The Best Vocabulary Apps for Language Learners
Updated
There’s no single best vocabulary app. Flashcard apps, course apps, and reading apps each solve a different problem. This guide explains what each popular app is best at, so you can pick the one that fits how you learn, or combine two.
Full comparisons
Adsonant vs Anki
Anki alternative for vocabulary →
Adsonant vs Quizlet
Quizlet alternative for vocabulary →
Adsonant vs Duolingo
Duolingo alternative for vocabulary →
Adsonant vs Memrise
Memrise alternative for vocabulary →
Adsonant vs Pleco
Pleco alternative for vocabulary →
Adsonant vs LingQ
LingQ alternative for vocabulary →
Quick Picks
| If you want… | Try |
|---|---|
| Build vocabulary by quickly adding words with built-in review | Adsonant ↗ |
| A flashcard system with community decks | Anki → |
| Quick study sets shared with a class | Quizlet → |
| An app with beginner courses or lessons | Duolingo → or Memrise → |
| A Chinese dictionary you can rely on | Pleco → |
| Learning from articles, books, and podcasts | LingQ → |
Four Kinds of Vocabulary App
- Capture apps (Adsonant) are built for collecting the words you meet day to day, and filling in their details.
- Flashcard apps (Anki, Quizlet) review any cards you make or download.
- Course apps (Duolingo, Memrise) teach a fixed set of words in a set order.
- Content apps (LingQ) teach words through reading and listening.
Many learners combine a course or content app, for finding new words, with a capture or flashcard app, for keeping them.
The Apps
Capture words from real life
Adsonant
- Best for
- Saving the words you meet in books, shows, menus, and conversations. Capture words from typing, pasted text, or a photo. Add the translation, example sentence, and pinyin or hiragana with one tap. Review with spaced repetition and sort words into groups.
- Watch out for
- iPhone and iPad only. Six languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish. No ready-made courses or shared decks.
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad
- Pricing
- Free for small collections, paid subscription thereafter
Build your own flashcards
Anki
- Best for
- Learners who want complete control: any subject, custom card templates, add-ons, and thousands of shared decks. The FSRS scheduler is built in.
- Watch out for
- You make every card yourself, unless you use add-ons or a shared deck. Setup takes time, and the interface has a learning curve.
- Platforms
- Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone, web
- Pricing
- Free, except the official iPhone app (a one-time purchase)
Build your own flashcards
Quizlet
- Best for
- Quick general-purpose study sets, study games, and sets shared by classmates and teachers.
- Watch out for
- Built for every subject, not for languages specifically. Readings and example sentences are up to you.
- Platforms
- Web, iPhone, Android
- Pricing
- Free tier with ads; Quizlet Plus subscription
Follow a course
Duolingo
- Best for
- Building a daily habit with short, gamified lessons in dozens of languages.
- Watch out for
- You learn the course’s vocabulary, not the words you meet elsewhere.
- Platforms
- Web, iPhone, Android
- Pricing
- Free tier with ads; Super and Max subscriptions
Follow a course
Memrise
- Best for
- Structured beginner courses with clips of native speakers.
- Watch out for
- Built around its courses. You can add your own words to custom word lists, which returned to the app in 2026.
- Platforms
- Web, iPhone, Android
- Pricing
- Free tier; Memrise Pro subscription
Language-specific tools
Pleco
- Best for
- Chinese learners. A deep dictionary with handwriting input, plus paid add-ons for flashcards and reading.
- Watch out for
- Chinese only. Flashcards and camera lookup are paid add-ons.
- Platforms
- iPhone, Android
- Pricing
- Free dictionary; one-time purchases for add-ons
Learn from content
LingQ
- Best for
- Reading and listening to content you import, then saving unknown words as you go.
- Watch out for
- Built around its reader. The free plan saves only 20 words in total, and flashcard reviews need Premium.
- Platforms
- Web, iPhone, Android
- Pricing
- Free plan; Premium subscription
How to Choose a Vocabulary App
Where do your new words come from? If they come from a course, the course app already handles review. If they come from books, shows, classes, or conversations, you need somewhere fast to save them, or they’re gone by evening.
How much setup will you tolerate? Anki rewards time spent on card design. If you’d rather add a word and move on, choose an app that fills in translations and readings for you.
Does it use spaced repetition? Reviewing a word just before you’d forget it is the most efficient way to remember it. Adsonant and Anki both use the modern FSRS scheduler.
Does it support your language well? Chinese and Japanese learners need readings (pinyin or hiragana). German, French, Italian, and Spanish learners need noun genders.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best app for learning vocabulary?
For saving words you meet in daily life with details filled in automatically, Adsonant. For full control and free use on every platform, Anki. For a structured beginner path, Duolingo or Memrise.
Is Anki or Quizlet better for languages?
Anki is usually better for long-term language learning because of its spaced repetition and language add-ons. Quizlet is quicker to start with and good for shared class sets.
Can I use more than one vocabulary app?
Yes. A common setup pairs a course or reading app, for finding new words, with a capture or flashcard app, for reviewing them. Adsonant can also export your words as a CSV file for import into Anki.
Looking for words to start with? Browse our free word lists and study guides.
Smart vocab tracking with Adsonant