Xolingo vs LingQ, Clozemaster and Anki
Xolingo, LingQ, Clozemaster and Anki all help you remember vocabulary, but they start from different places. This page compares them fairly, including where each of the others is the better choice. We make Xolingo, so we are not neutral. Every claim about another product comes from its own website, linked at the bottom, and was checked on 2 October 2026.
The short version
- Xolingo is a reading-first iPhone app with a small, curated set of languages. Reading, saving words and practice happen in one place.
- LingQ is the broadest: 50+ languages and a large library of content you can read and listen to, plus tools to import your own.
- Clozemaster is for sentence drills: cloze exercises across 50+ languages, without needing a text.
- Anki is the most flexible: a free, open-source flashcard program where you decide what the cards contain.
Side by side
| Feature | Xolingo | LingQ | Clozemaster | Anki |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main approach | Read, tap words, save them, then practice them | Import content, highlight unknown words, learn them in context | Fill-in-the-blank (cloze) sentences | Flashcards with spaced repetition that you create or download |
| Languages | 5: English, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian | 52 (its site says more than 50) | 50+, with over 170 language pairings | Any subject: you make or download the cards |
| Built-in reading | Yes: courses and leveled texts, A1 to B2+ | Yes: a library of lessons and content from many sources | Practice is sentence by sentence; reading texts are not described on its site | No: it is a flashcard program |
| Use your own texts | Yes: paste text or import a supported file | Yes: import with browser extensions | Not described on its site | Not a reading tool: you make cards from whatever you choose |
| Fill-in-the-blank practice | Yes: Arcade rounds from your saved words, plus frequency and themed decks | Not described on its site | Yes: its core method, multiple choice or typing | Yes: a built-in cloze note type |
| Spaced review | Yes: spaced flash cards | Reviews your saved words over time; see its site for details | Yes: sentences return for review at the right time | Yes: its core feature |
| Platforms | iPhone (Android in development) | Web, iOS and Android | Web, iOS and Android | Windows, macOS and Linux (free); iOS (paid); Android (free, community-developed) |
| Price model | Free to start; Pro is $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year (US) | Free to start, with a paid Premium plan | Free, with a paid Pro plan | Free on desktop and Android; the iOS app is paid; open source |
"Not described on its site" means the product's own website, as we checked it, does not say. It does not mean the feature is missing. Plans and features change, so check each product before you decide.
Which one should you choose?
Choose Xolingo if
You use an iPhone, you are learning or speaking Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian or English, and you want one calm app where courses, graded texts, saved words and practice fit together. It needs no account and shows no ads.
Choose LingQ if
You are learning a language Xolingo doesn't have, you want to read and listen to content from many sources, or you want to use the web or Android.
Choose Clozemaster if
You want fast sentence-by-sentence drills in one of 50+ languages and don't need reading texts around them.
Choose Anki if
You want full control over your cards, you already have decks you like, or you study subjects other than languages as well.
Many learners combine tools. A reading app and a flashcard tool do different jobs, and nothing stops you from using both.
Where Xolingo falls short
- It has five languages. LingQ and Clozemaster each have more than fifty.
- It is on iPhone only for now. An Android version is in development, and there is no web app.
- It is not a grammar, speaking or writing course.
- It is new, so its library is smaller than those of long-established tools.
Sources and notes
Checked on 2 October 2026 on each product's own website:
- LingQ (languages, content import, platforms, free start)
- Clozemaster and its Pro page (languages, cloze method, free and Pro)
- Anki and its manual (platforms, prices, open source, cloze notes)
LingQ, Clozemaster and Anki are names of their owners. Xolingo is not affiliated with them. If something here is out of date or wrong, email [email protected] and we will fix it. To learn more about Xolingo itself, read What is Xolingo?
Quick answers
Is Xolingo an alternative to LingQ?
It can be, if you mostly read in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian or English and use an iPhone. Xolingo also has graded courses, tap-to-save vocabulary and built-in practice. If you need one of LingQ's 50+ languages, its wider library built from podcasts, videos and other sources, or web and Android apps, LingQ is the better fit.
Is Xolingo an alternative to Clozemaster?
Partly. Xolingo's Arcade has fill-in-the-blank rounds, but they are built from words you saved while reading. Clozemaster is built around cloze sentences and covers 50+ languages, so it is the better choice if sentence drills across many languages are what you want.
Can Xolingo replace Anki?
For vocabulary from your reading, it can: Xolingo's word bank has spaced flash cards. Anki is far more flexible, because you can make any kind of card for any subject, so keep Anki if you rely on custom decks or add-ons.
Which is best for learning vocabulary through reading?
Xolingo and LingQ are both built around reading. Xolingo is simpler and curated, with five languages on iPhone. LingQ has far more languages and content sources and runs on web, iOS and Android. Try the free tier of each and keep the one you will actually open.