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ShadowingGO and Sada, compared honestly

ShadowingGO’s free trial covers recommended videos, 2 YouTube videos you choose and 30 minutes of recording; after that it costs $12.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with an account. Sada is free with no paid plan and no account and works with any captioned YouTube video; it shows recognised words and timing, not individual sounds.

Try one line nowListen to one short line, record your take, then play it beside the original. Free, with no account.

Last checked: 30 September 2026. Prices and limits change; confirm them on the tool’s own site or in your country’s store.

What is ShadowingGO?

A shadowing service that turns a YouTube link into practice: you record your speech while listening, it compares what you said with the original subtitles and gives scores, and you choose how finely the video is split. It runs on the web, iPhone and Android with one account.

Is ShadowingGO free?

Only as a trial. Its free plan includes recommended videos plus 2 YouTube videos you choose, with up to 30 minutes of recording in total (once, not per day). To keep practising with the videos you choose, Basic costs $12.99 a month, or $99.99 billed yearly, which the site says saves $55.89 over paying monthly. Its “Start for free” button opens a registration page.

ShadowingGO vs Sada

Compared on	ShadowingGO	Sada
Price	Trial, then $12.99 a month or $99.99 a year	Free, no paid plan
Account	Its “Start for free” button opens a registration page	Not needed
Your own YouTube videos	2 in the trial; unlimited on Basic	Any video with usable captions, or a pasted transcript, SRT or VTT file
How lines are split	You choose how finely the video is divided	By the video’s captions
Feedback	Your speech compared with the original subtitles, with scores	Words recognised or missed, and your timing against the speaker; not each sound
Your voice	Sent to Deepgram (US) for speech-to-text; its policy says the recordings themselves are not stored on its servers, while transcription text and practice results are kept	Recognised on your device; recordings are not uploaded
Where	Web, iPhone and Android, one account	Any modern browser, phone or computer; no store app
Arabic interface	No: its site lists 17 interface languages, Arabic not among them	Yes

When ShadowingGO is the better choice

If you want store apps and your progress synced through one account across web, iPhone and Android, or you want to set how long each practice segment is, ShadowingGO offers that. Its interface is available in 17 languages, including Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Hindi.

When Sada is the better choice

If you want to practise your own YouTube videos without a trial limit, a subscription or an account, in an Arabic or English interface, with your voice recognised on your device rather than sent to a provider, that is what Sada is for. How to shadow a YouTube video.

Other comparisons

Sources

Checked 30 September 2026: shadowinggo.com (how it works, platforms, languages, registration), ShadowingGO pricing (trial limits, Basic), ShadowingGO privacy policy (voice data). Prices change; check the site.

Practise one line, step by step

Open an exercise from this guide. Choose a captioned video for this guide’s topic and a line whose meaning you understand.
Listen and read the caption, then say the line after the speaker in Repeat mode.
Try saying the line with the speaker in Shadow mode, following the rhythm and pauses.
Record a take, then open Compare and play your recording and the original. Review words and timing; Sada does not grade individual sounds.
Repeat the line while focusing on one difference you heard, then move to another line.

Questions people ask

Is ShadowingGO free?

It has a free trial with recommended videos, 2 YouTube videos you choose and 30 minutes of recording in total. After that, Basic costs $12.99 a month or $99.99 a year.

Do I need an account for ShadowingGO?

Its “Start for free” button opens a registration page, so plan on creating an account to try it. Sada needs no account.

Where does ShadowingGO send my voice?

To Deepgram (United States) for speech-to-text, according to its privacy policy, which also says it does not store the recordings themselves on its servers.

Is there a free alternative to ShadowingGO?

Sada is free with no paid plan and no account, and works with any YouTube video that has usable captions. It has no store app and does not grade individual sounds.

Does ShadowingGO have an Arabic interface?

Not on the day we checked; its site lists 17 interface languages and Arabic is not among them. Sada has an Arabic interface.

Start practising