Comparison

Dicty vs Alpus

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

Head to head
About

Dicty

This app allows you to view dictionaries in StarDict format on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. It offers fast searching, contextual word lookup, and a dark color scheme for comfortable reading. Dictionaries are not included and must be downloaded separately.

Highlights
  • StarDict format support
  • Fast search while typing
  • Contextual word lookup
  • Dark color scheme
  • Clipboard support
  • Share extension
Features
Read full description

Dicty is a viewer application for dictionaries in StarDict format. Thanks to Dicty, thousands of free dictionaries become available for use with your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad ¹. Features: * StarDict format support (plain text, html, xdxf). * Fast search over all dictionaries while typing. * Contextual word lookup. Tap and hold on a word in the text to lookup it in all dictionaries. * Special "Dark" color scheme. Makes the text easier to read in the dark and saves your eyes. * Clipboard support. Allows to copy last translated word to clipboard. * Portrait and Landscape viewing modes. * iTunes File Sharing support. * Share extension. Allows to translate selected words from other apps. ¹ No dictionaries are provided with the application. You can find them on the Internet free of charge and download inside the application or copy using iTunes.

About

Alpus

Access and search multiple dictionary formats offline. Supports various file types and offers advanced search options like wildcard and fuzzy matching. Easily manage and synchronize your dictionaries across devices.

Highlights
  • Offline dictionary access
  • Supports multiple dictionary formats
  • Advanced search (wildcard, fuzzy, full-text)
  • In-page popup translator
  • History and bookmarks
  • Dictionary synchronization
Features
Read full description

Alpus is a viewer application for dictionaries in StarDict, DSL, XDXF, Dictd, and TSV/Plain formats ¹. Features: • Fast and fully offline operation • Searches ignoring case, diacritics, and punctuation • Wildcard search • Fuzzy search • Full-text search • In-page popup translator • History and bookmarks • Customization options Compatibility: Alpus is compatible with the following dictionary/file types: • StarDict dictionaries (*.idx) • DSL dictionaries (*.dsl) • XDXF dictionaries (*.xdxf) • Dictd dictionaries (*.index) • TSV/Plain dictionaries (*.txt, *.dic) • Hunspell dictionaries (*.aff) Setting up dictionaries: • Connect your mobile device to your computer. • Copy dictionary files to the app's documents/files folder on device ². See iOS help ² for details. • Select the dictionary index file as listed in the compatibility section above (or an archive of it) using the "Import Dictionary" option of the "Manage" menu. • Select multiple indexes/files, with each selection assumed and analyzed as one dictionary. (optional) • Select resource ZIP files (if any) to copy during importing. (optional) • Edit properties of the dictionary such as visible name using the "Edit Properties" option of the dictionary menu. (optional) • Create a full-text search index of the dictionary using the "Upgrade" option of the dictionary menu. (optional) • Create profiles to group and organize dictionaries. (optional) Resource files: Resource files of a dictionary can be put into multiple ZIP files with arbitrary sizes and file names. The resource ZIP files placed into the root folder of a dictionary (beside Main.props file) will be detected and indexed automatically. Full-text search: The app supports searching full-text of all dictionaries for exact matches. The feature requires a one-time upgrading ("Upgrade All" option of the "Manage" menu) of a dictionary which can take a very long time to complete, since every single word anywhere on the dictionary is made searchable during the process. Synchronizing between devices: Copying/moving dictionaries between devices is done using one of the two available methods: • "Export Dictionary" to an *.aaf file on the first device and then "Import Dictionary" that *.aaf file on the second • Copy/move whole "Alpus.Config" folder or individual dictionary folders using a file manager or built-in file operations Search types: There are five kinds of searches you can perform on dictionaries. • Regular search: Shows results exactly matching the query. • Extended matching search: Shows results matching the query with case, diacritics, and punctuations ignored. Suggestions include in-phrase and phonetic matches. • Full-text search: Shows list of articles containing exact matches of the query. The scope of search is not limited to headwords and includes all text in all articles (definitions, synonyms, examples, etc). • Fuzzy search: Shows list of articles most similar to the query. The search works like a spell checker for words you're not sure how it's written/spelled. • Wildcard search: Shows list of articles that match the criteria set with a wildcard query. Help and Support: • https://alpusapp.com ¹ No dictionaries are bundled with the application. You will need dictionaries in supported formats to use with the application. ² https://support.apple.com/HT201301

Screenshots

Dicty4 screens
Alpus2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Dicty at 87% against Alpus's 0%. Dicty also leads on price (Free vs $5.99) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On update cadence, ads, 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

Dicty is free to download; Alpus costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dicty ships an update every 2 months, Alpus every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on July 25, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Dicty versus Alpus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDictyAlpus
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating4.3 (31 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings31 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAliaksandr StrakovichIsmail Alper Yilmaz

Customer experience

Dicty

All ratings31 ratings
Positive77.4%
Neutral9.7%
Negative12.9%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive87.0%
Neutral8.7%
Negative4.3%

Alpus

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Dicty

No in-app purchases

None

Alpus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dicty free?
Dicty is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Alpus free?
Alpus costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dicty or Alpus have ads?
Neither Dicty nor Alpus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dicty or Alpus?
Dicty ships an update every 2 months, and Alpus every 3 months. Most recently, Dicty was updated on July 25, 2026 and Alpus on September 15, 2026.

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