Comparison

Etymonline English Dictionary vs Poly Flashcards

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

Head to head
About

Etymonline English Dictionary

Explore the origins and history of English words with this comprehensive dictionary app. It offers instant search, related word suggestions, and an offline mode for premium users. Enhance your vocabulary and understanding of word roots.

Highlights
  • Word origin exploration
  • Instant search with suggestions
  • Related words by root
  • Offline dictionary (Premium)
  • Ad-free experience (Premium)
Features
Read full description

The official, complete app of Douglas Harper's Online Etymology Dictionary, with useful features to help you understand the origins of words as well as improve your vocabulary. • From etymonline.com, the internet's top choice for quick, reliable, comprehensive yet comprehensible English word origins • Instantaneous search with spelling suggestions works fast on your iPhones • Offline Dictionary - find out word origins anytime, anywhere (Premium only) • Universal app - works on your iPhones and iPads • Related Words - easily access words that share the same origin/root. For example, you can check out all the words with root –logy, such as agriology, anthropology, biology, cardiology, choreology, Christology, chronology, cosmology, etc. Get even more with ETYMONLINE PREMIUM: • No Ads - Enjoy a calm, ad-free reading environment • Offline dictionary - Search and view etymology without the need of an internet connection - Privacy Policy: https://www.etymonline.com/legal/privacy - Terms of Use: https://www.etymonline.com/legal/terms

About

Poly Flashcards

Features
Read full description

Remember more. Use what you learn. Turn your notes into flashcards, your audio into useful vocabulary, and everyday conversations into personal language practice. Poly brings creation, listening, speaking and spaced repetition together in one focused app. Learn a language, prepare for an exam, build professional knowledge or explore a new interest. Start with your own material and make it yours. A POWERFUL CORE, FREE Create unlimited decks and flashcards. Organize them into folders, edit your cards, import existing material and study with Smart Review. No Poly account or subscription is required for the core experience. REMEMBER MORE, EVERY DAY Smart Review uses FSRS spaced repetition to choose what needs attention next. Study one deck, a folder or your whole library. Focus on due cards, difficult material or new cards, and use Catch-Up when your backlog grows. Undo a mistaken rating and pause cards that need a rethink. TURN NOTES AND PICTURES INTO CARDS Paste structured notes or scan a page, then check and edit the cards before saving. Create two-way cards and fill-in-the-blank questions. Hide labels on diagrams and photos for visual recall. Keep useful images, audio and language details with your cards. LEARN FROM WHAT YOU HEAR Import an audio lesson and add or create a timed transcript. Jump to a sentence, repeat a difficult line and look up words in context. Save useful words or complete sentences as flashcards with their original audio clips. Listen, record and replay yourself with shadowing practice. PRACTISE EVERY SIDE OF A LANGUAGE Understand, Recall, Listen, Dictation, Type and Speak train different skills from the same material. Check typed answers, choose how strictly to handle accents and compare spoken answers with recognized text. Add readings, pronunciation and grammar to support your learning. MAKE LANGUAGE PERSONAL Build a Language Island: a bilingual script for introducing yourself, ordering food or talking about your life. Write or import sentence pairs, choose recall pauses and preview the first two pairs with device voices. AI+ creates the complete professional audio for repeated listening and practice. CREATE WITH OPTIONAL AI+ Build editable flashcards from a focused prompt, or enrich a word with examples, grammar and natural phrases. Explore due-word conversations, optional sound coaching and Card Doctor suggestions for troublesome cards. AI+ also includes professional speech and all Pro features. Check AI-generated facts and translations before studying. BRING YOUR LEARNING WITH YOU Import and export supported Anki packages, CSV and Quizlet text. Keep a complete Poly backup. Study saved material offline, use iPad handwriting and larger layouts, or transfer supported short text cards and audio to Apple Watch for quick sessions away from your phone. SEE YOUR PROGRESS GROW Follow your reviews, streaks and language activity. Build a routine with reminders and use your progress to choose what to practise next. Pro Lifetime adds iCloud sync and advanced retention, mastery and workload insights. CHOOSE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU The core app is free. Pro is an optional lifetime purchase. AI+ is an optional monthly or annual subscription with usage allowances. New AI requests and online downloads require a connection; speech recognition availability varies by device and language. Privacy Policy: https://getpoly.dev/privacy Terms: https://getpoly.dev/terms

Screenshots

Etymonline English Dictionary4 screens
Poly Flashcards4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Poly Flashcards at none against Etymonline English Dictionary's shown. Etymonline English Dictionary's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Etymonline English Dictionary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Poly Flashcards sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Etymonline English Dictionary ships an update every 9 days, Poly Flashcards every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Etymonline English Dictionary versus Poly Flashcards: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEtymonline English DictionaryPoly Flashcards
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (12K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews94.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings12K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB27 MB
Age rating12+4+
Developer崇伟 柳Colin Kelly

Bugs and requests

Etymonline English Dictionary

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Bottom of related words list cut off
  • Search bar not always visible
  • App version not compatible with dark mode

Requested features

3 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Offline access to full entries
  • One-time purchase option instead of subscription

Poly Flashcards

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Etymonline English Dictionary

Subscriptions3
  • Etymonline Premium 1 Month7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Etymonline Premium 6 Months14 Days trial$13.996 Months
  • Etymonline Premium 12 Months1 Month trial$17.991 Year
3 purchases

Poly Flashcards

Subscriptions2
  • Poly AI+ Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Poly AI+ Annual$44.991 Year
One-time1
  • Poly Pro Lifetime$3.99

Questions

Is Etymonline English Dictionary free?
Etymonline English Dictionary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Poly Flashcards free?
Poly Flashcards is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Etymonline English Dictionary or Poly Flashcards have ads?
Etymonline English Dictionary shows ads; Poly Flashcards does not.
Which is updated more often, Etymonline English Dictionary or Poly Flashcards?
Etymonline English Dictionary ships an update every 9 days, and Poly Flashcards every 5 days. Most recently, Etymonline English Dictionary was updated on November 11, 2026 and Poly Flashcards on November 10, 2026.

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