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Alternatives
A one-time-purchase Dinolingo alternative for little ones
Families looking past Dinolingo usually have a young child, one of a handful of languages, and no wish to pay $199 a year for a course built to serve ten-year-olds as well. Here is what we replace, what we don’t, and who else to consider.
We make Their First Words, so this is our own comparison — written by the two parents who build it, not by a reviewer. The facts about Dinolingo were checked on October 2, 2026 against its store listings and website, and the sources are listed at the end. Prices are US prices and change. Where another app is the better choice for your family, this page says so.
Why parents look
Why families go looking for a Dinolingo alternative.
- $199 a year. Or $19 a month, after a seven-day trial.1 For a toddler who will use a few dozen words this year, a course priced for a fourteen-year-old is a lot of course.
- Fifty languages you don’t need. Breadth is the product. A Spanish–English home pays for forty-nine other languages.
- One course for ages two to fourteen. A wide range means the youngest and the oldest share a design. Some parents want something made only for the first years.
- The child learns from the screen. Videos, games and songs are the method. The evidence for the under-threes points at a live voice instead.2
- An account and a course to keep up with. Units and progress suit a schoolchild. A toddler’s week has no units.
Their First Words as the alternative
What it replaces — and what it doesn’t.
It does replace
- First words and phrases in Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Korean or Russian, with a female and a male native voice on every card
- The subscription: $9.99 once, or the free 75 words and 35 phrases forever
- The design for the youngest: three stages inside 0–5, a parent holding the phone
- Offline use with no account and nothing to download
It does not replace
- The other forty-two languages
- A structured course with lessons, worksheets and progress for a school-age child
- Videos, songs, books and games
- A browser version
At a glance
Side by side, no adjectives.
| Fact | Dinolingo | Their First Wordsours |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A language-course subscription for kids: videos, games, songs, books and worksheets in 50 languages | Parent-led flashcards: illustrated first words and everyday phrases, each spoken by a female and a male native voice |
| Ages | 2–14, as the maker states | 0–5, in three parent-chosen stages (phrases are not split by stage) |
| Price | Subscription: $19 a month or $199 a year; 7-day free trial | $9.99 once for everything; no subscription |
| What’s free | The trial | 75 words and 35 phrases, forever, in all eight languages with both voices |
| Languages | 50 languages, including all eight of ours and many more (Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, Japanese…) | English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Korean and Russian on every card (the app’s own screens are in English) |
| Who holds the phone | The child, through videos and games; worksheets and a parent area alongside | The parent. You say the word; the app is the prop. |
| Works offline | Not stated on its pricing page | Yes, completely — every picture and clip ships inside the app |
| Ads | None, as the maker states | None, at any tier |
| Account | Required | Not needed; optional sign-in only syncs progress between devices |
Dinolingo facts checked October 2, 2026; sources below. “Who holds the phone” is who the app is designed around: a child playing, or a parent holding it and talking.
If you switch
What you keep, what you give up.
You keep
- All eight of our languages, if yours is among them
- An ad-free app
- Content a child can use for years — three stages from first words to preschool, then phrases
You give up
- Mandarin, Japanese, Hindi, Arabic and the rest of the fifty
- The course structure and the worksheets
- Anything for a child over five
- Videos and songs
Not us
Other Dinolingo alternatives worth a look.
- Little Pim · Subscription: $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year; free trial · iPhone and iPad (iOS 15+), web, and other devices the maker lists. Short immersion videos for babies and toddlers in twelve languages, including all eight of ours and Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic and Hebrew; a smaller subscription, and some libraries offer it free.
- Gus on the Go · $3.99 once per language app · iPhone, iPad, Mac (M1+); Android for some languages. A $3.99 one-time vocabulary app per language, about 90 words each, in twenty-odd languages; small and simple, though some editions are years old.
- Studycat (Learn Spanish) · Subscription: $14.99 a month or $59.99 a year; 7-day free trial · iPhone, iPad (iOS 13+), Android. Spanish taught in Spanish through games, for roughly ages 3–8, on a cheaper subscription than Dinolingo; sister apps for French, German, Chinese and English.
- Canticos Bilingual Preschool · Subscription: $6.99 a month or $57.99 a year (other plans listed at $39.99 and $45.99); 7-day free trial · iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision; an Android version is listed by the maker. Bilingual English–Spanish songs, books and games for ages 1–5; a subscription.
Questions
What parents ask us.
Is there a Dinolingo alternative with a one-time price?
Their First Words ($9.99 once, eight languages) and Gus on the Go ($3.99 once per language) are the two we know. Both are vocabulary rather than a full course.
Which is best for a bilingual toddler?
For naming things together in two of our eight languages, ours; our guide for bilingual families weighs the others honestly.
Does Their First Words work for a school-age child?
The Word Builder stage runs to about five, and the phrases a little beyond. Past that, a course like Dinolingo or Studycat is the right tool.
Want the full head-to-head? Read Their First Words vs Dinolingo.
What this is based on
Sources
- Dinolingo, Pricing — plans, trial, 50 languages, ages 2–14, platforms, ad-free. dinolingo.com/pricing
- Kuhl, P. K., Tsao, F.-M. & Liu, H.-M. (2003). Foreign-language experience in infancy: effects of short-term exposure and social interaction on phonetic learning. PNAS, 100(15), 9096–9101. pnas.org
- Tomasello, M. & Farrar, M. J. (1986). Joint attention and early language. Child Development, 57(6), 1454–1463. doi:10.2307/1130423
Facts about other apps were checked on October 2, 2026 against the sources above. Store prices are US prices on that day; they change, and the store is the authority for today’s price.
Keep looking
Alternatives to other apps.
Speech Blubs alternativesLooking for a Speech Blubs alternative? What families usually want instead — no subscription, more languages, a parent-led pace — what Their First Words does and does not replace, and other options worth a look.Read ›
Lingokids alternativesLooking for a Lingokids alternative? The usual reasons — the subscription, the size of it, a child playing alone, English first — what Their First Words replaces and does not, and the free and calm options worth a look.Read ›
Khan Academy Kids alternativesLooking for a Khan Academy Kids alternative? There are few good reasons to leave a free app this good — a child under three, a second language, or wanting a parent-led pace are the honest ones. What Their First Words replaces, what it doesn’t, and other options.Read ›
Little Pim alternativesLooking for a Little Pim alternative? Why families move on — the subscription, a screen for a baby, 360 words per language — what Their First Words replaces and doesn’t, and other options for a bilingual home.Read ›
The best app for your familyTen guides by who you are: bilingual homes, late talkers, one-year-olds, travel, no subscriptions.Browse the guides ›
Simple Words, Special Moments
Start with one word.
75 words and 35 phrases are free, forever, with both voices. One $9.99 purchase opens the rest of the 1,000+ words and 500+ phrases, in all eight languages at once. No subscription, nothing renews.