NGSL Builder vs My Words
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NGSL Builder
This app aids English language learners in mastering essential vocabulary from the New General Service List (NGSL). It offers tools for downloading, organizing, and studying words through science-based methods like spaced repetition flashcards. Track your progress and improve your English fluency efficiently.
- NGSL vocabulary list access
- Intelligent flashcard system
- Spaced-repetition learning
- Progress tracking and recording
- Wordlist organization
- Pronunciation guides
Read full descriptionHide full description
NGSL Builder: This application is designed to help learners and teachers make use of one of the most important lists of vocabulary words for second language learners of English, the New General Service List (NGSL). The NGSL is a free open source wordlist and is used with permission. The app contains simple tools to help you download, email and organize the NGSL, as well as science-based study tools to quickly and efficiently learn the words, keep detailed record of your progress and the ability to email your progress to yourself or a teacher. The original definitions are written in simple English and the app also give you pronunciation of each word by a professional voice talent who is a native speaker of English of North American English. About the NGSL: The New General Service List (usually referred to as the NGSL) was published by Dr. Charles Browne, Dr.Brent Culligan and Joseph Phillips in 2013 after several years of of detailed corpus work with the well-regarded 2 billion word Cambridge English Corpus (CEC) and input from world famous vocabulary specialists such as Paul Nation of University of Victoria in Wellington. The NGSL is a set of 2,800 words selected to be of the greatest "general service" to second language learners of English. Although there are over 600,000 words in the English language, these 2800 cover more than 90% of the words people meet in their daily lives. This list is a major update of the original 1953 GSL list (which only covers about 80%) and is being adopted by a growing number of publishers, companies and online tools for learning, teaching and analyzing text. A fuller discussion of the NGSL including published research can be found at our dedicated website (www.newgeneralservicelist.org). About Intelligent Flashcards: The app also contains an Intelligent Wordlist Maker and Intelligent Flashcard system. The Intelligent Wordlist Maker helps you to quickly and efficiently pick only the words you don’t know for study in the flashcard system. Rather than force you to go through the entire list at once, Intelligent Wordlist Maker guides you through the list by frequency bands, allowing you to add words little by little, just as you need them or when you have time. Based on the well documented science of “spaced-repetition”, the Intelligent Flashcard system systematically and efficiently helps you to review the words several times over a period of a month, giving you extra time with the words that are giving you difficulty.
My Words
This app helps you learn new vocabulary by letting you enter your own words, organize them into lists, and practice with flashcards, quizzes, and grammar exercises. It makes language learning engaging and accessible for busy individuals.
- Enter and organize custom vocabulary lists
- Practice with flashcards
- Take quizzes to test knowledge
- Grammar checking exercises
- Learn at your own pace
Read full descriptionHide full description
Do you dream of learning a foreign language but postpone it till Monday all the time? Are you scared of a large number of new words and boring educational process? Then My Words app was created just for you! Enter new words that you want to learn, optionally organize them by using lists and start flipping cards, playing quizzes and checking your grammar. Just relax and play any time you have a free minute.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NGSL Builder at none against My Words's 1. NGSL Builder also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 80%). My Words's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). On price, rating 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. My Words sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NGSL Builder asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for NGSL Builder against 4.7 for My Words. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NGSL Builder has 70 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of NGSL Builder's written reviews are positive against 80% of My Words's.
NGSL Builder ships an update every 8 months, My Words every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NGSL Builder | My Words |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (70 ratings) — better | 4.7 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 80.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 70 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 248 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | EFL Technologies | App Dev Academy Ltd. |
Customer experience
NGSL Builder
My Words
In-app purchases
NGSL Builder
No in-app purchases
My Words
- Remove Ads$4.99







