ones straight into your practice. Then practise them. A ten-round daily session is built from your own saved phrases and the mistakes that keep coming back — answered out loud or typed, and marked one answer at a time with your own words next to the correction. SHADOWING, PROPERLY • Phrase-by-phrase looping with the pauses you choose • Record yourself over the original and compare, line by line • Pitch and rhythm shown side by side, so you can hear what's different • Phonetic transcription under any line • Save any phrase and drill it later, in folders you make MAKE YOUR OWN MATERIAL • Turn any phrase into voiced examples in different situations • Generate dialogues and monologues to shadow • Film yourself next to the original and export it BUILT FOR REAL LIFE • Light and dark, following your phone or pinned to one • Works offline once a clip is in • Apple Watch remote for your phrase drills Whether you're preparing for a meeting, moving countries, or just tired of being understood but not sounding like yourself — Shadow is the practice that gets you there.

Screenshots

Penguin4 screens
Shadow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Penguin at 15.0 against Shadow's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Penguin sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month and Shadow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Penguin ships an update every 3 days, Shadow every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 7 level
Penguin versus Shadow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPenguinShadow
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB422 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAYKUT ARSLANTASNatalia Kosianova

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Penguin

Subscriptions1
  • Penguin Premium Monthly3 Days trial$5.991 Month
3 purchases

Shadow

Subscriptions1
  • Shadow Premium$24.991 Month
One-time2
  • 30 generations$4.99
  • 100 generations$12.99

Questions

Is Penguin free?
Penguin is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shadow free?
Shadow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Penguin or Shadow have ads?
Neither Penguin nor Shadow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Penguin or Shadow?
Penguin ships an update every 3 days, and Shadow every 4 days. Most recently, Penguin was updated on October 24, 2026 and Shadow on October 20, 2026.

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