Comparison
Reading apps for learning English, side by side
LangOrbit Reader next to LingQ, Readlang, Beelinguapp and Language Reactor — only what can be checked: what each app does with a text, what its free tier includes, what it costs. No scores, no adjectives.
Every cell is taken from the product's own site or store listing and checked on 22 September 2026.
| Criterion | LangOrbit Reader | LingQ | Readlang | Beelinguapp | Language Reactor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you read | 80 public-domain books, 12 with a sentence-by-sentence translation; your own EPUB and FB2 | A library of lessons plus imports: web pages, e-books, audio | Your own texts and e-books, web pages through a browser extension, a library of texts | The app's own catalog: stories, news, songs | Netflix and YouTube subtitles; imported text and web pages |
| Your own books (EPUB) | Yes — EPUB and FB2 | Yes; the free plan allows 5 imports | Yes — DRM-free EPUB | Not offered | Text and web pages; no EPUB import |
| Translation beside the text, sentence by sentence | Yes, on the library's parallel titles | Sentence translation on request (Premium) | Click-to-translate inline; the free plan allows 10 phrase translations a day | Yes — parallel texts are the format | Machine translation of the imported text (Pro) |
| Tap a word for its translation | Yes — with forms, frequency, transcription and pronunciation | Yes | Yes — unlimited single words, on every plan | Yes | Yes — a pop-up dictionary |
| Grammar explained in the line you are reading | Yes — tap a construction for its rule and examples | Not listed | AI context explanations; 10 a day on the free plan | Not listed | An AI dictionary (Lexa) |
| Read-aloud with the words highlighted | Yes — every library book, word by word (synthesized voice) | Auto-generated audio for imports (Premium) | Synthesized voice for words and phrases (Premium), whole texts (Premium Plus) | Native-speaker narration with karaoke-style text on many stories | Synthesized voice for imported text |
| Spaced repetition | Yes — FSRS, in the LangOrbit app on the same account | Flashcard quizzes (Premium) | Flashcards | Flashcards | Saved words with Anki export (Pro) |
| Offline reading | Yes — download a book | Offline access (Premium) | Not listed | Yes — opened texts are downloaded | Not listed (a browser extension) |
| Dyslexia fonts, reading ruler | Yes — OpenDyslexic, Atkinson Hyperlegible, a draggable ruler | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Languages you can learn | English (Spanish in closed beta) | 50+ | 100+ | 23 | The languages of the subtitles and texts you open |
| Interface languages | 9: English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Russian, Chinese (simplified and traditional) | Many | Many | Many | Many |
| Free tier | The full product within daily limits; no card, no signup wall | 20 saved words, 5 imports, with ads | Unlimited single-word translations; 10 phrase translations and 10 explanations a day | The unlocked stories and news, with ads | Dual subtitles and click-to-translate; saving words in PhrasePump only |
| Paid plan (USD) | $3.49 a month, $23 a year, $39 once for lifetime | $14.99 a month; $10 a month on the 12-month plan | Premium $6 a month or $48 a year; Premium Plus $15 a month or $120 a year | About $7.99 a month or $49.90 a year on the App Store; promotions run lower | Pro: monthly, 3-month and yearly plans, priced in local currency (about $6 a month, $40 a year) |
| Where it runs | Any browser, installable as an app; Telegram Mini App | Web, iOS, Android | Web and a Chrome extension; iOS, Android | iOS, Android | A Chrome extension and a web app |
"Not listed" means the product's site does not describe the feature, not that it is absent. Prices are what each product showed on the check date, in USD unless stated; they change, and the product's own page is the authority.
Sources checked: LingQ · Readlang · Beelinguapp · Language Reactor. LangOrbit's own cells describe the Reader as shipped on the same date.
In plain terms
Where the LangOrbit Reader differs — and what it does not do
What is different
- Built for one language: the library, the dictionary, the grammar notes and the levels are all about English, so a word card carries the forms, the frequency and the grammar of English specifically.
- Classics with a translation beside every sentence, plus your own EPUB with the same dictionary and grammar — the two kinds of reading the others split between them.
- Grammar in the line you are reading: tap a construction, not only a word.
- The spaced repetition is not a flashcard pile inside the reader: saved words go into the LangOrbit app's daily lesson, on the same account, with FSRS scheduling.
What it does not do
- No Netflix or YouTube subtitles — the Reader reads books and articles, not video.
- Only English (Spanish is in a closed beta). If you learn another language, the other four apps are the ones to look at.
- Read-aloud is a synthesized voice, not a recorded narrator.
- The sentence-by-sentence parallel translation is on the library's titles; an uploaded EPUB gets the tap dictionary and the grammar, not a parallel column.
Questions people ask
Which one for what
Which app lets me read my own EPUB with tap-to-translate?
LangOrbit Reader, LingQ and Readlang all take an EPUB you own; LangOrbit also reads FB2. Beelinguapp reads only its own catalog, and Language Reactor imports text and web pages rather than EPUB files. In LangOrbit an uploaded book gets the same tap dictionary, grammar notes and read-aloud as the library.
Which of these shows a translation beside the text, sentence by sentence?
Beelinguapp is built around parallel texts from its own catalog. LangOrbit Reader shows a sentence-aligned translation on the twelve parallel titles of its library, with a slider that reveals as much of the translation as you want. LingQ and Language Reactor produce a sentence translation on request or for imported text; Readlang translates a phrase when you click it.
Is there a free way to read English books with a translation?
Yes. LangOrbit Reader opens with no signup and no card: the whole product, within daily limits. Readlang's free plan translates single words without limit and ten phrases a day. LingQ's free plan stops at 20 saved words and 5 imports. Beelinguapp's unlocked stories are free with ads.
Which one works without installing anything?
LangOrbit Reader and Readlang run in a browser on any device; LangOrbit can also be installed as an app from the browser and opened inside Telegram. Language Reactor is a Chrome extension. Beelinguapp is an iOS and Android app; LingQ has a web version and mobile apps.
Do any of these explain grammar, not just words?
LangOrbit Reader highlights grammar constructions in the line you are reading and explains the rule with examples when you tap one. Readlang and Language Reactor offer AI-generated explanations of a passage. LingQ and Beelinguapp do not list a grammar feature.
See for yourself — the Reader opens without a signup.
A book with a translation beside it, a dictionary on every word, grammar in every line. Free to try, within daily limits.
Open the ReaderEverything the Reader does, in one place: Reader features.