Vernac
Free forever, upgrade if you want more
$0unlimited daily words
- Vernac Pro from $3.99/mo, billed annually
- AI-personalized sentences, all practice modes, widgets, wallpapers
- No credit card required to start
Vernac vs Vocabulary.com
Same goal. Different app.
Vocabulary.com built the dictionary the internet grew up on. Vernac is the AI coach built for how you actually learn now — personalized, ad-light, and updated every week instead of every few years.
At a glance
Where the two apps actually differ.
Vocabulary.com pairs a well-known dictionary with an adaptive quiz game, used for years in classrooms and by casual learners alike.
| Feature | Vernac | Vocabulary.com |
|---|---|---|
| Example sentences | AI-written for your job and goals, every time | One generic dictionary example for everyone |
| Practice formats | Five — meaning match, fill the gap, sentence building, pronunciation, speed round | One adaptive quiz format |
| Free tier | Unlimited words per day, forever — no credit card | Recent reviewers report a hard wall around ten words before a subscription is required |
| App updates | Shipping improvements regularly | Google Play lists September 2021 as the last update |
| Word bank | 10,000+ words across 23 categories and 5 difficulty levels | ~15,900 words, one adaptive difficulty curve |
| Vocabulary level test | 30 adaptive questions, placed on a 5-level scale | No standalone level test |
| Ambient learning | Home screen widgets and lock screen wallpapers | Widgets only |
| Platform & access | iOS and Android apps only | iOS, Android, and a full website — useful if you want to study from a laptop |
Feature details for Vocabulary.com are drawn from its public App Store and Google Play listings and reviews as of August 2026.
What people are already saying
Vocabulary.com's own reviewers, in 2026.
Vocabulary.com hasn't shipped an app update since 2021. It shows in the reviews. The complaints that keep coming up:
- The app locking up mid-session and needing a force-close to recover.
- Hitting a paywall well before expecting one, with no way to keep learning free words past a small cap.
- An interface that feels dated next to how the rest of their phone looks and works.
- Wanting a one-time purchase instead of an open-ended monthly subscription.
- No easy way to revisit or re-practice words they'd already marked as learned.
Vernac is built to not have this problem: a fresh build, a real free tier, and content written for you specifically instead of everyone at once.
Vocabulary.com's dictionary is still excellent as a reference. As a daily app, it's showing its age — if you want the same word science in an actively maintained app with personalization built in, that's the gap Vernac fills.
Pricing
What it costs to keep learning.
Vocabulary.com
$0Limited daily words on the free tier
- Recent reviewers report a subscription starting around $5/mo to continue past the free cap
- No lifetime or one-time option currently offered
Common questions
Vernac vs Vocabulary.com, answered.
Is Vernac a replacement for Vocabulary.com?
For daily vocabulary building, yes — Vernac covers the same core job (learn new words, get quizzed, retain them) with an actively maintained app and a less restrictive free tier. Vocabulary.com's web dictionary itself is still a solid reference if you just need a definition.
Why hasn't Vocabulary.com updated its app since 2021?
We don't know their internal roadmap — this is based on the update date shown on its Google Play listing as of August 2026. What we can say is that the reviews from that period consistently mention bugs and freezing that an actively maintained app would typically address.
Does Vernac have as many words as Vocabulary.com?
Vocabulary.com's dictionary is larger in raw word count (~15,900 words). Vernac's 10,000+ words span 23 categories with AI-personalized examples for each, which is the trade-off: fewer total words, but every one is written for your specific context.
Is Vernac free?
Yes — unlimited daily words, streak tracking, and saved collections are free forever, no credit card required. Vernac Pro ($3.99/mo billed annually) adds AI-personalized sentences, all practice modes, widgets, and wallpapers.
Can I use Vernac on desktop, like Vocabulary.com's website?
Not right now — Vernac is iOS and Android only. If you specifically need desktop access, Vocabulary.com's web dictionary still works for that.
More comparisons
See how Vernac stacks up elsewhere
Ready when you are
Try Vernac free — no cap on day one.
Free on iOS and Android.