A note on why this page exists: most of what ranks for this comparison is written by Trancy itself, which wins its own comparison every time. We earn a commission on Trancy (and not on Language Reactor), so you might expect the same bias from us β instead, here's the version with the trade-offs left in.
Free tier vs free tier.
This is Trancy's strongest ground. Language Reactor free: Netflix + YouTube, dual subtitles, dictionary, word saving only inside its PhrasePump exercise. Trancy free: bilingual subtitles and unlimited word/sentence translation on YouTube, Netflix, HBO, Disney+, TED, Coursera, Udemy and more β plus full-page web translation and 50 PDF pages/month β capped at 100 saved words and 50 saved sentences. If you watch beyond Netflix and YouTube, or you're on Firefox (Trancy: yes; Language Reactor: no official version β details), Trancy's free tier wins outright.
Paid vs paid.
Language Reactor Pro, $5.95/month or $39.95/year: speech-recognition subtitles for dubbed content and word-for-word machine translation on Netflix β genuinely unique features in this pairing β plus full word saving with Anki export, and the enhanced Lexa AI dictionary. Trancy Premium, $42/year list (promos frequently lower): uncapped saving, AI definitions, an AI speaking coach, YouTube AI transcription, 2,000 PDF pages/month. Near-identical yearly money; completely different bets β Language Reactor spends it on Netflix depth and Anki, Trancy on breadth and AI comprehension features.
The Anki line.
Trancy has no Anki export on any tier; its saved words live in its own wordbook with basic flashcards. Language Reactor Pro exports saved words to Anki. If a spaced-repetition workflow is the point for you, this single row decides the comparison β or points you past both of them to LangPanda, where cards carry audio and screenshots automatically and a full FSRS-based SRS is built in.
Track record vs momentum.
Language Reactor is the incumbent (years of development, huge user base, the tool your favorite polyglot YouTuber probably showed you). Trancy is the fast mover β 19 interface languages, aggressive pricing, monthly feature releases. Incumbency means stability; momentum means the feature gap keeps shifting β check dates on any comparison you read, including this one (facts here verified JulyβAugust 2026).
Verdict.
Watching mostly Netflix, want the deepest Netflix toolkit, or need Anki: Language Reactor. Watching across many platforms, on Firefox, on a budget, or want comprehension AI: Trancy β start free, you may never need to pay. Building a serious vocabulary system: neither is the endpoint β see Best Subtitle Tools.