Comparison

ShadowGerman vs Lingeva

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

Head to head
About

ShadowGerman

Features
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Learn to speak German the way fluent speakers actually do it: by shadowing. Hear a native German sentence, then say it back β€” matching the rhythm, melody, and sounds until it feels natural in your own mouth. WHY SHADOWING WORKS Reading and flashcards build knowledge. Speaking builds fluency. ShadowGerman puts your voice at the center: listen, repeat out loud, record yourself, and compare β€” the fastest way to a natural accent and real confidence. HOW YOU PRACTICE β€’ Listen to a clear, native German voice for every sentence β€’ Slow it down or speed it up until you can keep pace β€’ Record your own voice and play it back against the original β€’ See both waveforms side by side to spot where you drifted β€’ Show the translation β€” English, Chinese, Japanese or Korean β€” when you need it, hide it when you don't 1,000 LESSONS, A1 TO C2 A full path from absolute beginner to advanced, graded by the official CEFR levels. Every lesson comes with interactive exercises β€” multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, translation, and word ordering β€” that grade themselves the moment you answer. BRING YOUR OWN GERMAN Studying for an exam or reading a book? Import your own text or a PDF and ShadowGerman splits it into clean German sentences you can shadow line by line. A WORDBOOK THAT REMEMBERS FOR YOU Save the words you meet and review them with spaced repetition, so they resurface right before you'd forget. Tap any word to hear it pronounced. WORKS OFFLINE The German voice runs entirely on your device β€” no internet, no streaming, no waiting. Practice on a plane, on the subway, anywhere. BUILT TO KEEP YOU GOING Earn XP, level up, and keep a daily streak alive. Your progress syncs privately through your own iCloud between iPhone and iPad, and there's no account to create. FREE & PREMIUM Start completely free with all of Level A1 β€” 200 lessons β€” plus importing your own texts. Unlock A2 through C2, another 800 lessons, with Premium: β€’ Monthly or yearly (with a 7-day free trial) β€’ Or a one-time Lifetime purchase, yours forever Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the current period ends; manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase Premium. Privacy Policy: https://mzjpg.com/policy/shadowing-german Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Lingeva

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Find your words in German. Then put them to work. Lingeva brings German speaking practice together with the grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation behind it. Step into a conversation, see how you could express yourself more clearly, and choose what to practise next. YOUR AI GERMAN SPEAKING COACH Choose an AI partner and a topic to talk about. Prepare for a work meeting, explore an idea or chat about everyday life. Choose Casual, Professional, Academic or Exam style, with slow, normal or native-like speaking speed. Speak into your microphone or use the typed alternative, with practice suited to your level. REHEARSE THE MOMENTS THAT MATTER Explore hundreds of real-life scenarios across CEFR levels A1, A2, B1, B2 and C1: shopping, travel, housing, appointments, interviews, work and life in Germany. At higher levels, practise discussing ideas, defending opinions and handling complex conversations. Prepare with a sample dialogue, reference audio, useful vocabulary and key phrases. Check the scenario's Grammar Focus, choose your role, then try an interactive conversation. TURN FEEDBACK INTO YOUR NEXT STEP Get feedback on what you actually said, including grammar, naturalness and appropriate style. Where useful, compare a better answer or a shorter, more natural alternative. Review your conversation, strengths and next learning focus, then follow links to relevant grammar drills. MAKE YOUR PRONUNCIATION CLEARER Use the dedicated pronunciation trainer for words and sentences. Listen to reference audio, record yourself, replay your attempt and try again. Speech analysis highlights accuracy, fluency and completeness, with guidance on difficult words and sounds. Target tricky German sounds in focused difficult-word drills. CONNECT THE RULES TO REAL COMMUNICATION Learn German grammar through explanations, examples and common mistakes. Move from a topic into exercises, scenario practice and mastery checks. Practise with fill-in answers, sentence building, error correction and other German exercises, supported by hints and explanations. Revisit weak topics with focused recommendations. BUILD VOCABULARY YOU CAN USE Search German vocabulary by level and theme. Explore articles, meanings and example sentences, with word forms, collocations and memory aids where available. Go beyond flashcards with meaning recall in both directions, article practice, sentence gaps, collocations and word families. Track mastery, revisit weak words and work through due words with spaced review. PREPARE FOR GERMAN EXAMS Use Exam Prep for skill practice, strategies and common traps. Then take timed mock exams with reading, listening, writing and speaking tasks. Practise for Goethe-Zertifikat A1–C1, telc Deutsch B1 and B2, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule, Deutsch-Test fΓΌr Zuwanderer (DTZ) and Deutsch-Test fΓΌr den Beruf B2. Check automatically scored answers and use AI-supported assessment for writing and recorded speaking. Results are learning estimates; Lingeva is not affiliated with or endorsed by exam providers. MAKE LEARNING FIT YOUR LIFE Set your starting level, target, skills focus and daily learning time. Follow progress in grammar, vocabulary, scenarios and speaking, with activity history, streaks and recommendations to guide your next session. Optional learning reminders help you return to your routine. Learn German with an English or Vietnamese interface and explanations, while practising the language in German. β€’ German learning from A1 to C1 β€’ Conversation, role-play and actionable feedback β€’ Connected grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation practice β€’ Exam preparation, progress and personal goals Free access includes core A1–B1 learning. Premium unlocks B2–C1 content, AI conversations, pronunciation analysis and AI exam assessment. Usage limits apply. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Bring your next German conversation closer. Speak. Learn. Evolve. With Lingeva.

Screenshots

ShadowGerman4 screens
Lingeva4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Lingeva at 16.4 against ShadowGerman's 18.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. ShadowGerman sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Lingeva sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
ShadowGerman versus Lingeva: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadowGermanLingeva
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyβ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.016.4 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size174 MB37 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDajialeNguyen Tien Dung

In-app purchases

3 purchases

ShadowGerman

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$49.99
3 purchases

Lingeva

Subscriptions3
  • Lingeva Premium Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Lingeva Premium 3 Months7 Days trial$24.993 Months
  • Lingeva Premium Yearly7 Days trial$69.991 Year

Questions

Is ShadowGerman free?
ShadowGerman is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lingeva free?
Lingeva is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ShadowGerman or Lingeva have ads?
Neither ShadowGerman nor Lingeva shows ads.

Other comparisons