Preview. These maps are our reading of public sources and haven't been checked with the projects' maintainers yet.
Lector
An open-source, self-hosted reader for any language that combines LingQ-style click-to-translate reading with cloze practice and Anki sync, with a paid cloud option.
v3.15.0 released 2026-09-12; repo pushed 2026-10-26 (gh api). (checked 2026-10-25)
In Language learning apps
Where it stands apart
- How is the main thing licensed? copyleft or source-available with restrictions (20% of 20 others)
- Who is it for? both (10% of 20 others)
- Which shared standard or format does it mainly build on? Anki decks and sync (10% of 20 others)
- How many languages can you learn with it? If it works with content in any language, pick 'any language'. any language (it works on whatever content you bring or write) (16% of 19 others)
- Where is your learning progress kept? on a server you run (0% of 19 others)
- What is the main way you use it? self-hosted server or command-line tool (10% of 20 others)
What it shares with most of the community
- Is it actively maintained? active (85% of 20 others)
Not documented
The public sources we read don't say:
- Does it use game mechanics (streaks, hearts, XP, leaderboards, mini-games)?
Nearest neighbors
- Anki (reference) 50% of 14 shared answers match
- SubSmith 46% of 13 shared answers match
- Lessong 43% of 14 shared answers match
Every answer
| Question | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Is it actively maintained? | active | source 2026-10-26 |
| How is the main thing licensed? | stands apart copyleft or source-available with restrictions AGPL-3.0. | source 2026-10-26 |
| How is it mainly sustained? | individual with revenue (paid app, tier, ads, or donations) Lector Cloud from $5/month (beta); maker is GitHub user heuwels. | source 2026-10-26 |
| Can it run entirely on your own device or infrastructure, without the maker's servers? | yes Docker self-host; optional local LLM. | source 2026-10-26 |
| Do you need an account to use it? | optional account Cloud needs registration; self-host has optional auth. | source 2026-10-26 |
| Who is it for? | stands apart both Self-hosting needs Docker; cloud is for anyone. | source 2026-10-26 |
| Which shared standard or format does it mainly build on? | stands apart Anki decks and sync Anki sync central to its review loop; Tatoeba sentences secondary. | source 2026-10-26 |
| Which learning method does the maker put first? | comprehensible input (reading or listening to real or leveled content) Click-to-translate reading of real content, with cloze and SRS. | source 2026-10-26 |
| What does AI do in the product? | AI only assists (translation, lookups, transcription, or grading) Optional AI translation, tutor and writing correction; falls back to a dictionary. | source 2026-10-26 |
| How many languages can you learn with it? If it works with content in any language, pick 'any language'. | stands apart any language (it works on whatever content you bring or write) Reader works with any language; ~24 language packs. | source 2026-10-26 |
| Where does the material you learn from mainly come from? | content you bring (your videos, books, songs, or the pages you browse) | source 2026-10-26 |
| How does a learner pay? | free tier plus a subscription Self-host free; cloud from $5/month. | source 2026-10-26 |
| Does it use game mechanics (streaks, hearts, XP, leaderboards, mini-games)? | Not documented | source 2026-10-26 |
| Where is your learning progress kept? | stands apart on a server you run Self-hosted data is a single SQLite file. | source 2026-10-26 |
| What is the main way you use it? | stands apart self-hosted server or command-line tool | source 2026-10-26 |
Sources
This page was derived from:
- GitHub · github.com/heuwels/lector · read 2026-10-25
- Web page · lector.dev/ · collected 2026-10-26
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