Comparison
A LingQ alternative for Japanese listening
LingQ is a good app for learning many languages by reading and listening. If you are learning Japanese and you mostly listen, Wakatta works differently. Here is an honest comparison, checked on 2 November 2026.
The short version
Choose LingQ if you learn more than one language, or if you mainly read: books, articles and your own texts. Choose Wakatta if you learn Japanese by listening to podcasts and YouTube, and you want help with the sentences you miss.
Side by side
| LingQ | Wakatta | |
|---|---|---|
| Languages | Dozens | Japanese only |
| Free plan | 20 saved words in total, 5 imports | No limit on saved words. Daily limits on AI explanations and on your own audio |
| Content | A lesson library, and imports of texts, books, audio and video | A ready catalog of Japanese podcasts (N5 to N1) and YouTube channels, plus your own audio and video |
| Pitch accent | We found no pitch accent display | On every word you look up, when the dictionary has it |
| Translation | Machine translation | A translation under each line, in your language (podcasts, for now) |
| Missed sentences | You save words and phrases as LingQs | “I got lost” keeps the sentence and its audio; review asks you to fill in the blank by listening |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android and a browser extension | iOS and Android |
What LingQ does better
- Many languages in one app and one account.
- A large library of lessons, and you can import almost any book, article or audio.
- A web version, for studying on a computer.
What Wakatta does differently
- It is made only for Japanese, and only for listening first.
- Podcasts at your level are ready to play. You don't need to import anything.
- When you miss a sentence, one tap keeps it, and it comes back as a blank to fill in by listening.
- Pitch accent, line loop and a translation under the line, in your language.
About the prices
LingQ's free plan and prices come from LingQ's own article on its free and premium plans (August 2026) and from the US App Store, seen on 2 November 2026: Premium costs $14.99 a month, or $10 a month on a yearly plan. Prices change, so check lingq.com before you decide.
Try Wakatta with a podcast at your level
Free to start, no account needed. iOS and Android.
