Comparison

Woodpecker vs Pimsleur | Language Learning

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Woodpecker

Learn languages by watching videos in your target language. Touch words in subtitles for instant definitions and save them for review. Explore content from YouTube and Netflix to immerse yourself in native-speaker material.

Highlights
  • Interactive video subtitles
  • Instant word definitions
  • Save vocabulary for review
  • YouTube video discovery
  • Netflix integration (iPad)
  • Offline bilingual dictionaries
  • Flashcard creation
Read full description

Watch and understand thousands of videos in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Vietnamese, or English. When you don’t know a word, simply touch it in the subtitles. Use Woodpecker tools on any subtitled video on Youtube and all videos on Netflix (with a Netflix account and when using Woodpecker on an iPad). Touch any word, see its meaning, and easily save it to your history for review. Woodpecker’s bilingual dictionaries are free to use, work offline, and have no ads. Move on from your textbooks. Immerse and understand videos, shows, and movies meant for native speakers from around the world. Choose your target language: Immerse in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Vietnamese, or English. Discover videos: Woodpecker filters Youtube to show you only videos in your target language with accurate subtitles. Browse videos by category, from popular channels, or made by popular Youtube teachers. Quickly find videos created for native speakers. Watch and improve your language skills. Watch with confidence. Woodpecker tools let you: + Touch any word to look it up while watching + Save any word or phrase to your word history + Touch a timestamp to jump to that section or rehear a phrase easily + Jump back 5 seconds if you missed something in a video + Touch to hear a phrase in the video repeated again and again + Slow down a video to 75% speed + Add multiple subtitle streams (when available) to follow along in your own language + Browse popular news sites in your target language, touch any word to look it up Subscribe to Woodpecker Tools to unlock unlimited web browsing, saved word exports, and flash cards! Make and practice your language skills with flash cards you make from words you saved! Try free today for 7 days. Build confidence with Woodpecker: • Discover videos in the language you’re learning. Explore by topic, channel name, or view videos by popular teachers on Youtube • Woodpecker filters Youtube to show only the videos in the language you’re learning • Have a Netflix account? Subscribe to the Unlimited Player in Woodpecker on your iPad to watch your favorite shows on Netflix. Touch any word in the subtitles to see its meaning and use Woodpecker Tools when you watch Netflix. • Perfect for intermediate to advanced learners, gain confidence as you watch something you love • Touch any word to see its meaning while your video pauses; Woodpecker automatically identifies proper names, popular expressions, idioms, and phrases • See all the words and expressions you’ve looked up in your word history; review them and practice with pronunciations • Browse popular news sites in the language you’re learning with the Woodpecker web browser, touch any word to see its meaning • Upgrade the app with tools to export your word history and browse any web page and create flash cards for review from your saved word history. • Watch videos with two subtitle streams (when available) to follow along in English as well as your target language • Dive deeper in a definition, expand the popup and touch any word in a definition to see its meaning • Browse the Teacher Section to see videos by popular Youtube teachers in your target language • Find all the videos you’ve watched in the video history section (data stored locally on your device) • Woodpecker’s bilingual dictionaries support: English speakers learning French, Mandarin, Spanish, German, and Vietnamese. And also support speakers of Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese learning English. • Touch any timestamp in the subtitles to rehear a phrase or jump to that phrase in a video • Discover content easily and dive into what you want to watch without the restrictions of a lesson plan • Improve your language skills while watching Youtube and Netflix with Woodpecker Start watching videos made for native speakers by native speakers. Immerse confidently in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Vietnamese, or English. Try Woodpecker today!

About

Pimsleur | Language Learning

Master over 50 languages with daily 30-minute audio lessons. Achieve native-like fluency through a scientifically proven method focused on speaking and pronunciation, even offline. Perfect for busy adults seeking flexible, effective language learning.

Highlights
  • Learn 50+ languages
  • 30-minute daily lessons
  • Offline mode
  • Hands-free learning
  • Pronunciation practice
  • AI language tutor
  • Sync across devices
Features
Read full description

Learn languages fluently with Pimsleur - Learn to speak 50+ foreign languages like a local with just 30 minutes of language learning practice a day! The Pimsleur Method™ is the most effective way to learn a foreign language, achieve native conversational fluency, and use the language in your everyday life. Learn to speak fluent Spanish, French, Korean, German, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese and more with ease. Pimsleur’s language learning resources make learning a language fun, flexible and rewarding. Practice speaking fluently with just 30 minutes of language practice a day! For 50 years, we’ve been helping people rapidly learn languages in 30 days. Want to learn Spanish to speak to Mexican friends? Need to learn Japanese for a trip to Tokyo? Choose from over 50 languages to learn while driving, at the gym, or while cooking. No Internet needed with offline mode. Plus the built-in hands-free mode makes it easy to learn a new language anywhere, anytime, even in the car! Our innovative online audio lessons focus on enhancing your vocabulary, pronunciation and speaking skills without the burden of grammar tables, making language learning and practice enjoyable and accessible. Dive into cultural topics that enrich your understanding and language fluency, and join thousands of adults who have transformed their language skills online with Pimsleur. Whether you're a beginner or already looking to improve your language fluency, Pimsleur offers a convenient and effective online language learning platform for adults designed for a flexible study schedule that fits into your daily routine. Learn to speak a new language anytime, anywhere - even in the car as a family. Why Choose Pimsleur as Your Language Partner? - Scientifically proven method for fast, lasting language fluency. - Just 30 minutes a day to speak a new foreign language with confidence. - Learn languages offline, hands-free, and without distractions, no Wi-Fi needed. - Perfect your pronunciation and practice real conversations with a smart AI language tutor. - Sync across devices to track your progress and keep your learning streak going. - Join the global community of Pimsleur language learners! Discover the full list of language courses here: Albanian, Eastern, Egyptian or Modern Standard Arabic, Eastern or Western Armenian, Cantonese or Mandarin Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dari Persian, Dutch, Farsi Persian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Ojibwe, Pashto, Polish, European or Brazilian Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Latin American or Spain-Castilian Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Swiss German, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Twi, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese. FREE TRIAL AVAILABLE Don’t miss out - try Pimsleur for FREE and start learning different languages today! With a complimentary lesson in 51 languages, you'll experience the most effective way to achieve conversational fluency from Day 1. PREMIUM FEATURES CORE CONVERSATIONAL LANGUAGE LEARNING LESSONS Enjoy 30-minute conversational language lessons anywhere. Quickly learn to speak another language in just 30 days! READ You won’t just learn foreign languages; you'll learn to read without sacrificing speaking skills! SPEAK Don't be shy! Learn to speak fluently with conversation partner role-play & review transcripts using AI language learning & voice recognition. Now available for Spanish learners. SKILLS Practice phrases by topic & learn easily with visual language learning through vocabulary flashcards. Learn foreign languages with Quick Match & Speed Rounds. SYNC PROGRESS Track learning progress across different devices, sync & stream offline with no ads. Feature availability depends on the language. Visit our website for more info & a complete list of the different languages available. CA Privacy/Info We Collect: Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Personal Information: Do Not Sell

Screenshots

Woodpecker4 screens
Pimsleur | Language Learning4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Woodpecker at none against Pimsleur | Language Learning's shown. Woodpecker also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). Pimsleur | Language Learning's advantage is ratings volume (30K vs 1K) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Woodpecker sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Pimsleur | Language Learning sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Woodpecker against 4.7 for Pimsleur | Language Learning. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pimsleur | Language Learning has 30K ratings behind it against 1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 82% and 82% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Woodpecker ships an update every 5 weeks, Pimsleur | Language Learning every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Woodpecker versus Pimsleur | Language Learning: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWoodpeckerPimsleur | Language Learning
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1K ratings) — better4.7 (30K ratings)
Positive reviews81.7% of reviews82.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1K30K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#6 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB131 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperWoodpecker Learning LimitedSimon & Schuster

Customer experience

Woodpecker

All ratings1,036 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews191 reviews
Positive81.7%
Neutral3.7%
Negative14.7%

Pimsleur | Language Learning

All ratings29,745 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews2,317 reviews
Positive82.5%
Neutral4.5%
Negative13.0%

User reviews

Woodpecker

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for learning a new language
  • 👍 Good for practicing speaking and listening
  • 👍 Diverse content selection
  • 👍 Useful for improving vocabulary and reading skills
  • 👍 Enjoyable and engaging learning experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Subtitle issues (not working, inconsistent)
  • 💰 Confusing or expensive pricing
  • 🐛 App crashes or doesn't work properly

Pimsleur | Language Learning

From 30K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great for speaking and listening practice
  • 👍 Effective for learning pronunciation and conversational skills
  • 💡 Convenient to use while doing other activities
  • 👍 Structured lessons build language skills progressively

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Occasional app crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Limited content for some languages
  • 📚 Lacks written materials and grammar explanations

Bugs and requests

Woodpecker

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Netflix subtitles not working
  • App crashing or not opening
  • Inconsistent subtitle display

Requested features

4 requests
  • Support for more languages
  • Improved subtitle synchronization
  • Clearer pricing structure
  • Better user interface and navigation

Pimsleur | Language Learning

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Lesson downloads frequently get interrupted
  • Inconsistent performance on older devices
  • Sync issues between app and online account

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and content for less popular languages
  • Ability to adjust playback speed of lessons
  • Tighter integration with other language learning resources
  • Improved voice recognition and feedback

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Woodpecker

Subscriptions3
  • Unlimited Video Player Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Woodpecker Tools Subscription7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Unlimited Video Player Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time2
  • Export Word History$0.99
  • Woodpecker Web Browser$14.99
8 purchases

Pimsleur | Language Learning

Subscriptions8
  • Spanish Premium Subscription3 variants$19.991 Month
  • Italian Premium Subscription$19.991 Month
  • Japanese Premium Subscription$19.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • All Access Subscription$20.991 Month
  • All Access Subscription7 Days trial$20.991 Month
  • All Access Subscription1 Month trial$20.991 Month
  • All Access Annual Subscription7 Days trial$131.991 Year
  • All Access Subscription Annual7 Days trial$164.991 Year

Questions

Is Woodpecker free?
Woodpecker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pimsleur | Language Learning free?
Pimsleur | Language Learning is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Woodpecker or Pimsleur | Language Learning?
Woodpecker is rated higher. Woodpecker averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Pimsleur | Language Learning averages 4.7 from 30K ratings.
Do Woodpecker or Pimsleur | Language Learning have ads?
Pimsleur | Language Learning shows ads; Woodpecker does not.
Which is updated more often, Woodpecker or Pimsleur | Language Learning?
Woodpecker ships an update every 5 weeks, and Pimsleur | Language Learning every 2 weeks. Most recently, Woodpecker was updated on September 13, 2026 and Pimsleur | Language Learning on September 26, 2026.

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