"I love Language Reactor for videos, but I read more than I watch"
If that's you, here's how the two handle reading:
| Language Reactor | Echo Translate | |
|---|---|---|
| Reading a web page | Import the page into Language Reactor with the right-click menu, then read it there | Look up words on the page itself; nothing to import |
| Books / documents | Upload books; listen with text-to-speech | Online and local PDFs open in Echo's viewer; files aren't uploaded. Import word lists from Kindle or CSV |
| Words you saved, later | Highlighted throughout Language Reactor, in every form (plurals, conjugations) | Highlighted when they come back on any web page, in YouTube captions or in a PDF, including plurals and verb forms. |
| Video | Netflix and YouTube: bilingual subtitles, auto-pause after each line, keyboard shortcuts, speech recognition (Pro, Netflix) | YouTube videos with CC subtitles; no Netflix subtitles. Click words, two-language or original subtitles, jump back when reviewing |
| Review | PhrasePump listening exercise with sentences for words due; Anki export with screenshots and audio (Pro) | Review in the sentence you found the word, after 1/3/7/15/30/90 days; CSV/Anki file export (free), one-click Anki (Pro) |
| Languages | 40+ study languages | English only (meanings in 40 native languages) |
| Devices | Chrome extension and website; works on phone and tablet | Chrome and Edge on a computer; Pro audio review on a phone |
| Price | Free; Pro US$5.95/month, US$13.95/3 months, US$39.95/year | Free; Pro $4.99/month or $35.99/year; one-time passes |
What Language Reactor does better
Plainly:
Video study is more complete. Auto-pause after each subtitle, replay and next-line shortcuts, and machine or human translations — Echo has none of these playback tools.
Netflix subtitles. Echo's caption tools work on YouTube only.
Many languages. 40+ study languages with transliteration; Echo is for English only.
Phone and tablet. Language Reactor works there; Echo needs a desktop browser.
Anki cards with screenshots and audio (Pro).
What Echo does differently
- No import step. You read the page where it is — news sites, blogs, docs — and look up words there.
- One word book across pages, YouTube and PDFs. A word you looked up in an article is highlighted in a YouTube caption next week.
- Meaning in this sentence. Lookups explain what the word means in the sentence you're reading, and the sentence is saved with it.
- Free plan without sign-up. 500 lookups and 20 sentence translations a day; all looked-up words are highlighted; 10 reviews a day from your 50 most recent words.
Which one should I use?
- Language Reactor if you learn mainly by watching Netflix or YouTube, want line-by-line listening practice, or are learning a language other than English.
- Echo Translate if you're learning English and most of your input is reading — web pages, articles, PDFs — plus some YouTube with captions.
Echo Translate is an extension for Chrome and Edge, so it can’t be installed on a phone. Open this address on your computer:
echo-translate.com· Compare in detail: Echo Translate vs Language Reactor
Sources
Language Reactor facts checked 2026-11-05 PT:
- Language Reactor: languages, books and websites, highlighting, PhrasePump, Anki export, phone and tablet.
- Basic help: video controls and importing web pages.
- Pro mode: free and paid features and prices.