# ELSA Speak vs Basic English

ELSA Speak and Basic English both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 91% of Basic English's written reviews are positive against 42% of ELSA Speak's. Basic English also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). ELSA Speak's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (114K vs 5.9K). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ELSA Speak sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and Basic English sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for ELSA Speak against 4.7 for Basic English. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ELSA Speak has 114K ratings behind it against 5.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 42% of ELSA Speak's written reviews are positive against 91% of Basic English's.

ELSA Speak ships an update weekly, Basic English every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ELSA Speak | Basic English |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (114K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elsa-speak-english-learning/id1083804886/reviews)** | [4.7 (5.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-english-esl-course/id1225114836/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **114K** | 5.9K |
| Positive reviews | 41.5% of reviews | **90.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#97** | — |
| Size | 266 MB | 198 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Elsa Corp](https://appshunter.io/developer/1083804885) | [Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1321248741) |

## What reviewers say

### ELSA Speak

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elsa-speak-english-learning/id1083804886)

**Currently charting:** #97 Top Grossing · Education, #182 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

This AI-powered English tutor helps you practice conversations, improve pronunciation, and build vocabulary for real-life scenarios like job interviews and presentations. It offers personalized learning paths and instant feedback to boost your speaking confidence.

**Highlights:** AI-powered English tutor, Conversation practice, Pronunciation training, Grammar and vocabulary building, Personalized learning paths, Exam preparation (IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC), Real-time feedback

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| 3 months | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| 3 months Elsa Premium | $47.99 | per 3 months |
| 3 months | $58.00 | per 3 months |
| 1 year | $71.00 | per year |
| One year Premium membership | $99.99 | per year |
| 1 Year Elsa Premium | $99.99 | per year |
| 1 Year ELSA Premium | $99.99 | per year |
| 1 year | $109.99 | per year |
| 1 year | $129.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent for improving pronunciation
- 👍 Helpful feedback on pronunciation issues
- 💡 Covers a wide range of topics
- 🤖 Effective AI-powered speech recognition

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🔌 Slow loading times and connectivity issues
- 🤖 Inconsistent and unreliable scoring system
- 🇺🇸 Only supports American English accent

**Reported bugs**

- Microphone not working after phone calls
- Inability to add words to personal playlists
- Inconsistent behavior when repeating the same phrase
- Subscription issues and lack of clear cancellation process

**Requested features**

- Add support for British English accent
- Improve dictionary with more word meanings
- Provide option to switch between male and female voices
- Implement more structured learning path and progress tracking


### Basic English

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-english-esl-course/id1225114836)

Learn to speak English fluently and confidently with interactive lessons, audio, and quizzes. Improve speaking, listening, and vocabulary through step-by-step instruction and real-world conversation practice, even offline.

**Highlights:** Offline learning support, Interactive lessons with audio and quizzes, Real-world conversation practice, Vocabulary and grammar expansion, Speaking practice with recording, Listening practice via radio

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Month | $6.99 | per month |
| Year | $9.99 | per year |
| Premium | $11.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Excellent learning tool
- 💡 Helpful for improving English
- 🤩 Great app
- 🥰 Love the app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Ads disrupt usage
- 🤔 Incorrect quiz answers
- 🤷‍♀️ Premium not connected

**Reported bugs**

- Audio issue during use
- Repeated audio lessons

**Requested features**

- Option to speak slowly
- Desktop version for online classes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ELSA Speak free?

ELSA Speak is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Basic English free?

Basic English is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, ELSA Speak or Basic English?

ELSA Speak is rated higher. ELSA Speak averages 4.7 out of 5 from 114K ratings, while Basic English averages 4.7 from 5.9K ratings.

### Do ELSA Speak or Basic English have ads?

Neither ELSA Speak nor Basic English shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ELSA Speak or Basic English?

ELSA Speak ships an update weekly, and Basic English every 3 weeks. Most recently, ELSA Speak was updated on November 6, 2026 and Basic English on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*