LingoDeer is a structured language course with grammar explanations, widely praised for Korean, Japanese and Chinese. 1000 Words is a vocabulary app that teaches the 1,000 most important words of a language in 33 languages, through a trainer, videos, audiobooks and e-books. If you want to work through grammar step by step, LingoDeer is the better fit; if you want to build core vocabulary quickly and cheaply across many language pairs, 1000 Words is the better fit.
This comparison reflects the state of both apps in November 2026. Everything said about LingoDeer comes from the App Store, LingoDeer's official help center and learner reports on Reddit, listed in the sources below. Everything said about 1000 Words describes the app's features at the same date.
| Feature | LingoDeer | 1000 Words |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Course with lessons, grammar cards and script introductions | Core vocabulary: 1,000 words per language in three categories |
| Languages | 20 courses (US App Store, Nov 2026) | 33 languages, any combination (1,056 language pairs) |
| Grammar | Yes, the backbone of the course | No, only indirectly through example sentences and stories |
| Review | Flashcards with spaced review | SM-2 trainer with flashcards, typing, listening, speaking, matching, a 60-second blitz and a mixed mode |
| Passive listening | Listening tasks inside lessons, stories | Videos and audiobooks, including a triple-repeat version and one for falling asleep |
| Audio | Studio recordings by real speakers (per LingoDeer) | Speech synthesis with clear pronunciation |
| Free tier | Alphabet, Unit 1, test-outs, travel phrasebook | Basic: first 100 words of every course as video and audiobook, quizzes, e-book and PDF previews |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, web |
| Pricing model | Subscription or long-term plans, frequent sales | Subscription, one plan covers all 33 languages |
LingoDeer is a language learning app made by LingoDeer Co., Ltd. Its courses are split into units of short lessons, and each lesson pairs new words with one grammar point explained on a Knowledge Card. Languages with their own script, such as Korean and Japanese, start with an alphabet section. LingoDeer adds flashcard review, short stories, a travel phrasebook and, for five languages, conversation lessons called Fluent.
On the US App Store, LingoDeer holds a 4.7 out of 5 rating from about 28,000 ratings as of November 2026. On r/Korean and similar communities, LingoDeer is often named as one of the stronger apps for East Asian languages because it explains grammar rather than leaving learners to guess.
1000 Words is a vocabulary app by Tob Apps, based in Barcelona. Each course contains the 1,000 most important words of a language, grouped into nouns, verbs and adjectives, and sentences. Every word comes with a translation, an example sentence, audio and usually a picture. Learners can study the same words in a spaced-repetition trainer, as a video, as an audiobook, as an e-book, as a printable PDF list and in quizzes.
The 33 languages in 1000 Words can be paired freely, so a Spanish speaker can learn Korean straight from Spanish without going through English. The My Words feature translates any word you type and adds it to your own deck, and AI stories at levels A1 to C1 weave your words into short texts with audio.
LingoDeer teaches grammar explicitly and builds it up lesson by lesson. 1000 Words has no grammar course. In 1000 Words, grammar only shows up indirectly, in example sentences, the sentences category and the AI stories. Anyone who needs to learn sentence structure and verb endings systematically should use LingoDeer or another course for that part.
1000 Words is built entirely around vocabulary. Its trainer schedules reviews with SM-2, the same algorithm family Anki uses, and offers seven modes from typing to a 60-second blitz round. A due list shows which words need review each day. LingoDeer also has flashcards with spaced review, but its words arrive in smaller batches tied to each grammar topic.
LingoDeer says it uses studio recordings by real speakers. 1000 Words uses speech synthesis with clear pronunciation. In exchange, 1000 Words turns every course into videos and audiobooks you can play on a commute or at bedtime, including a version that repeats each word three times.
According to the US App Store, LingoDeer offers 20 courses, including Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, Thai, Vietnamese and several European languages. 1000 Words covers 33 languages, among them Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Persian, Swahili and Afrikaans. Both apps run on iOS, Android and in a web browser.
LingoDeer's help center states that the alphabet, Unit 1 with its review, the test-outs and the travel phrasebook are free. The rest of the course, offline learning and syncing between devices require Premium. On the US App Store in November 2026, LingoDeer costs about 15 US dollars a month or about 95 US dollars a year, with long-term plans and frequent sales on top.
1000 Words Basic is free and includes the first 100 words of every course as video and audiobook, plus quizzes and previews of the e-book and PDF, with ads. Premium costs 5.99 euros a month or 29.99 euros a year in Germany and unlocks all 33 languages. Prices differ by store and country, and 1000 Words does not sell a lifetime plan.
Several learners on r/languagelearning and r/Korean say they hit the Premium wall after the alphabet and a couple of lessons in Unit 1, having expected a Duolingo-style free tier. LingoDeer's own help center confirms that only the alphabet and Unit 1 are free.
What 1000 Words does better here: 1000 Words Basic is limited too, but its free part is wider. Every one of the 1,056 language pairs includes the first 100 words as video and audiobook, along with quizzes, so you can see whether the method works for you before paying.
Reddit users describe discounts offered only to new accounts within their first day, different prices on the web and in the Android app, and a Black Friday sale that drew criticism on r/lingodeer. Another user asks why the longest plan now runs six years instead of lifetime.
What 1000 Words does better here: 1000 Words publishes a simple reference price of 29.99 euros a year in Germany, and one subscription covers all 33 languages. To be fair, store prices for 1000 Words also vary by country, and there is no lifetime option at all.
A US App Store review that is positive overall lists one drawback: the vocabulary per lesson is too small. On r/Korean, a learner asks whether LingoDeer can be used purely for vocabulary.
What 1000 Words does better here: vocabulary is exactly what 1000 Words is built for. Each course holds 1,000 words with an example sentence, audio and usually a picture, and the trainer brings them back with SM-2 until they stick.
On r/lingodeer, a user looks for one app covering Dutch, Spanish, Turkish and Japanese because LingoDeer has no Dutch course. On r/languagelearning, learners ask whether LingoDeer is as good for Greek, Russian or German as it is for Asian languages.
What 1000 Words does better here: 1000 Words covers all four of those languages, plus Greek, Russian and German, under one subscription. It has gaps too: Welsh, which one r/lingodeer user is waiting for, is not available in 1000 Words either.
Users on r/lingodeer reported in 2025 and 2026 that lessons restart on Android when the app is minimized and that the web version briefly failed to load. These are individual reports, not proof of a lasting problem.
1000 Words does not help across the board here: no app is bug-free, and 1000 Words cannot promise zero outages. If you study on a laptop, though, the 1000 Words web app is a full browser version.
LingoDeer is the stronger course when grammar is the priority, especially for East Asian languages. 1000 Words is the better choice for vocabulary: more languages and pairs, more formats from trainer to audiobook, a wider free tier and an affordable subscription that covers every language. Because the two apps barely overlap, combining them is the most sensible route for many learners.
It depends on your goal. LingoDeer is better for grammar and a structured course, especially for Korean, Japanese and Chinese. 1000 Words is better for quickly learning the 1,000 most important words of a language, across 33 languages and 1,056 language pairs (as of November 2026).
According to LingoDeer's help center, the alphabet, Unit 1 with its review, the test-outs and the travel phrasebook are free. The rest of the course requires Premium (as of November 2026).
No. 1000 Words has no grammar course. Grammar appears only indirectly through example sentences, the sentences category and AI stories.
Yes. Many learners pair a course for grammar with a vocabulary app. 1000 Words complements LingoDeer with SM-2 review, videos and audiobooks.
1000 Words Premium costs 29.99 euros a year in Germany for all 33 languages. LingoDeer costs about 95 US dollars a year on the US App Store, with frequent sales. Prices vary by country and store (as of November 2026).
Yes. 1000 Words offers Dutch and 32 other languages, and any two can be combined.