Freedom251 › Language Immersion Apps
Lector
What Lector is
Lector is an open-source language-learning reader that turns imported texts and media into reading and practice material. It accepts EPUBs, pasted text, and web articles, with clickable word translations and tracking for known, learning, and new vocabulary. Users can bring in YouTube transcripts with timestamps or upload podcasts for transcription and listen-along playback. Cloze practice pairs sentences in frequency order and uses spaced repetition. Mined words and phrases can be sent to Anki as Basic or Cloze cards, while a beta add-on syncs reviews back. The tutor and writing correction can use the Claude API or a local model; translation can fall back to an on-device dictionary. The reader works with any language, and language packs add a frequency-ordered cloze bank and on-device dictionary. Self-hosted reading data stays in a server-side SQLite file, and the maker says it collects no app telemetry or account data. Cloud content is stored to provide the service and may go to a translation provider; the maker says it is not used to train models or sold. Cloud data is stored in AWS us-east-1 and can be exported. The free plan excludes podcast imports and managed AI requests and limits journal writing to 1,000 words per month; Cloud starts at $5 per month.
Who it suits
Lector suits language learners who want to study with their own reading or media and practice vocabulary. Its self-hosted option may suit people who want reading data kept on their own hardware.
What it does well
- Imports EPUBs, web articles, pasted text, transcripts, and podcasts.
- Tracks known, learning, and new vocabulary.
- Cloze practice uses spaced repetition.
- Mined terms can be sent to Anki.
- Self-hosted option keeps reading data on the user’s hardware.
What to know first
- Free plan excludes podcast import.
- Free plan limits journal writing to 1,000 words per month.
- Free plan excludes managed AI requests.
- Cloud content may be sent to a translation provider.
Limits
The Free plan allows 10 collections, 200 texts, 10 words and 10 phrases per day, 1,000 AI glosses per month, and 1,000 journal words per month. It excludes podcast import and managed AI requests. Cloud starts at $5/month and includes 1,000 texts, 5,000 managed AI requests, 10,000 AI glosses, five hours of podcast transcription, and 5,000 journal words monthly.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | $0 forever · Every feature · unlimited usage · data stays on your hardware · own LLM keys or local model · community support | Free |
| Free | 10 collections · 200 texts · 10 words + 10 phrases/day tap-to-translate · 1,000 AI glosses/month · browser voices · optional own AI key | Free |
| Cloud Plus | or ~$120/year — two months free · 20,000 managed AI requests/month · 50,000 AI glosses/month · 1,500,000 voice characters/month · 15 podcast hours/month · unlimited journal writing, library and phrase length · priority support · early language-pack access | $12 a month |
| Cloud | or $50/year — two months free · 5,000 managed AI requests/month · 10,000 AI glosses/month · 300,000 voice characters/month · 5 podcast hours/month · 1,000 texts · 5,000 journal words/month · backups, updates, email support | $5 a month |
As lector.dev lists them, read 15 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the Lector website.
- Choose the free plan, a paid cloud plan, or self-hosted use.
- Import an EPUB, paste text, or add a web article to begin reading.
- For self-hosting, use Docker and keep reading data in the server-side SQLite file.
- Connect AnkiConnect or configure a Claude or OpenAI-compatible AI server if desired.
Verdict
Lector combines imported reading and media with vocabulary tracking, practice, and Anki support. The free plan has stated limits, while self-hosted and paid cloud options serve different data and feature needs.
Questions
How much does Lector cost?
The Free plan is $0/month and self-hosting is $0 forever. Cloud is $5/month or $50/year, and Cloud Plus is $12/month or about $120/year.
Is Lector open source?
Yes. Lector is described as an open-source language-learning reader.
Which platforms does it support?
Lector is available on the web, through its API, and as a self-hosted option. Offline access is also listed.
Who makes Lector?
Lector is operated and built by Luke Boyle.
What can I import?
Lector accepts EPUBs, pasted text, web articles, YouTube captions or transcripts, and podcasts. Podcast import is excluded from the Free plan.
Can Lector connect to Anki or AI tools?
It lists AnkiConnect, Claude or OpenAI-compatible AI servers, optional Google Cloud Text-to-Speech, and Docker. The tutor and writing correction can use the Claude API or a local model.
Facts from Lector's own pages
- AI and language tools
- The tutor and writing correction can use the Claude API or a local model, while AI translation can fall back to an on-device dictionary. · lector.dev, 7 Oct 2026
- AI providers
- Supported optional AI backends include Anthropic Claude and OpenAI-compatible servers such as Ollama, LM Studio and vLLM. · lector.dev, 15 Oct 2026
- AI tutor and journal
- The built-in tutor answers grammar questions and corrects journal writing with explanations, using Claude or a local model. · lector.dev, 15 Oct 2026
- Anki
- Lector sends mined words and phrases to Anki as Basic or Cloze cards, and its beta add-on syncs reviews back. · lector.dev, 7 Oct 2026
- Anki integration
- Lector supports two-way Anki synchronization through its beta Lector Sync add-on, while local self-hosts can use AnkiConnect. · lector.dev, 15 Oct 2026
- API client generation
- The API documentation gives an OpenAPI Generator command for producing a typed TypeScript fetch client. · lector.dev, 15 Oct 2026
- API extensibility
- API settings allow provider-key storage for Anthropic or OpenRouter, model selection and OpenAI-compatible endpoint discovery on self-hosted deployments. · lector.dev, 15 Oct 2026
- API import endpoints
- Documented endpoints import EPUB files, audio, YouTube captions and URL-extracted articles, and expose collection, lesson, progress and statistics operations. · lector.dev, 15 Oct 2026
- Audio and video
- Users can import YouTube transcripts with timestamps or upload podcasts for transcription and listen-along playback. · lector.dev, 7 Oct 2026
- Cloud data
- The privacy policy says cloud content is stored to provide the service and may be sent to a translation provider, and says content is not used to train models or sold. · lector.dev, 7 Oct 2026
- Cloud region
- The homepage says Lector Cloud stores data in AWS us-east-1 and users can export it at any time. · lector.dev, 7 Oct 2026
- Cloze practice
- Practice uses frequency-ordered Tatoeba sentence pairs with multiple-choice or typed answers and spaced repetition. · lector.dev, 15 Oct 2026
- Company maker
- The product site identifies Luke Boyle as its builder, while his personal site says he is based in regional Australia. · lukeboyle.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- The docs cover installation, environment variables, backups, OIDC multi-user login, Tailscale and HTTPS, reading features, language packs and the REST API. · lector.dev, 15 Oct 2026
- Independent limit: language-pack gaps
- The Reddit post says Japanese and Korean have dictionaries and reader support but no cloze banks yet. · reddit.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Independent limit: model dependence
- The Reddit post identifies rich translation, grammar tutoring and journal correction as the only functions requiring a model or API key. · reddit.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Independent praise: feature parity
- The Reddit author states the cloud and self-hosted versions are the same application without an open-core split or feature separation. · reddit.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Independent praise: installation
- A Reddit self-hosting post highlights that deployment uses one docker compose command and SQLite without an external database. · reddit.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Independent praise: privacy
- The same Reddit post praises offline reader, cloze and vocabulary operation, with books remaining on the user's disk and no telemetry. · reddit.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The documentation lists AnkiConnect, Claude or OpenAI-compatible AI servers, optional Google Cloud Text-to-Speech, and Docker. · lector.dev, 7 Oct 2026
- Language coverage
- The site lists language packs for 24 languages including Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese-related Greek variants, Latin and others. · lector.dev, 15 Oct 2026
- Language support
- The reader works with any language, while language packs add a frequency-ordered cloze bank and an on-device dictionary. · lector.dev, 7 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository licenses Lector under GNU Affero General Public License version 3.0, including the requirement to offer corresponding source for modified network services. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: cloud account language bug
- A GitHub issue documented a July 8, 2026 cloud bug where browser-local language state could leak across accounts and cause setup inconsistencies between browsers. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
Where Lector stands on Freedom251
- Language Immersion Apps#1 of 25