Comparison

ThaiCards vs Kru May

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

Head to head
About

ThaiCards

Features
Read full description

ThaiCards is a Thai flashcard app built on spaced repetition. It shows you each word right before you would forget it, and keeps bringing it back until it sticks. Every card carries Thai script, romanization, English and audio, so you can start before you can read Thai. Most of them carry a picture of the moment you would use the word in, which is what makes them stay put. Free to start. A beginner deck, the street food phrases and the coached practice tracks are open before you pay for anything, and you do not need an account to try them. Flashcards - Spaced repetition shows each word right before you would forget it. - Tap to flip between Thai and English. Swipe right or up when you know it, left or down to keep studying it. - Thai script, romanization and English on every card, with audio and tone information. - A daily queue sized to about ten minutes. Word Explorer - Browse thousands of common Thai words by category: basics, food, drinks, travel and more. - Ordered by how often Thai people actually say them, not by dictionary order. - Mark words known to clear them, or keep them in your deck. Situations - Whole phrases for the moments you are actually in: a food stall, a taxi, a market, a family meal, the bank counter. - Fourteen cards work the other way round. They show what somebody says to YOU, with the answer to give back, because asking a question is only half of it. - Tap any word in a phrase to see what it means, hear it on its own, and add it to your own deck. - Written for people who spend real time in Thailand, including a section for Isan and family life rather than tourism. Watch - A hands-off mode for the times you do not want to answer anything. Words play one after another with the audio and an illustration. - Choose one, two, three or four seconds a card and it keeps going on its own. - Slide anywhere in the deck: back to the most common words, forward into rarer ones, or to the point your studying has reached. - Over 2,500 Thai words, each with its own illustration. Coached practice - Work through guided tracks step by step, with a teacher panel that reads each line aloud. - Practice introductions and everyday conversation, one prompt at a time. - Choose your mix of Thai and English: mostly Thai, mostly English, or both. - Speak your answer and check it, or reveal the meaning and move on. Made for beginners - No prior Thai needed. Romanization sits beside the script from the first card. - An optional free account syncs your progress across devices. ThaiCards is an independent project, built by someone who splits time between the US and Thailand and married into a Thai family. It is updated often. If something is broken or confusing, email the developer and a human will answer. An internet connection is required. Subscription ThaiCards Premium is 1.99 USD per month and renews automatically until you cancel. The free tier includes a beginner deck, the street food situations and the coached practice. Premium opens the full deck catalogue, the rest of Watch and every Situations set, keeping words from Word Explorer, and custom vocabulary. You can cancel any time in Settings on your iPhone under your Apple Account, then Subscriptions. Cancelling stops the next renewal, and your access continues through the end of the period you have paid for. Terms of Service: https://flashcards.alexsears.org/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://flashcards.alexsears.org/privacy.html

About

Kru May

Features
Read full description

Learn to read Thai, one story at a time. Kru May teaches Thai the way you actually learned your first language: through stories you understand. Every page is illustrated, every sentence is read aloud, and every word can be tapped. Thai has no spaces between words, which makes it look impossible at first. Kru May solves that โ€” each sentence is split by hand, so you can touch any word and see exactly where it begins and ends. READ REAL STORIES Follow Hugo through Bangkok: markets, tuk-tuks, temples, a first Muay Thai class. 90 illustrated stories, 1034 pages, 658 words met in context โ€” never in a list. HEAR EVERY TONE Thai has five tones, and a wrong one means a different word. Every sentence and every word comes in two speeds, because at normal speed a Thai syllable is too fast for a beginner's ear to catch the shape of the tone. UNDERSTAND WHY, NOT JUST WHAT Thai has no conjugation, no plurals, no articles. Its grammar lives in word order and a handful of particles. When a new pattern appears, a small badge under the sentence explains it in three lines โ€” once, where you first meet it. You can read without ever opening it. LEARN THE ALPHABET All 44 consonants with their traditional names, 32 vowels, and the Thai numerals โ€” each one spoken aloud. Consonants are grouped by class, because the class decides the tone. REMEMBER WHAT YOU MEET Save any word and it becomes a flashcard. Spaced repetition brings it back exactly when you are about to forget it. WHY LEARNERS CHOOSE KRU MAY - Stories, not word lists - Every word tappable, with tone and meaning - Two listening speeds on everything - Thai script from day one, in your choice of letterform - Interface in English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Chinese, Swedish, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Polish or Hindi - No account, no sign-up โ€” your progress stays on your device Start with the first story today. Subscriptions: Unlock every story and unlimited flashcards with a monthly or annual plan. Payment is charged to your Apple ID; subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel anytime in your account settings. Kru May is a learning companion for personal study. Your progress stays on your device and is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.anzarsystems.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.anzarsystems.com/privacy

Screenshots

ThaiCards4 screens
Kru May4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: ThaiCards at none against Kru May's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. ThaiCards sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month and Kru May sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ThaiCards ships an update every 5 days, Kru May every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 6 level
ThaiCards versus Kru May: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThaiCardsKru May
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsโ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 3 days โ€” better
AdsNo โ€” betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better16.4
Further details โ€” not scored
Size11 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlex Sears CPA LLCAnzar Technologies LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ThaiCards

Subscriptions1
  • Thai Tutor Premium$1.991 Month
4 purchases

Kru May

Subscriptions4
  • Kru May Premium (1 month)$5.991 Month
  • Kru May Premium (1 year)$14.991 Year
  • Kru May Premium (1 year)3 Days trial$24.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Kru May Premium (1 year)$24.991 Year

Questions

Is ThaiCards free?
ThaiCards is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kru May free?
Kru May is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ThaiCards or Kru May have ads?
Kru May shows ads; ThaiCards does not.
Which is updated more often, ThaiCards or Kru May?
ThaiCards ships an update every 5 days, and Kru May every 3 days. Most recently, ThaiCards was updated on October 31, 2026 and Kru May on November 12, 2026.

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