The Free Dictionary vs Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries

The Free Dictionary9.2Visit Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries9.1Visit

Higher score The Free Dictionary #3 in Online Dictionaries 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit site

vs

Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries #4 in Online Dictionaries 9.1/10 Free plan · 3-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit site

• The Free Dictionary fits best

  Users wanting the broadest free reference set

• Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries fits best

  English learners and exam-focused students

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Side by side

Feature	The Free Dictionary 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries 9.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	9.1
Ranking	#3 in Online Dictionaries	#4 in Online Dictionaries
Best for	Users wanting the broadest free reference set	English learners and exam-focused students
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	3 days
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile, Desktop	Cloud, Mobile, Desktop
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android, macOS	Web, iOS, Android, macOS
Features The Free Dictionary 4/4 · Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries 4/4
Audio pronunciation	✓	✓
Usage examples	✓	✓
Translation lookup	✓	✓
Offline access	✓	✓
Specs
Mobile apps	Ios_android	Ios_android
Languages covered	14	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Dictionary, thesaurus, specialist dictionaries, and translation lookup Offline access, audio pronunciations, voice search, and synchronized bookmarks Available on web, iOS, Android, macOS, and through an API	Free access to complete Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary content British and American pronunciation audio with contextual examples CEFR vocabulary, grammar exercises and offline mobile access
Cons	The free plan includes advertising The ad-free upgrade is limited to the iOS app API access is described for calls from other apps, not a broader integration suite	Some learning tools require premium app access Offline dictionary access is limited to the mobile app Bilingual lookup is specified for German-English only
Our verdict	The Free Dictionary is a reference service from Farlex, Inc. for looking up words, synonyms, translations, idioms, and specialist terminology. It combines dictionary and thesaurus lookup with medical, legal, science, financial, and idiom… Read the review →	Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries combines reference material and English-learning resources for learners, teachers and exam-focused students. Its free online access includes the complete A–Z Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, with… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• The Free Dictionary — where it wins

  • Dictionary, thesaurus, specialist dictionaries, and translation lookup
  • Offline access, audio pronunciations, voice search, and synchronized bookmarks
  • Available on web, iOS, Android, macOS, and through an API

  Where it doesn't

  • The free plan includes advertising
  • The ad-free upgrade is limited to the iOS app
  • API access is described for calls from other apps, not a broader integration suite

• Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries — where it wins

  • Free access to complete Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary content
  • British and American pronunciation audio with contextual examples
  • CEFR vocabulary, grammar exercises and offline mobile access

  Where it doesn't

  • Some learning tools require premium app access
  • Offline dictionary access is limited to the mobile app
  • Bilingual lookup is specified for German-English only

• The Free Dictionary9.2/10 · Free plan

  A broad free reference service with offline access, translations, and specialist dictionaries.

  Visit siteFull verdict →
• Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries9.1/10 · Free plan · 3-day trial

  A broad English-learning dictionary with strong pronunciation, usage and study tools.

  Visit siteFull verdict →