Comparison

Language Reactor vs Shadow

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

Head to head
About

Language Reactor

Learn languages by watching videos with dual subtitles and instant contextual translations. Save words, practice with spaced-repetition flashcards, and get AI-powered grammar explanations. Track your progress and master new languages through engaging content.

Highlights
  • Dual subtitles on YouTube
  • Contextual word translation and pronunciation
  • AI grammar explanations with CEFR levels
  • Spaced-repetition flashcards
  • Progress tracking with stats and heatmap
  • Support for multiple languages
Features
Read full description

Linglass turns YouTube into the most natural way to learn a language — watch what you love, with dual subtitles, and pick up words without it ever feeling like studying. Tap any word in the subtitles to see what it means in context (not just a dictionary definition), hear it pronounced by a native voice, and save it with one tap. Every saved word comes back at the perfect moment with spaced-repetition flashcards, so it sticks. DUAL SUBTITLES ON YOUTUBE Watch any YouTube video with subtitles in your target language and your own, side by side. Tap a word for an instant, context-aware translation. CONTEXTUAL TRANSLATION + PRONUNCIATION Get the meaning that fits the sentence, with phonetic transcription and native-voice audio. Built for understanding, not just lookups. AI GRAMMAR EXPLANATION Select a sentence and get a clear, structured breakdown of the grammar — each construction labelled with its CEFR / JLPT / HSK / TOPIK level, in your own language. SMART FLASHCARDS (SPACED REPETITION) Review saved words with the real video context — the sentence and the frame they came from. The FSRS algorithm schedules each card right before you'd forget it. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Streaks, a review heatmap and clear stats keep you coming back. LEARN: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese — with the interface in 20 languages. FREE TO USE: 15 translations a day, 50 saved words, and AI grammar explanations every month. PREMIUM removes the limits — unlimited translations, unlimited saved words and far more AI grammar. Watch. Click. Translate. Remember. linglass.app · support@linglass.app Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://linglass.app/privacy

About

Shadow

Features
Read full description

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 movie. 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 practice 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 • Fold away an ad, a laugh or a line you'd never say, and the drill walks past it • Save any phrase and drill it later, in collections you make MAKE YOUR OWN MATERIAL • Turn any phrase into voiced examples in different situations • Generate dialogues and monologues to shadow, in the accent and voice you pick • 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

Language Reactor4 screens
Shadow4 screens

Verdict

The call

Language Reactor and Shadow are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Language Reactor sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 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

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Language Reactor versus Shadow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLanguage ReactorShadow
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB275 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIlia FurtaevNatalia Kosianova

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Language Reactor

Subscriptions2
  • Premium (Monthly)$7.991 Month
  • Premium (Annual)3 Days trial$59.991 Year
3 purchases

Shadow

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

Questions

Is Language Reactor free?
Language Reactor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shadow free?
Shadow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Language Reactor or Shadow have ads?
Neither Language Reactor nor Shadow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Language Reactor or Shadow?
Language Reactor ships an update every 4 days, and Shadow every 4 days. Most recently, Language Reactor was updated on October 31, 2026 and Shadow on October 29, 2026.

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