Comparison

Teach Yourself Library vs Fluent Forever

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

Head to head
About

Teach Yourself Library

Access free audio and learning resources to supplement your studies. Download materials to your personal library for anytime, anywhere learning. Sync your content across devices for a seamless experience.

Highlights
  • Free audio resources
  • Learning materials
  • Offline access
  • Cross-device syncing
  • Downloadable content
Features
Read full description

Discover a world of free audio and learning resources to accompany your Teach Yourself course. Teach Yourself has been trusted by learners for over 75 years to deliver expert learning materials across a wide range of topic areas – languages, business, careers, self-help, creative writing and hobbies. Now for the first time you can access any accompanying audio or learning resources in this free app. Download the resources to your Library and access anywhere anytime. You can even sign in from a different device and all your content will be queued for easy downloading. Teach Yourself: books that make life better.

About

Fluent Forever

This app uses a science-backed method to help you learn and retain new languages. It focuses on pronunciation, vocabulary through images, and natural grammar acquisition via personalized stories. Achieve fluency faster by hacking your memory.

Highlights
  • Pronunciation training with videos
  • Vocabulary learning via images
  • Spaced repetition system
  • Personalized flashcard creation
  • Natural grammar learning through stories
  • Immersive mobile experience
Read full description

................... "Never before have I seen a method that syncs up so perfectly with our current scientific understanding of how memory works." - Scientific American Mind ................... LANGUAGES Spanish (Latin American & Castilian), French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, Dutch, & Hebrew. ................... WHAT IS FLUENT FOREVER? A revolutionary language learning method developed by Gabriel Wyner, an opera singer who needed to learn multiple languages quickly and retain them forever. Fluent Forever's products have evolved from pronunciation trainers into a bestselling book and now into the most crowdfunded app in history. Discover the immersive mobile experience designed to rewire your brain into fluently speaking any new language and hack your memory to remembering it forever. ................... HOW IS FLUENT FOREVER BETTER? Rather than distract or briefly entertaining you like other "gamified" language apps out there, Fluent Forever doesn't waste your time with inefficient "bite size" lessons - instead, it immediately gets you correctly pronouncing and hearing the sounds of your target language, then efficiently has you learn the most frequently used words and push them into your longterm memory, and finally has you naturally build sentences using words you know and practice your speech to fluency. In short, if you're serious about speaking a new language, Fluent Forever will get you there faster. ................... FLUENT FOREVER'S METHOD The foundation of our proven method, as detailed in Gabe's bestselling book, is based on the principles of personalized flashcard creation and spaced repetition, extremely powerful learning tools that optimize your brain’s memory abilities. So not only will you learn a language quickly, you’ll never forget it. 1. Train Your Ears With Pronunciation Lessons You need to learn what a language sounds like before you can learn how to speak it. Our powerful tools like detailed instructional videos, mnemonic imagery and minimal pair tests will train your ears in the sound system of your new language. 2. Learn Vocabulary Through Images Instead of Translations Within weeks you will understand the sounds of your new language, and you can begin learning words. By creating personalized flashcards using our memorable word association system, you will rapidly learn the most used words in your new language. You will then push these new words into your long term memory by reviewing your flashcards using our automated spaced repetition system. 3. Learn Grammar Naturally Through Stories Relevant To You Once you learn the most used words in your language you can begin learning sentences. By visualizing how your new words fit into sentences about topics you’re interested in, you will naturally learn grammar through immersive stories, as opposed to boring lessons or complex conjugation tables. You will never be forced to learn words or grammar you don’t need or want to learn. ................... Try our revolutionary new app now to start your journey to real fluency. ................... MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION The monthly subscription that can be purchased on the app lets you fully use our app to learn one language. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. We don't offer an iTunes free trial. Our trial period will continue even if you purchase a subscription. PRIVACY POLICY: https://fluent-forever.com/privacy-policy TERMS OF SERVICE: https://fluent-forever.com/terms-of-service

Screenshots

Teach Yourself Library4 screens
Fluent Forever4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Fluent Forever at every 3 weeks against Teach Yourself Library's every 4 months. Fluent Forever also leads on review sentiment (43% vs 31%) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 144). On price, rating, ads 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. Teach Yourself Library sells 16 one-off in-app purchases and Fluent Forever sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Teach Yourself Library holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fluent Forever has 1.2K ratings behind it against 144, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 31% of Teach Yourself Library's written reviews are positive against 43% of Fluent Forever's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Teach Yourself Library ships an update every 4 months, Fluent Forever every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Teach Yourself Library versus Fluent Forever: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTeach Yourself LibraryFluent Forever
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (144 ratings) — better3.7 (1.2K ratings)
Positive reviews30.5% of reviews43.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1441.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB95 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperHachette UK (Holdings)LimitedFluent Forever, Inc.

Customer experience

Teach Yourself Library

All ratings144 ratings
Positive71.5%
Neutral5.6%
Negative22.9%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive30.5%
Neutral13.7%
Negative55.8%

Fluent Forever

All ratings1,209 ratings
Positive65.3%
Neutral7.0%
Negative27.7%
Written reviews542 reviews
Positive43.4%
Neutral11.8%
Negative44.8%

User reviews

Teach Yourself Library

From 144 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Good content of books
  • 👍 Helpful for language learning
  • 👍 Clear audio pronunciation
  • 👍 Easy to navigate interface
  • 👍 Free titles available

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🐛 App doesn't open or crashes on launch
  • 🐛 Audio playback issues
  • 🐛 Downloads fail
  • 🐛 Poor user experience

Fluent Forever

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Effective language learning method
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🚀 Streamlined flashcard creation process
  • 💡 Ability to customize flashcards with personal images
  • 🚀 Efficient pronunciation training

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches causing app crashes and data loss
  • 🔍 Limited vocabulary and sentence options
  • 🔍 Lack of grammar explanations
  • 🔍 Difficulty in accessing and reviewing past progress
  • 🔍 Inconsistent audio quality and pronunciation

Bugs and requests

Teach Yourself Library

Reported bugs

89 issues
  • App doesn't open
  • Crashes on launch
  • Downloads not working
  • App keeps logging off
  • App not opening on iPhone
Show 84 more
  • App closing spontaneously
  • Requires internet connection when available
  • Crashes when features are selected
  • Arrow keys don't turn pages on Mac
  • UI is confusing
  • Clicking on buttons navigates pages
  • No way to pop from book to collection
  • Visual affordances lacking
  • Clicking page makes text appear/disappear
  • Book content broken across pages
  • Default font tiny, font settings don't work
  • App is unstable, crashes frequently
  • Doesn't save progress
  • Cannot play some downloaded audios
  • No way to re-download audios
  • App won't sign in
  • Buttons too small to click
  • Audio doesn't play
  • Yellow text on yellow background
  • No proper categories for genres
  • Little accessibility options
  • Menu is terrible, no easy way to select chapters
  • App port of a browser page
  • App says user has to pay for purchased content
  • Audio player doesn't stay on Lock Screen
  • Makes everything zoomed in and keyboard larger
  • Audio dialogues don't work well
  • App is rubbish
  • Forced to use phone, not laptop
  • Audio doesn't display track numbers
  • Video in ebook says highlighting words, but can't
  • Dictionary takes to external sites
  • App not updated for larger screens
  • Basic features like translation lookup missing
  • No support received
  • App says 'Coming Soon' for books
  • Unable to access purchased books or sign in
  • App quits or says 'coming soon' for audio
  • App closes automatically when reproducing a book
  • App closes automatically
  • App crashes when opening files
  • App crashes and won't open
  • Audio doesn't work with iOS 13
  • App keeps closed
  • App crashes when playing a chapter
  • Not compatible with iOS 13
  • App crashes constantly when tapping on a book
  • Audio app not working
  • App doesn't open and listenings can't be heard
  • Crashes on iOS 13
  • Not working since iOS 13 update
  • App crashes
  • App automatically shuts down when clicking a clip
  • Layout not compatible with iPads
  • Cannot play audio content
  • App closes when opening audio for Norwegian
  • Upgrade stopped French from working
  • Program keeps closing when trying to listen to lessons
  • Can't open ANYTHING
  • App crashing when choosing chapters/audio recordings
  • Audio no longer works
  • App crashes and shuts down when opening a new language
  • App isn't working, program closes when playing French
  • Not all languages available in audio library
  • Missing language audio (Serbian, Latvian)
  • App doesn't work from the beginning on iPhone X
  • Terrible to sign into
  • Doesn't allow profile creation or sign in via social media
  • Error message and sent back to first page when skipping sign in
  • No sound in ebook, icon present but no mention of audio
  • App crashes after each track play when switching pages
  • Downloading audio takes multiple retries
  • Confusing app, hard to find/access audio
  • No way to buy audiobooks or audio/book
  • Audio download is good, but better chapter labeling needed
  • App keeps closing even after uninstall/reinstall
  • App closes when clicking on a clip to play
  • Poor app design
  • Cannot download audio to iTunes or media player
  • Listening and re-listening is not intuitive
  • App is a mess
  • No control over content paid for
  • No clear pictures, up-to-date phrases, or easy audio access
  • Worst educational tool encountered

Requested features

15 requests
  • Track repeat functionality
  • More exercises, words, and grammar
  • Chapters listed as default
  • Shorter jump forward/back options
  • Audio player on lock screen
Show 10 more
  • Longer pause between tracks
  • Better chapter labeling for audio
  • Make all complete language audio available
  • Highlighting words in ebooks
  • Proper in-app dictionary
  • Update for larger screens
  • Allow use of other e-reader software
  • Download audio files to iTunes/media player
  • More pause time for practice
  • Add missing units

Fluent Forever

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Subscription issues and billing problems
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Inconsistent behavior when marking flashcards
  • Images not loading or disappearing from flashcards

Requested features

5 requests
  • Offline mode for flashcard review
  • Ability to add custom vocabulary and sentences
  • More detailed grammar instruction
  • Progress tracking and analytics dashboard
  • Support for additional languages

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Teach Yourself Library

One-time16
  • Pack of 2 Tokens$1.99
  • Pack of 3 Tokens$2.99
  • Pack of 10 Tokens$9.99
Show 13 more
  • Pack of 11 Tokens$10.99
  • Pack of 13 Tokens$12.99
  • Pack of 15 Tokens$14.99
  • Pack of 17 Tokens$16.99
  • Pack of 18 Tokens$17.99
  • Pack of 20 Tokens$19.99
  • Pack of 25 Tokens$24.99
  • Pack of 26 Tokens$25.99
  • Pack of 27 Tokens$26.99
  • Pack of 30 Tokens$29.99
  • Pack of 35 Tokens$34.99
  • Pack of 50 Credits$49.99
  • Pack of 51 Credits$50.99
14 purchases

Fluent Forever

Subscriptions14
  • 1 Month Subscription$4.991 Month
  • 1 Month Subscription$5.991 Month
  • 1 Month Subscription$6.991 Month
Show 11 more
  • 1 Month Subscription$7.491 Month
  • 1 Month Subscription$8.991 Month
  • 1 Language for 1 Month$9.991 Month
  • 1 Language for 1 Month14 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • 1 Month Subscription$9.991 Month
  • 1 Month Subscription$11.991 Month
  • Full app access for a year$47.991 Year
  • Full app access for a year$57.991 Year
  • Full app access for a year$66.991 Year
  • Full app access for a year$71.991 Year
  • Full app access for a year2 variants$95.991 Year

Questions

Is Teach Yourself Library free?
Teach Yourself Library is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fluent Forever free?
Fluent Forever is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Teach Yourself Library or Fluent Forever?
Teach Yourself Library is rated higher. Teach Yourself Library averages 3.9 out of 5 from 144 ratings, while Fluent Forever averages 3.7 from 1.2K ratings.
Do Teach Yourself Library or Fluent Forever have ads?
Neither Teach Yourself Library nor Fluent Forever shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Teach Yourself Library or Fluent Forever?
Teach Yourself Library ships an update every 4 months, and Fluent Forever every 3 weeks. Most recently, Teach Yourself Library was updated on September 18, 2026 and Fluent Forever on September 22, 2026.

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