Skip to content
DigMyGem

DigMyGem vs LingQ, Anki, Readlang and other language apps

DigMyGem is an open-source language reader that you can host yourself, with a gem collection, four built-in practice games and FSRS scheduling. This page sets it beside LingQ, Anki, Readlang, Clozemaster, Lute and LinguaCafe: host, data, Anki path, price and best use, with a source for every statement about the others.[1][5][8][11][13][18] Open DigMyGem

At a glance

  • Open source under the AGPL v3 licence, and self-hostable
  • Imports a LingQ CSV word list, or a plain list with one word per line
  • No Anki link today: the Anki add-on was removed
  • Words climb from a rough stone to a gem, practised in four built-in games and scheduled by FSRS
  • 28 study languages in the language registry

How do the apps compare?

One entry per app. Every statement about another app cites the page it was read from, at the end of this page. Where a source could not be read, the entry says so and states nothing.

DigMyGem

Where it runs
Open source under AGPL v3. Use the hosted app, or run your own copy with Docker Compose: one service starts by default (the app), and a second, an article extractor, is optional.
Your data
A self-hosted copy keeps your data in one SQLite file, digmygem.db, in a folder you choose. Settings exports your words as CSV or JSON, and all your learning data as one JSON backup.
Anki
No Anki link today. The Anki add-on was removed, and DigMyGem does not read or write Anki packages. Settings exports your words as a CSV file with the columns text, type, sentence, translation, state and createdAt.
Price
Free plan at $0 with unlimited reading, importing, saved words and practice. Pro is $10 a month or $100 a year, Ultra $30 a month or $300 a year.[21]
Built for
Reading text you choose, then practising the words you save: they climb from rough stones towards gems as you practise, and practice is scheduled by FSRS.

LingQ

Where it runs
Used on the web at lingq.com and in iOS and Android apps.[1]
Your data
Export All LingQs, from the Vocabulary tab; the file is emailed to you.[4]
Anki
The same menu has Export All LingQs Anki File.[4]
Price
Free plan: 20 saved words or phrases and 5 custom lessons. Premium: $14.99 a month billed monthly, or from $8.99 a month on a 24-month plan (as listed on 4 August 2026).[3]
Built for
Learning from real content, built around comprehensible input, with a community and tutors.[2]

Anki

Where it runs
Runs on your own devices: a free computer version, the free AnkiDroid on Android and the official AnkiMobile app on iOS. AnkiWeb sync is free.[5]
Your data
Exports notes as plain text, decks as .apkg and collections as .colpkg.[6]
Anki
Imports text files, exported Anki decks and Mnemosyne 2.0 .db files.[7]
Price
The computer version and AnkiDroid are free; purchases of AnkiMobile fund Anki’s development.[5]
Built for
A flashcard program that schedules each review for when you are most likely to forget the card.[5]

Readlang

Where it runs
Used on the web, through a browser extension or bookmarklet on other sites, and in iOS and Android apps.[8]
Your data
Its Vocab Manager exports your words and phrases.[9]
Anki
Its features page says you can export words and phrases to practice in Anki.[9]
Price
Free plan with unlimited single-word translations and daily limits on phrases and explanations. Premium $6 a month or $48 a year; Premium Plus $15 a month or $120 a year.[10]
Built for
Reading what you choose and clicking a word or phrase for its translation; looked-up words become flashcards.[8]

Clozemaster

Where it runs
Used on the web and in iOS and Android apps.[11][12]
Your data
Not stated here: no source about its data could be read.
Anki
Not stated here: its export help page could not be read.
Price
Its home page says the core experience is free and Pro is a paid tier. This page states no Pro price, because its pricing page showed no amounts.[11]
Built for
Learning vocabulary through fill-in-the-blank sentences, in 50+ languages.[11]

Lute

Where it runs
A standalone web application that you install on your own computer, with pip or Docker. Open source under the MIT licence.[14][15][16][13]
Your data
In Docker, the database and images live in a folder you mount at /lute_data, with backups in another.[16]
Anki
Exports your terms to Anki note types through the AnkiConnect add-on.[17]
Price
The pages read show no plans or prices.[13][14][15][16]
Built for
Learning foreign languages through reading.[15]

LinguaCafe

Where it runs
Self-hosted software. Its Docker Compose setup runs a web server, a Python text service and a MySQL container.[18][19]
Your data
The database is MySQL, which can be a remote server. The Vocabulary page searches, edits and exports words.[19][20]
Anki
Its manual says you can export highlighted cards to Anki or other SRS software.[20]
Price
Free software under GPL-3.0.[18]
Built for
Acquiring vocabulary by reading, with its own spaced-repetition review; 27 languages listed.[18][20]

How does the DigMyGem gem game work?

Every word you save starts as a rough stone, and practice moves it up an eight-level ladder. Levels 1 to 4 are stones on the way (Rough, Forming, Refining, Shimmering). A word practised to the top of the stone ladder becomes a gem, and further reviews raise its tier: Brilliant (5), Flawless (6), Divine (7) and Jewelled (8), which is jewellery. The collection page shows the gems and jewellery you have earned, from a catalogue of 112 gemstones. Gems come from practice only: a word you already knew before you used the app, or marked known, counts as mastered. It is never a gem and is not in the collection.

  • Flashcards: flip a card, then mark it Got it or Later. Each mark is a graded answer, like one in the other games, and flipping first counts as a hint.
  • Picture to word: see a picture, pick its word from four, for English words for now.
  • Word to picture: read a word and its sentence, pick its picture, for English words for now.
  • Listen and pick: hear a word, tap its picture, for English words for now.
  • Game Lab: describe a game and it is built for you, themed on your saved words if you like. It uses your own model key.

Each answer is graded Again, Hard, Good or Easy from what you did: a wrong answer is Again, a correct answer after a hint or a first input slower than 2 seconds is Hard, a quick correct answer is Good, and the Too easy button, pressed before you answer, is Easy. On the stone ladder an answer banks 0.25, 0.5, 1 or 2 of a level for Again, Hard, Good or Easy. A miss never lowers a level, and the word comes back later. On a gem, any answer except Again counts as one more review towards its next tier. FSRS sets the next review, with a longest interval of 180 days.

A day counts when you look up a word, answer a practice question or read. The streak counts days in a row, and the stats page draws an activity heatmap. Reading worlds change the scenery behind the app: Crystal Pines, Candlelit Reading Room and Paper Hills are open from the start; Star Road opens with a 7-day streak, Ink and Wash opens after you finish 15 lessons and Japanese Onsen opens after you finish 3 lessons.

Which app is the better choice for me?

  • DigMyGem fits if you want to read your own files, practise the saved words as a gem collection with FSRS, and choose between the hosted app and your own server.
  • LingQ fits if you want a service built around real content, with a community and tutors, and accept its plan limits and price.[2][3]
  • Anki fits if you want a general flashcard program that runs on your own devices and can be extended with add-ons, or if your cards already live in Anki: DigMyGem cannot read Anki packages.[5][7]
  • Readlang fits if you read on other websites and want to click a word or phrase there for its translation, through its extension or bookmarklet.[8]
  • Clozemaster fits if you want fill-in-the-blank sentence drills on your phone in many languages.[11]
  • Lute fits if you want a standalone local install that sends your terms to Anki through AnkiConnect.[14][17]
  • LinguaCafe fits if you want self-hosted reading software that can export highlighted cards to Anki.[18][20]

Can I move my LingQ words to DigMyGem?

Yes. Settings → Import words takes a LingQ CSV. DigMyGem reads the columns named term or word, hint, translation or meaning1, phrase or sentence, and status. You pick the level the whole list starts at, or let a status column decide each word. Words you start as Mastered are imported as known words and get no gem.

What does this page leave out?

Language Reactor is not compared: its pages could not be read as text, so nothing about it could be sourced. Clozemaster’s Pro price and export are left out for the same reason. Prices and limits of the other apps change; check their own pages before you pay.

Related pages

Sources and checks

Checked on . Statements about DigMyGem were written from its code; statements about other apps cite the page they were read from.

  1. LingQ home page: languages, apps and importing
  2. LingQ about page: what LingQ is and who runs it
  3. LingQ blog, free versus Premium (4 August 2026): plan limits and prices
  4. LingQ help: how to export all of your vocabulary
  5. Anki home page
  6. Anki manual: exporting
  7. Anki manual: importing
  8. Readlang home page
  9. Readlang features page
  10. Readlang pricing page
  11. Clozemaster home page
  12. Clozemaster Pro page
  13. Lute v3 repository on GitHub
  14. Lute manual, introduction
  15. Lute on PyPI (lute3)
  16. Lute on Docker Hub (jzohrab/lute3)
  17. Lute manual: Anki and AnkiConnect
  18. LinguaCafe repository README on GitHub
  19. LinguaCafe wiki: setup
  20. LinguaCafe wiki: usage and features
  21. DigMyGem pricing page, where the DigMyGem plan facts are published

Open DigMyGem