Readlang works in your browser, on its own site or as an extension, in more than 100 languages. You click a word or a phrase to translate it, and every word you translate is saved for flashcards. On Reddit (r/languagelearning), one Readlang fan asked for a similar program that works without an internet connection, for long plane rides. A Korean learner wanted to spend less time searching for something to read and more time reading.
Each section below meets one of those needs, and Readlang has the first card.
What Readlang Does
Readlang
Readlang suits learners who already have texts they want to read, from novels to news sites. Its Web Reader works on any page, and you can upload your own texts too. Ami, its AI conversation partner, corrects your writing as you chat.
- Get AI explanations of a word or phrase in its context.
- Practice your words with flashcards that use spaced repetition.
- Practice listening with videos that have full transcripts.
- Flashcards
WebBrowser extension
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
Bubblegum is the best app for serious learners. You learn from text and audio you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
In Bubblegum, Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons about what you'd like to read, at the right level for you. If you want a story about a rainy day in Seoul, ask for one.
The trade-off is that Bubblegum can't help you read a web page or a book you picked yourself. For that, Readlang and the tools below are the fit.
- There's no searching for something to read: Poppy writes it for you.
- Each lesson is at your level, so you know most of the words already.
- Not sure about a phrase? Ask Poppy, right in the lesson.
- Saved words come back in your next lessons through Regenerative Review™.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Web pages and texts you find yourself can't be opened in it.
- 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
Pick From a Big Lesson Library
LingQ
LingQ is a reading and listening app for more than 50 languages. Its library means you can open a lesson right away, and you can still bring in content you find yourself.
- Browse thousands of lessons, from podcasts to news articles.
- Import a page with the LingQ Importer extension in one click.
- With Premium, learn as many of its languages at once as you like.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Read Beside a Translation
Beelinguapp
Beelinguapp is a phone app for reading in two languages at once. Its site says the side-by-side texts let learners take on more advanced stories.
- Read a novel, a news story, or a song next to its translation.
- Hear the audio version while your eyes follow the text.
- Find stories for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners.
- Flashcards
Mobile
Use a Reader Made for Korean
Kimchi Reader
Kimchi Reader is made only for Korean, so it can do Korean-only things, like showing the Chinese characters behind a word and frequency ranks for each word. It works with books, websites, and shows.
- See English and Korean definitions side by side.
- Mark each word as unknown, seen, known, or hidden.
- Its browser extension adds the dictionary to any Korean web page.
- Flashcards
MobileWebBrowser extension
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- LuteA reader you install on your own computer and fill with your own texts. You can add a picture to a word to help you remember it.
- Language ReactorA Chrome extension that adds dual subtitles and a pop-up dictionary to Netflix and YouTube, and reads imported text aloud.
- ReadleShort graded stories and news in seven languages, with new ones added every day.
Common Questions
Which Readlang alternative 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 start with Beelinguapp if you'd like the translation beside every line, or with LingQ if you'd like a library to choose from.
Is there a reader I can install on my own computer?
Yes. Lute is a reader you install on your own computer, and you add your own texts to it. Its manual has a short video that shows how to install it.
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
- Readlang: Learn a language reading what you love (100+ languages)
- Readlang: Features (Web Reader, Video Player, Vocab Manager, Ami)
- r/languagelearning: Regarding readlang (similar programs that work offline)
- r/languagelearning: LingQ or Readlang
- LingQ: Library, importer and 53 languages
- Beelinguapp: Parallel texts with audiobooks
- Kimchi Reader: Features
- Lute manual: Introduction
- Language Reactor: Chrome Web Store listing
- Readle: Graded news and stories
- Readlang
- Bubblegum
- LingQ
- Kimchi Reader
Checked on October 14, 2026 against each app's own pages.
