Language Reactor is a toolbox for learning from real shows and videos: its Chrome extension adds dual subtitles, a pop-up dictionary, and playback controls to Netflix and YouTube. Bubblegum is a reading and listening app. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes each lesson at your level about something you'd enjoy, and the words you save come back in new lessons.
How Language Reactor and Bubblegum Compare
Language Reactor helps you watch shows made for people who already speak the language, and Bubblegum writes lessons for learners at your level.
| Language Reactor | Bubblegum | |
|---|---|---|
| How you learn | Watch Netflix and YouTube with two sets of subtitles and a pop-up dictionary | Poppy writes lessons, stories, and news at your level, and you read and listen |
| How words come back | Save words to practice, and export them to Anki | Regenerative Review™: saved words come back in new lessons |
| Netflix and YouTube | Works on both | No |
| Your own texts | Import text, and it adds a translation and reads it aloud | No |
| Phone apps | Chrome on Windows and Mac computers | iPhone and Android |
| On the web | Chrome extension and languagereactor.com | Free guides and alphabet courses |
| Menu languages | 27 on its Chrome Web Store listing | 74 |
Bubblegum teaches the 60 languages on its Learn page, with menus in 74.
Who Each App Is Best For
Language Reactor
Language Reactor used to be called Language Learning with Netflix, and it has 2,000,000 users on the Chrome Web Store. It runs in Chrome on Windows and Mac computers. It works well for learners who want to understand real shows and videos and already know enough to follow along with help.
- Shows subtitles in two languages on Netflix and YouTube.
- Click a word in the subtitles for a pop-up dictionary.
- Precise playback controls help you watch at your own pace.
- Import text, and it adds a machine translation and reads it aloud.
Browser extension
Bubblegum
Bubblegum is the best app for serious learners. You learn from text and audio you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, about the kind of show you like, such as a cooking contest or a detective drama, and she writes a lesson on that topic at your level. You can read it and hear it, and ask her about any line before you try the real thing.
The trade-off is that Bubblegum can't help you watch a show. For Netflix and YouTube with subtitles in two languages, Language Reactor is the better choice.
- Poppy writes lessons for your level, so you can follow them from the start.
- Read on your phone with iPhone and Android apps, and hear every line aloud.
- Ask Poppy about any line you don't understand.
- Saved words show up again in new lessons through Regenerative Review™.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- It doesn't work with Netflix, YouTube, or other videos.
- You can't bring in your own texts.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Choose Language Reactor if:
- You want to learn from Netflix shows and YouTube videos.
- You like to see subtitles in two languages at once.
- You study on a computer with Chrome.
Choose Bubblegum if:
- You want material at your level, even as a beginner.
- You'd like to learn on your phone.
- You want Poppy to explain lines and write about the topics you choose.
Using Both Together
Bubblegum lessons build up the words and grammar you need, and Language Reactor helps you put them to work on real shows. Spend your week on whichever one matches your level and mood.
Common Questions
Which app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning a language, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or add Language Reactor once you can follow parts of a show with two sets of subtitles.
Can Bubblegum help me get ready to watch shows?
Yes. Ask Poppy for lessons on the topics your favorite shows cover, like school life or a family dinner. You'll meet the same kinds of words at your level first, so they're easier to catch when you watch.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Language Reactor: Your language learning toolbox
- Language Reactor: Chrome Web Store listing
- Bubblegum: Every language you can learn
- Language Reactor
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 14, 2026 against each app's own pages.
