Etymonline English Dictionary vs TheSaurus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Word origin exploration
- Instant search with suggestions
- Related words by root
- Offline dictionary (Premium)
- Ad-free experience (Premium)
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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
TheSaurus
Explore word relationships through an interactive visual graph. See synonyms and definitions presented as interconnected nodes, allowing for deeper understanding of language. Expand the graph by tapping on nodes to reveal more connections and meanings.
- Interactive word graph visualization
- Synonym and definition display
- Node definitions on tap
- Expandable graph view
- Adjustable node and font size
- Promote nodes to root
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TheSaurus is an interactive visual thesaurus. When you search for a word, the word and its synonyms are presented as a graph. The word node that was searched becomes the root of the graph and is centered in the middle. Word nodes are connected to meaning nodes. A meaning node can be a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb. Word nodes themselves are defined by the set of meaning nodes with which they are associated. If two word nodes are connected to the same meaning node, then those two word nodes will have that meaning in common. If you tap on a node, you will be presented with the node's definition. Since a word's definition is its set of meanings, all of its meanings will be presented when it is tapped. By default, the graph only shows a limited number of nodes at a time. If a node has neighbors that aren't currently displayed, it will have a magenta outline. Tapping on one of these nodes will expand the graph to show that node's neighbours. Other neat features: * Double tap a node to promote it to the root * Pinch the display to adjust the size of the nodes and fonts
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Etymonline English Dictionary at 94% against TheSaurus's 50%. Etymonline English Dictionary also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.6) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 months). TheSaurus's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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
Both are free to download. Etymonline English Dictionary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. TheSaurus asks for nothing beyond the download.
Etymonline English Dictionary holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Etymonline English Dictionary has 12K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Etymonline English Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 50% of TheSaurus's.
Etymonline English Dictionary ships an update every 9 days, TheSaurus every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Etymonline English Dictionary | TheSaurus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (12K ratings) — better | 3.6 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 94.2% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 12K — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 64 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 崇伟 柳 | Shadanan Sharma |
Customer experience
Etymonline English Dictionary
TheSaurus
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
TheSaurus
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Etymonline English Dictionary
- 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
TheSaurus
No in-app purchases
