# Mishka: Learn Russian Language — user reviews > 38 indexed App Store user reviews of Mishka by JAMES RICHARD DRISCOLL, rated 5.00/5 from 82 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mishka-learn-russian-language/id6757408307/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mishka-learn-russian-language/id6757408307.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 79 · 4★ 2 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 0 ## Is Mishka safe? Mishka: Learn Russian Language appears safe based on user ratings. The AppsHunter Safety Score for Mishka is 94 out of 100. This assessment is based on 82 user ratings, with an App Store average of 5 out of 5. Of 82 App Store ratings, 98.8% point to a safe experience, 1.2% suggest some concerns, and 0.0% point to a risky experience. ## Is Mishka legit? Mishka: Learn Russian Language has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Mishka is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data. ## Newest reviews (14 of 38) ### 5/5 — AMAZING *2026-10-02* this is GREAT!! Much better than Duolingo. I’ve tried several Russian learning apps, but Mishka is the only one that is actually challenging me. There are SO many stories, grammar lessons, cases, exercises, and opportunities to create your own sentences in Russian. I especially love that it goes beyond the basic Привет, как тебя зовут? lessons. There is an insane amount of material here, and I’m really excited to keep learning with it! **Developer response:** Thank you so much Astrid! Getting past the "Привет, как тебя зовут?" stage was exactly why we built Mishka, so it's great to hear it's challenging you in a good way. We're adding new stories and lessons all the time, so there's plenty more coming. Happy learning! ### 5/5 — From far the best app *2026-09-27* I tried this app few days ago and the surprise is huge! It’s not famous and it deserve to be because it’s from far better than any other russian learning app! I am truly satisfied and the subscription worth it, give it a try you will no regret it. **Developer response:** Thank you so much, this made our day! Hearing it's better than the other Russian apps means a lot. Happy you're enjoying it. If you ever have ideas or run into a problem, email us at support@getmishka.com. ### 5/5 — Great *2026-09-02* Best app for laying in bed and learning Russian. Many different aspects. Try it out **Developer response:** Thank you so much:) ### 5/5 — Incredibly good app *2026-08-27* This app does an amazing job at meeting the needs of intermediate Russian language learners. The user interface is beautiful and a pleasure to use, but below the surface it is paired with thoughtful and intelligent pedagogical design. Mishka combines a number of existing kinds of apps in one. It has spaced repetition of flashcard apps like Anki. One feature that I love it that you card click on any word practical anywhere (e.g., from stories) and easily add it to you deck of to-be-learned words. The stories are great - both as a listening and reading exercise. There are followed by questions that test comprehension AND GRAMMAR. The grammar lessons and quizzes are particularly well done. There is actual explicit grammatical instruction and the questions focus on applying these idea. In Russian, the case declension system is very challenging to learn. Having completed the entire DuoLingo Russian course, I have never once experienced targeted testing of word endings. Mishka does exactly this. The app focuses on these important and difficult grammatical concepts, giving learners the practice they need, but does so in an intelligent and supportive way, with explanations about what is happening in the language. I cannot recommend this app more highly. It’s clear to me that it was created by people who genuinely know what they are doing in terms of both software/app development and importantly language instruction. ### 5/5 — Perfect. Exactly what i was looking for! *2026-08-25* Russian is my native language, but since I live in Germany, I’ve been looking for an app to improve my vocabulary, grammar, and especially things like slang, idioms, culture, and expressions you usually only pick up by actually living in a Russian-speaking country. I’ve tried apps like Duolingo, but even after testing into a higher level, the exercises never really helped me improve. Mishka is completely different. I’m using the Intermediate level and finally feel like I’m actually learning new things. I especially love the realistic AI chat scenarios and the stories, which are genuinely interesting and informative. I also really like the explanations after exercises. Instead of just telling you whether something is right or wrong, they explain why and how the grammar works in that specific context, which makes it much easier to actually understand and remember. My only criticism is that a lot of content is locked behind Pro and the subscription is quite expensive, especially as a student. I also wish there were more stories to choose from. Still, easily one of the best Russian-learning apps I’ve found! ❤️🐻 **Developer response:** Thank you! Hearing this from a native speaker made our day. More stories are on the way, we work on Mishka full time and are adding them level by level. Спасибо ❤️🐻 ### 5/5 — Great app *2026-08-15* I love this app, it has so many functions and is much more effective than other apps I’ve used. I really like the stories - you can pick stories from different language levels, listen, read, play them slower, and press words to get the translation and add to your vocab flashcards. It’s improving my listening a lot **Developer response:** Thank you! Love that the stories are helping your listening, that's one of the features we're proudest of:) ### 5/5 — The Best *2026-08-11* This is by far the best Russian learning app I’ve ever had the pleasure to encounter… it tests you first to figure out at what level you’re at and then it teaches you all you need to actually learn, especially the Grammar which is complex for because of the cases which are the biggest hurdle to learn and dominate! Being able to learn the WHY and HOW of each case and see it in use is such a huge plus… I’m recommending this app to everyone I know who shows any interest in learning Russian. With consistency and practice you can REALLY get your Russian to the next level. **Developer response:** Thank you so much for this, really means a lot. Cases are one of the biggest reasons we built the grammar section the way it is, so glad the why and how is clicking for you. Спасибо! ### 5/5 — This app is fire *2026-08-09* The implementation of AI and animations with a better approach of teaching the student is so much better than other apps and documentation for russian i must say i recommend it full heartily **Developer response:** Thank you! Really appreciate that, means a lot coming from someone comparing across apps:) ### 5/5 — Absolutely Excellent App *2026-08-01* This app is brilliant. It’s entirely catered toward learning Russian and feels like a relatively complete resource. Some of the AI-generated elements are a little rough around the edges, but overall everything is excellent. Thoughtful features are continuously added and I’m genuinely excited to see the direction the app takes in the future. Спасибо большое друзья! **Developer response:** Спасибо, Terry. Really glad you're enjoying it! If there's a specific spot that felt rough, tell us where and we'll go fix it:) You can contact us at support@getmishka.com. ### 5/5 — Amazing! *2026-07-25* This app is a dream come true for me! If you have been using the owl app for a while, start using Mishka and you will realize how much you have been missing. There is so much great, well organized content here. **Developer response:** This made our day. We put a lot into how it's laid out: everything sorted by level so you can see where you are, but nothing locking you into one path. Plenty more coming! ### 5/5 — Fun and Helpful *2026-06-25* I really enjoy using Mishka to help me learn Russian. It is super easy to use, fun and challenging. So far, I have only focused on grammar at my level, but it has so much more to offer. I highly recommend this app to boost your Russian. **Developer response:** Glad the grammar is landing. Try the stories section next if you get a chance: it's where the cases you've been drilling start showing up in context, and it's the part most people tell us made things click. ### 5/5 — Potential to be a game changer for Russian learning *2026-06-06* This app has the potential to be a stand alone language learning app. It has pretty much everything you could want. Case practice, reading, vocab, listening, verbs of motion and pretty much anything else you can think of! The problem is it’s not completely set up yet. Each part of the grammar section has a huge amount of practice subsections, but only the very first part has been programmed in. So you have around 8 sections, but can only use 1 for each section. I will try this app again in a few months time and am excited to do so… but it just isn’t ready yet. **Developer response:** You were right to hold off, and I'm glad to say it's ready now. All the practice subsections you found empty are filled in, and Grammar Mastery has landed too, a deeper set of tracks built with a certified Russian tutor that takes each topic across multiple lessons. You said you'd try again in a few months and the timing is about right. Would love to know what you make of it. ### 5/5 — App *2026-05-31* The Mashka app is a great tool for learning Russian. Everything is explained in a simple and clear way, and the exercises are interesting and not boring. I especially like that you can learn at your own pace and immediately see your progress. It’s a great choice for both beginners and those who want to improve their Russian skills! **Developer response:** Thank you so much! ### 5/5 — Happy with the App *2026-05-24* My son is bilingual and learns Russian with a Russian tutor. Mushka helps him practice vocabulary and grammar every day on the way to and from school. Very satisfied. **Developer response:** We’re so happy to hear that Mishka is helping your son practice! Thanks for the kind review:) ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Clunky and mostly pay to *2026-09-19* Clearly this is a slopped together app for the sole purpose of making money. Considering how many free alternative tools are available, the “pro” version is grotesquely overpriced which one could forgive if it was actually a good app. 99% of it is hidden by the pro feature which is slapped in front of your face at every iteration. Sections are not cohesive and aside from the many functionality woes, at its core it’s just boring rote exercises overlayed onto AI art. On that topic, AI most definitely had an overarching hand in designing and creating this app. You will learn far more in a more fluid way with free audiobooks on Spotify. 0/10 app. No thank you **Developer response:** Sorry it was not for you. The first three stories and grammar lessons at every level are free, along with missions, culture and shadowing lessons. The rest is paid because two of us work on Mishka full time and our lessons are built one by one and checked by a certified Russian tutor. New artwork is on our list, but we put our time into the lessons first because that is what actually gets you speaking Russian. If you hit a specific bug or a section that felt disconnected, email us at support@getmishka.com and we will fix it. ### 3/5 — unnecessary changes reduce user friendliness *2026-10-21* I do love Mishka. I pay for the app monthly. I’m on a nearly 50 day streak. I’ve invested at least like $20 so far in the app (by far more than any other app) and will continue to do so. But I’m disappointed by how often it changes. I’m really sad because previously, you could easily tell which stories you’ve read, since they were kind of highlighted in a way that indicated you’ve already done them. Now, it’s a small green check box that blends in with the picture on the culture page. And on the main stories page it’s a check on the side which isn’t as obvious as it once was. Also, they changed the way the characters look. Now they look chibi.. I liked before when they looked like actual people. It made me feel more connected to the stories:( now they’re just cartoons. The worst part is just how everything looks now. All the text and stuff. Such an unnecessary change. It’s especially bad in the vocabulary card section. The note lines make the cards harder to look at for long periods of time. (Now I see the lines when I look away from my phone.) Also, the bottom screen got rid of the box shape for the four buttons, now they’re all in a row which I don’t like. I just don’t like unnecessary changes. And this is like the second big unnecessary change Mishka has had. Developers change for the sake of change. Not because it’s actually useful. Who wanted this? :[ Anyway.. I still think this is one of the highest quality Russian apps. Just please no more changes!! **Developer response:** Thank you so much for this, and for sticking with Mishka through the changes. You were right, and a lot of what you wrote is already changed for our next update, much of it because of your review: the real character photos are coming back, finished stories and culture lessons get a big, obvious done badge again, the text and colors are back to the softer classic look, the lines on the vocabulary cards are gone, and the four buttons are back in their 2×2 boxes. If anything else bothers you, or if there's anything else you'd like to see us add please email us at support@getmishka.com. ### 3/5 — Drag the box excercise *2026-09-30* Its all good except for the excercises where you have to drag the boxes in the right order. i have not being able to move the boxes once since I downlowaded. I just skip submit those as they show up since I cannot modify them and end up with a lower score for the lesson. **Developer response:** Hey, thanks for the honest review! The boxes only move if you grab the ≡ handle on the right side of each sentence. Dragging from the middle doesn't work because tapping there opens word translations. We didn't make that obvious enough, so we're changing it so you can drag the whole box in a future update. If anything else comes up, just email us at support@getmishka.com. ### 4/5 — Free mode with ads would be sooo cool *2026-10-13* This app is so much better for learning Russian than Duolingo, but the free version doesn’t take you very far. So I really hope that in the future the free mode will be extended. I would take add brakes for a free mode of this app, it’s sooo good **Developer response:** Thank you, and it's great to hear it's working better for you than Duolingo! Thanks for the idea. The first stories and grammar lessons at every level stay free, so you can always keep practicing with those. Really glad you're enjoying it:) ### 4/5 — If you learn russian, ditch Duolingo for this app *2026-09-19* This app is dozens of times better than Duolingo for learning Russian. The only thing i don’t like is that most of the user interface seems to be made with AI, particularly the images, which just signals low effort and cheapness, especially for an app with subscriptions **Developer response:** Thanks, and this is a fair point. New artwork is on our list, but there are only two of us and we are finishing a new set of lessons first, each one built and checked by a certified Russian tutor. We hear you on the images though. Glad the Russian side is beating Duolingo for you, that is the part we care about most. ### 4/5 — Great so far *2026-09-17* Great contend but most exercises lack audio to learn the pronunciation. **Developer response:** Thanks! One thing you may have missed: tap any Russian word, in a story or in an exercise, and it is spoken aloud with its stress. Stories and shadowing are fully voiced too, and more audio is coming in the next lessons we release. Glad the content is working for you. ### 5/5 — Just what I was looking for *2026-11-05* Love this, real stories and you can click on each word to understand what they mean. Found the ad on TikTok, thanks so much for making the app ### 5/5 — love mishka 🥹 and the developers *2026-11-05* I mentioned previously that I have invested a lot of time and money (and plan to continue to of course!) and was super sad about the new changes to the app. I’m really thankful they brought back the features I really liked about the previous version!!! It’s REALLY nice to be listened to when you pay for a service 🥹💖 Mishka has helped me with my Russian like no other app or class I have taken on Russian. I can’t stress enough that this was the first time in nearly 7 years of passively learning Russian that I FINALLY understand grammar. I love all the grammar chapters and the stories. I spend so much time listening to the stories and trying to really hear words without reading along with them (to get better at recognizing Russian words being said, not just reading subtitles). But it’s so nice that I AM able to click on any word that has me stumped and save it to my flashcards. I love love love Mishka 💖 And the developers have been so helpful! **Developer response:** Thank you so much for this, and for sticking with Mishka through the changes. You were right, and a lot of what you wrote is already changed for our next update, much of it because of your review: the real character photos are coming back, finished stories and culture lessons get a big, obvious done badge again, the text and colors are back to the softer classic look, the lines on the vocabulary cards are gone, and the four buttons are back in their 2×2 boxes. If anything else bothers you, or if there's anything else you'd like to see us add please email us at support@getmishka.com. ### 5/5 — Amazing *2026-10-28* This app is SO helpful with learning Russian compared to that evil little owl ha ha. I am very happy to see where the stress belongs on words, and grammar rules attached to everything. This app is awesome for anyone who is serious about learning Russian. **Developer response:** Thank you so much! Really glad the stress marks and grammar explanations are helping. More stories and lessons are on the way! ### 5/5 — amazingg!! *2026-10-26* this is like the best app i've ever used to help me learn russian, it's really helpful especially with the stories with the quizzes and how you can pick out individual words from them and study them later, really motivates me to be consistent with practising 🫶 **Developer response:** Thank you so much! Really nice to hear the stories and saving words are keeping you consistent. Lots more stories coming soon🫶 ## Most praised reviews (6 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Great and fun! Also serious *2026-10-20* Everyone learning Russian try this app! It’s the one for us! I’m John an American guy. I wish I found Mishka sooner! -John. Earthcow on IG **Developer response:** Thank you so much:) ### 5/5 — I like it *2026-10-20* I have been loving Mishka!!! Thank you for no adds even if you don’t pay. I am an intermediate learner and the levels you have are very nice. ### 5/5 — This app is amazing *2026-10-08* This app is the best study app i have found for russian. Ive been learning russian for 2 years primarily without apps like this. They often feel like entertainment more than education and were only good for killing time while learning a few random words and phrases. This app is so much less gamified and mindless. I love how lessons are simply reading and answering questions about russian stories. Every word you don’t know in a story can be clicked on and easily added to your flashcards. You get to effortlessly build a vocabulary list of words that are important/relevant to you, instead of memorizing vocab lists with dozens of unimportant words. The amount of content is crazy: the app has tons of russian texts to practice where you learn russian culture, idioms, and slang. The only downside is that it is quite expensive ($12 a month). But if you are going to use it every day, it is definitely worth it. Theres also a few issues and inconveniences in the app but overall it is by far the most efficient way to practice russian language with realistic scenarios, words, context, & culture. **Developer response:** Thank you, this made our day! Building your own vocab list from the stories instead of memorizing random word lists is exactly how we wanted Mishka to work. If you can tell us what the issues and inconveniences were, we'd love to fix them. You can use the feedback button in the app or email support@getmishka.com. ### 5/5 — Affordable and helpful! *2026-10-08* I’ve been using Duolingo for a couple years which really only got me so far but the game aspect at least kept me practicing my words. Saw an add for this on instagram and immediately loved it, it is very engaging and immersive, so many ways to learn and explains things well. Finally I can expand on my grammar and I didn’t have to pay a ton or put in a bunch of extra effort 😂 **Developer response:** Thank you so much! It's great to hear you're finally getting into the grammar after Duolingo. And we're happy the Instagram ad found you:) If there's anything you'd like to see in Mishka, just let us know through the feedback button in the app. ### 5/5 — Very useful *2026-10-05, version 1.2.2* I think this is the first actual useful app for Russian learners, i genuinely find it useful for learning. ### 5/5 — Effective and friendly app *2026-10-03* This app is easy to use and very effective. It helps you learn grammatical concepts without overwhelming you. I love that you can listen to the stories at various speeds. Improvements are ongoing and the developer is routinely adding new features that keep the app interesting! **Developer response:** Thanks so much Rafael! More is on the way, and if there's anything you'd like to see, just let us know through the feedback button in the app. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-11-09.*