Zaban compared with other reading and language apps
A plain comparison of Zaban with LingQ, Readlang, Beelinguapp and Duolingo. Zaban's column describes the product as it is today. The other columns hold widely known facts about each app, and the table keeps only the rows we can fill for all five.
What each app does
| Dimension | Zaban | LingQ | Readlang | Beelinguapp | Duolingo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approach | Read real books, with help on every line and every word | Read and listen to texts, with lookups on the words you meet | Read texts in the browser and translate words as you go | Read short stories with the translation beside the text | Short daily lessons and exercises |
| Your own books and texts | Zaban's library today. Your own EPUB is on the roadmap | Yes. Import your own texts | Yes. Import your own texts and web pages | Beelinguapp's own story library | The course is the content |
| Languages | 21, each with a reviewed translation overlay | Dozens | Dozens | Dozens | Dozens |
| Free tier | Free lessons in thirteen languages and a free grammar glossary. Reading books is a membership with a three day trial | Yes, with limits | Yes, with limits | Yes, with limits | Yes, with ads |
What to look for in Zaban's column
Five things the table has no row for, because we have checked them only for Zaban.
Parallel text on every line
The translation sits under every line of the original, and each is set in its own natural word order.
Translation adjusted to your level
The translation layer adapts to your vocabulary, so a beginner and an advanced reader get different help on the same page.
Script help for unfamiliar scripts
A reading or romanisation for each word in nine languages: Farsi, Dari, Japanese, Korean, Irish, Polish, Arabic, Nepali and Chinese. Switch it off once you can read without it.
A tutor inside the reader
Hamzaad answers questions about grammar, idiom and origin from the exact sentence you are on.
Flashcards from your reading
Every word you look up becomes a card that keeps its sentence, with no extra step, and comes back for spaced review.
Zaban beside each app
Zaban and LingQ
Both put reading at the centre. LingQ lets you import your own texts and read and listen to a large shared library. Zaban ships its own library of books with the translation under every line, a translation layer that adapts to your level, script help for nine languages, and a tutor that answers from the sentence you are on.
Zaban and Readlang
Both turn words you look up into review cards. Readlang works on any text you bring, including web pages, and translates a word when you click it. Zaban gives you a book with the whole translation already on the page, so you read on and tap only when you want to know how a word connects.
Zaban and Beelinguapp
Both show two languages together. Beelinguapp pairs short stories with a side by side translation and audio. Zaban pairs whole books with a line by line translation set in natural word order, adds script help for unfamiliar scripts, and grows flashcards from what you read.
Zaban and Duolingo
Duolingo teaches through short daily exercises with audio and a streak. Zaban teaches through reading: you spend your time inside a real book, meeting thousands of words in context, with help one tap away. Many readers use a course app for the first weeks and then move to Zaban once they can start reading.
Who Zaban is for
Zaban suits you if
- You want to learn a language by reading real books.
- You are learning one of the 21 supported languages: French, Farsi, Dari, Spanish, German, Swiss German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Irish, Portuguese, Romanian, Norwegian, Estonian, Polish, Afrikaans, Vietnamese, Arabic, Nepali, Chinese and Cantonese.
- You are starting a language with an unfamiliar script and want a reading for each word while you learn it.
- You want the words you look up to come back for review on their own.
- You are a beginner who wants to start with the free lesson and grow into the books.
Another app suits you if
- You want to read your own texts and web pages today. LingQ and Readlang are built for that.
- You want audio with every story today. Beelinguapp ships its stories with audio.
- You want short daily exercises and a streak. A course app fits that habit.
- You are learning a language outside the list above.
The quickest way to compare is to read.
The free lessons need no account, and the FAQ answers the rest.
Kevin, founder of Zaban