How we review apps

Updated November 3, 2026

AppsFor compares apps for learning and studying. Every page answers one question, such as "what is the best app to learn Spanish?", and every app on it is described with the same checks. This page explains those checks, and their limits.

Where our data comes from

For each app we read, on the date shown on the page:

  • The full App Store listing in the United States: description, version history, release notes, ratings, size, languages and the devices it runs on.
  • The in-app purchase list shown on the listing, with every subscription and one-time price. This is how we tell what is free and what is not.
  • The App Store privacy label, which the developer fills in: the data used to track you across other companies' apps and websites, the data linked to your identity, and the data not linked to you. Apple does not verify these labels, and neither can we, so we report them as declared.
  • The screenshots the developer publishes, to see how lessons, exercises or notes actually look.
  • The developer's own website when the listing leaves a question open.

Our collection tool reads these public pages automatically, so every number on a page has a date and a source. We re-check prices and listings every week, and a page's "app data checked" date changes when we do.

How we choose which apps to compare

We search the App Store for the words people use for each need, keep the apps that appear at the top with enough ratings to matter, and add well-known apps that the search misses. We then remove apps that do not fit the page (a dictionary on a page about courses, for example) and explain the choice of the remaining ones.

What "best for" means

We do not give scores out of 10. A single number hides the trade-offs that matter: a free app with ads may be the right choice for one learner and the wrong one for another. Instead, each app gets a "best for" label that says who it suits, and its limits are listed next to its strengths.

What we do not test yet

This is important, so we say it plainly. The current reviews are desk reviews: they rely on what the app's public listing, price list, privacy label and screenshots show. We have not yet measured how much people learn with each app over weeks, and we do not claim to. When a page says an app "teaches grammar" or "has speech recognition", it means the listing and screenshots show that feature, not that we graded its quality over a long test.

Hands-on testing on devices is the next step for the site, starting with the most-read pages. Pages will say clearly when an app was tested in use.

Independence

  • No app developer pays to be listed or ranked, and we do not accept free upgrades in exchange for coverage.
  • We use no affiliate links: we earn nothing when you download or subscribe to an app.
  • The studio that publishes AppsFor also makes one app that appears here, Anatomy Atlas 3D. Every page where it appears says so at the top. See About and disclosure.

Corrections

Prices and features change, and we make mistakes. If something on a page is wrong or out of date, see corrections: we fix factual errors and note the change.