Simply Fluent
The short answer
Simply Fluent is made for reading books in the language you are learning. When you translate a word or phrase, the meaning it has in that sentence is highlighted. The translations you save are shown in every book in that language. You can try Premium for 30 days, and a year of Simply Fluent Premium costs half of a year of LingQ Premium. If you want to learn mostly from video and podcasts, or study on a computer, LingQ is the better fit.
Choose Simply Fluent if
- you want to learn by reading books and stories
- you want each saved translation shown above its word or phrase, in every book
- you want to try Premium for 30 days, and keep a limited free version with the whole library after that
- you want a lower price: €59.99 a year, after a 30-day trial of Premium
Choose LingQ if
- you want to learn from YouTube, Netflix, podcasts and articles
- you study on a computer as well as your phone
- you want an AI chat partner, or to compete in challenges
- you want a count of every word you know
Simply Fluent is a reading app
The app is built around reading a book page by page. These screens show a book in Spanish.
Made for books
You can read your own EPUB, TXT and Markdown files. The library adds short stories, and classic novels by writers such as Jane Austen and Jules Verne rewritten in modern language, with a filter for levels A1 to C2. You read page by page, and your place is saved in every book.
The meaning that fits the sentence
When you translate a word or phrase, you get all its meanings, and the one that fits the sentence is highlighted. If a word is part of an expression or an idiom, the expression is detected and you see the meaning of the expression, not of each word on its own.
Saved translations are shown in every book
A translation you save is shown above its word or phrase in every book you read in that language. When you mark it memorized, the translation is hidden and you read the word on its own. Every saved translation also becomes a flashcard, and favorites are picked first for each session.
Side by side
What each app offers today. The small numbers point to the LingQ page each fact comes from. The Simply Fluent column describes the current app; the questions page has more detail.
| Simply Fluent | LingQ | |
|---|---|---|
| What you read | A library of short stories, and classic novels rewritten in modern language, filtered by level from A1 to C2. | A library of lessons with audio and matching text, including Mini Stories.3 |
| Looking up a word or phrase | Translate a word or a phrase of up to 5 words. You get all the meanings, with the one that fits the sentence highlighted. Expressions and idioms are detected, and you see the meaning of the expression. With Premium, phrases of up to 15 words show all the meanings. | Click a word to see up to 3 meanings, or write your own. The first meaning is written by AI, based on the context.5,7 |
| What you save | Saved translations are shown above the words and phrases they translate, in every book in that language. When you mark a translation memorized, it is hidden. | Each saved word moves through four statuses, then Known. New words are blue, and by default the blue words left on a page are marked Known when you turn the page.6,5,8 |
| Review | Every saved translation becomes a flashcard, with spaced repetition. Favorites are picked first for each session. | Spaced repetition review, with gaps from 1 day to 3 months depending on a word's status.9 |
| Listening | Any book read aloud with your phone's voices, offline, at three speeds. Pages can turn with the audio. | Library lessons come with audio. Generated audio for your own imports needs Premium, and AI voices depend on the plan.1,11 |
| Explanations | Insights: what a word means in your sentence, a grammar note when there is something to watch out for, words that often go with it, and example sentences. | Lynx, a chat assistant, and "Explain This". Premium Plus adds simplified lessons.12,16 |
| Progress | How many words and pages you have read, your reading time and speed, and how many translations you have saved, practiced and memorized. There is also a streak and achievements. You can turn the achievements off. | Known words as the main measure. Coins for reading, listening and saving words, a streak for meeting a daily coin goal, and challenges with leaderboards.13,14,15 |
| Your own content | EPUB, TXT and Markdown files, or pasted text. PDF with Premium. | Ebooks (EPUB, PDF, DOCX, TXT, MOBI), imports from YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, TikTok, articles and more, and pasted text such as Instagram posts.10,2 |
| Languages | Library books in 45 languages. Translation in 134 languages, so you can read your own books in 89 more. | Its home page says 52 languages, and also "more than 50". Its pricing page says 40+.2,1 |
| Where it runs | iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets. | Web, iPhone, iPad and Android, and a browser extension for importing.12,3,4,2 |
| Offline | Free. Books already on your phone, read-aloud and saved translations work offline. | Offline access is Premium.1 |
| Free plan | Every book in the library, flashcards, statistics, offline reading and read-aloud. 150 translations and insights in total, which don't reset. One book of your own in total. | 20 saved words, 5 imported lessons and 1 audio playlist. Library audio and flashcard quizzes are included.1 |
| Price | €7.99 a month or €59.99 a year. | Premium from €14.99 a month or €119.99 a year. Premium Plus €26.99 a month or €239.99 a year.1 |
| Free trial | 30 days of Premium, for everyone. | Offered. The pages we checked don't say how long it lasts.2 |
LingQ's prices are from its web pricing page in euros. Prices in the app stores, and in other currencies, can differ.
Where LingQ is stronger
LingQ imports videos, podcasts and articles
LingQ turns YouTube videos, Netflix and other streaming shows, Spotify, TikTok, articles and ebooks into lessons, with browser extensions for Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge.2 You can also paste in text, such as Instagram posts.10 If most of what you want to learn from is video or audio, LingQ fits better.
LingQ runs on a computer
LingQ has a web app as well as phone apps, so you can study in a browser.12,4
A library built around audio
LingQ's lessons come from podcasts, books, interviews and videos, each with matching text.3 If you want to listen and read the same material, that is what LingQ is built around.
A count of the words you know
Every word you meet on LingQ is new, being learned, or known, and the number of known words is LingQ's main measure of progress.6,13
AI chat and challenges
Lynx, LingQ's chat assistant, can talk with you in the language you are learning.12 LingQ also has challenges with leaderboards.15
What it costs
Simply Fluent Premium is €59.99 a year, after an optional 30-day trial. LingQ Premium is €119.99 a year.1 Without a subscription, Simply Fluent gives you every book in the library, flashcards, statistics, offline reading and read-aloud, plus 150 translations and insights that don't reset. On LingQ's free plan you can save 20 words.1 Both prices are in euros, as each app shows them on its website, checked on Sep 26, 2026.
Simply Fluent
- Free plan
- €0
- Premium, monthly
- €7.99
- Premium, yearly
- €59.99
- Free trial
- 30 days
LingQ1
- Free plan
- €0
- Premium, monthly
- €14.99
- Premium, yearly
- €119.99
- Premium, 2 years
- €215.76
- Premium Plus, monthly
- €26.99
- Premium Plus, yearly
- €239.99
In the US App Store, LingQ Premium is $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year, and Premium Plus is $29.99 a month or $269.99 a year.3
Questions
Can I read my own books?
Yes. Import EPUB, TXT or Markdown files, or paste in text; PDF works with Premium. The free plan includes one book of your own in total, and Premium has no limit. Books with DRM, such as Kindle books, can't be imported.
What happens to my saved translations if I stop paying?
You keep every saved translation, flashcard and statistic, and you can still open every book in the library. Translations and insights then come from your allowance of 150.
Can I use both?
Yes. You can learn from video and podcasts in LingQ and read books in Simply Fluent. Each app keeps what you save in it separately.
Can I use Simply Fluent on a computer?
Simply Fluent is an app for iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets. There is no web version, so if you want to study in a browser, LingQ has one.
Related reading
Sources
- LingQ, pricing and plans. Checked Sep 26, 2026.
- LingQ, home page. Checked Sep 26, 2026.
- LingQ on the US App Store. Checked Sep 26, 2026.
- LingQ, about. Checked Sep 26, 2026.
- LingQ help, How to create LingQs (2023).
- LingQ help, How LingQ statuses work (2023).
- LingQ update, Context-dependent AI word translation (July 2024).
- LingQ help, How to increase your known word count (2023).
- LingQ help, How does the LingQ SRS review work (2023).
- LingQ blog, Complete guide to importing (2021).
- LingQ update, Updates, February 19, 2026.
- LingQ help, What is Lynx AI in LingQ (March 2026).
- LingQ help, LingQ statistics.
- LingQ help, How to earn coins (updated June 2024).
- LingQ help, What is a challenge.
- LingQ changelog, October 21, 2025.
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