Comparison

ForeignLanguage Graded Readers vs Assimil

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

Head to head
About

ForeignLanguage Graded Readers

Learn languages through engaging short stories tailored to your proficiency level. Expand vocabulary and improve comprehension in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, or English with controlled language and authentic dialogues. Designed for enjoyable self-study or classroom use.

Highlights
  • Eight short stories per collection
  • Controlled language at your level
  • Authentic spoken dialogues
  • Vocabulary lists
  • Chapter summaries and comprehension questions
  • Variety of genres
Features
Read full description

Read for pleasure at your level and learn a foreign language the fun way! Teach Yourself Short Stories by Olly Richards is a series of easy graded readers for adult and young adult language learners. Featuring eight unmissable short stories for beginners, high-beginners and intermediate learners, the series is available in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian and English. “Olly's top-notch language-learning insights are right in line with the best of what we know from neuroscience and cognitive psychology about how to learn effectively. I love his work - and you will too!” - Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for Numbers Expand your vocabulary and improve your comprehension in an enjoyable and natural way: Read in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian or English and improve your language learning skills! The Short Stories collection is designed to give you a sense of achievement, a feeling of progress and most importantly - enjoyment! Each foreign language reader gives you: • Eight stories in a variety of exciting genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller - making learning fun, while you acquire a wide range of new vocabulary • Controlled language at your level, including the 1000 most frequent words, to help you progress confidently • Authentic spoken dialogues, to help you learn conversational expressions and improve your speaking ability • Accessible grammar so you learn new structures naturally, in a stress-free way • Vocabulary lists so you can quickly look up unfamiliar words without interrupting your flow. • Chapter summaries and comprehension questions to help you follow the plot and understand the story. • Enjoyment! It's much easier to learn a new language when you're having fun, and research shows that if you're enjoying reading or listening in a foreign language, you won't experience the usual feelings of frustration – “It's too hard!” “I don't understand!” The Beginners collection is for students from high-beginner to low-intermediate level (A2-B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference). Intermediate is for low-intermediate to intermediate learners (B1-B2)! You can also purchase a sample to read a story before you buy the full collection. Discover the joy of being entertained in a foreign language, while learning new skills at the same time – Short Stories for Beginners in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian or English! These stories are Ideal for self-study, as well as in the classroom as supplementary learning material. If you are interested in using this content with your students, contact learningsolutions@teachyourself.com What the experts say: “As researchers in language acquisition, we need to study people like [Olly Richards]”. -Stephen Krashen, Emeritus Professor, University of Southern California “Olly's advice on language learning is the real deal, and I recommend you pay attention to what he has to say!” - Benny Lewis, Fluent in 3 Months “When we wanted to create a free online course on how to learn a language we asked Olly to write it with us”. - Dr Tita Beaven, The Open University “Learning a language is challenging, but it's one of the best things you can do for your brain and your learning skill set... Olly Richards is doing some seriously incredible work to empower more and more people to rise to the challenge”. - Jonathan Levi “Olly bridges the gap between theory and practice by helping you to use scientific principles to get real results with your language learning”. - Anthony Metivier, Magnetic Memory Method

About

Assimil

Master a new language in 100 days with an immersive, interactive method. Gain confidence for everyday and professional communication, reaching B2 or C1 proficiency. Includes native speaker audio, dialogues, and grammar explanations.

Highlights
  • 100-day language mastery
  • Interactive lessons
  • Native speaker audio
  • Immersive dialogues
  • Grammar explanations
  • Review lessons
Features
Read full description

Make a new language part of your everyday life with the Assimil method. Learn progressively through natural dialogues, real-life situations and recordings by native speakers. From the very first lessons, you encounter the language in context rather than as isolated words and rules. Start with the first 7 lessons to discover the method, then continue at your own pace. Lesson by lesson, build your listening and reading skills and become more confident using the language in everyday situations. Courses available for English speakers include French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Korean, Chinese and Brazilian Portuguese. Since 1929, Assimil has helped generations of learners discover new languages. Already used one of the previous Assimil apps? Sign in with the same email address to find your courses again. Have an Assimil pack? Use the “Delivery code” option in the app to activate your course.

Screenshots

ForeignLanguage Graded Readers4 screens
Assimil4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Assimil at 4.4 against ForeignLanguage Graded Readers's 3.1. Assimil also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. ForeignLanguage Graded Readers sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Assimil sells 45 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Assimil holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 30 and 29 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 35% of ForeignLanguage Graded Readers's written reviews are positive against 32% of Assimil's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ForeignLanguage Graded Readers ships an update every 6 months, Assimil every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
ForeignLanguage Graded Readers versus Assimil: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForeignLanguage Graded ReadersAssimil
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (30 ratings)4.4 (29 ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.3% of reviews — better32.2% of reviews
Number of ratings30 — better29
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.615 — better
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB137 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperHachette UK (Holdings)LimitedHOLIWAVE

Customer experience

ForeignLanguage Graded Readers

All ratings27 ratings
Positive51.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative37.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive35.3%
Neutral17.6%
Negative47.1%

Assimil

All ratings27 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews180 reviews
Positive32.2%
Neutral13.3%
Negative54.4%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

ForeignLanguage Graded Readers

One-time5
  • Pack of 2 Credits$1.99
  • Pack of 11 Credits$10.99
  • Pack of 13 Credits$12.99
Show 2 more
  • Pack of 15 Credits$14.99
  • Pack of 65 Credits$64.99
45 purchases

Assimil

One-time45
  • Anglais d'Amérique$41.99
  • Assimil Perf. Italien$41.99
  • Assimil Néerlandais$41.99
Show 42 more
  • Assimil Brésilien$41.99
  • Assimil Turc$41.99
  • Assimil Perf. Allemand$41.99
  • Assimil Perf. Russe$41.99
  • Assimil Latin$41.99
  • Assimil French$41.99
  • Assimil Allemand$41.99
  • Assimil Italien$41.99
  • Assimil Hindi$41.99
  • Assimil Roumain$41.99
  • Assimil Corse$41.99
  • Assimil Anglais$41.99
  • Assimil Polonais$41.99
  • Assimil Chinois$41.99
  • Assimil Hongrois$41.99
  • Assimil Coréen$41.99
  • Assimil Malgache$41.99
  • Assimil Swahili$41.99
  • Assimil Espagnol$41.99
  • Assimil Perf. Espagnol$41.99
  • Assimil Russe$41.99
  • Assimil Vietnamien$41.99
  • Assimil Catalan$41.99
  • Assimil Norvegien$41.99
  • Assimil Inglés$41.99
  • ASSIMIL FRANCÉS$41.99
  • Assimil Perf. Anglais$41.99
  • Assimil Grec moderne$41.99
  • Assimil Croate$41.99
  • Assimil Grec Ancien$41.99
  • Assimil German$44.99
  • Assimil Italian$44.99
  • Assimil Brazilian Portuguese$44.99
  • Assimil Chinese$44.99
  • Assimil Japanese$44.99
  • Assimil Russian$44.99
  • Assimil Spanish$44.99
  • Assimil Portugais$44.99
  • Korean$44.99
  • Assimil Portugais 2026$44.99
  • German 2025$44.99
  • Assimil L’inglese americano$49.99

Questions

Is ForeignLanguage Graded Readers free?
ForeignLanguage Graded Readers is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Assimil free?
Assimil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ForeignLanguage Graded Readers or Assimil?
Assimil is rated higher. ForeignLanguage Graded Readers averages 3.1 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while Assimil averages 4.4 from 29 ratings.
Do ForeignLanguage Graded Readers or Assimil have ads?
Neither ForeignLanguage Graded Readers nor Assimil shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ForeignLanguage Graded Readers or Assimil?
ForeignLanguage Graded Readers ships an update every 6 months, and Assimil every 4 days. Most recently, ForeignLanguage Graded Readers was updated on October 21, 2026 and Assimil on October 25, 2026.

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