Langmuir turbulence during ionospheric heating experiments is studied by a model which treats the low-frequency ion dynamics from a linearized kinetic description, where the usual high frequency Zakharov equation describing the electron dynamics is retained. The main objective is to compare the predictions from this model with results previously obtained from quasi-fluid Zakharov models. Our findings are that the predictions from the two types of models are in good qualitative agreement. At high values of the frequency mismatch and moderate values of the driving electric field, the saturated dynamics is cascade-dominated, while at lower-frequency mismatch, that is, nearer to the reflection height, or at higher drive, the dynamics is of the cavitation type. In cascade dominated cases the perturbation of the ion velocity distribution is mainly around the ion acoustic velocity, while in cavitation-dominated cases the whole velocity range is perturbed. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1994