DigMyGem vs LinguaCafe: self-hosted reading apps compared

DigMyGem and LinguaCafe are both self-hostable reading apps. LinguaCafe is free GPL-3.0 software with a MySQL database and 27 listed languages. DigMyGem keeps one SQLite file, offers a hosted app too, and adds a gem collection, four built-in practice games and FSRS scheduling, but has no Anki link today.^[1]^[2] Open DigMyGem

At a glance

Open source under the AGPL v3 licence, and self-hostable
Self-hosted data in one SQLite file, digmygem.db
28 study languages in the language registry
No Anki link today: the Anki add-on was removed

How do DigMyGem and LinguaCafe compare?

Topic	DigMyGem	LinguaCafe
Hosting	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.	Self-hosted software. Its Docker Compose setup runs a web server, a Python text service and a MySQL container; its README says memory use can pass 2 GB if you use every language.^[1]^[2]
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.	The database is MySQL, which can be a remote server. The Vocabulary page searches, edits and exports words.^[2]^[3]
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.	Its manual says you can export highlighted cards to Anki or other SRS software.^[3]
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.^[4]	Free software under GPL-3.0.^[1]
Languages	28 study languages in the language registry. Other apps count languages their own way, so the numbers are not like for like.	Lists 27 languages in its README, with support levels that differ by language.^[1]
What you read	Your own files and web pages: EPUB, MOBI, PDF, DOCX, Markdown, text, subtitles and web addresses.	Imports ebook files, subtitle files, YouTube subtitles by address, plain text and web pages.^[3]
Review	Flashcards, picture to word, word to picture and listen and pick, scheduled by FSRS, and games you make in Game Lab. Words practised to level 5 or higher become gems.	A spaced-repetition review similar to the Leitner system.^[3]

Can I move my words between them?

LinguaCafe’s Vocabulary page exports words, and DigMyGem’s word import takes a CSV or text file with a column named term or word. This page has not checked how a LinguaCafe export is laid out, so it does not say whether the two fit without editing.^[3]

When is LinguaCafe the better choice?

You want self-hosted software under GPL-3.0 and are comfortable running MySQL beside it.^[1]^[2]
You want to export highlighted cards to Anki or other SRS software, which its manual describes and DigMyGem cannot do.^[3]

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.

Sources and checks

Checked on 2026-10-21. Statements about DigMyGem were written from its code; statements about other apps cite the page they were read from.

Open DigMyGem