Comparison

Michel Thomas Language Library vs Assimil

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

Head to head
About

Michel Thomas Language Library

Learn languages naturally through an audio-based method without books or memorization. This app guides you from beginner to confident speaker by actively participating in simulated live lessons, building a solid foundation and speaking in full sentences from the start.

Highlights
  • Audio-based lessons
  • No books or memorization required
  • Learn from simulated live lessons
  • Active participation
  • Speak in full sentences from the start
  • Learn at your own pace
Features
Read full description

*****‘A great app and a wonderful teacher…Best way to learn a language by far’ – Ethicos *****‘His method is just genius! It works so well around a busy life’ – Kim s *****‘I could not believe how quickly I was able to learn a language’ – Laurie 1954 The Michel Thomas Method Languages app makes language learning easy! Go from absolute beginner to confident speaker – all without books, homework or having to memorize anything. The stress-free Michel Thomas Method teaches you a foreign language in weeks, not years. Trial 20 minutes of any language for FREE (no card details required). You’ll stick with it because you’ll love it. HOW TO GET STARTED 1. Choose a language from our website to trial for free, or purchase, and sign up for an account. 2. Download the free Michel Thomas Method App. 3. Sign into the app with your account, download your course and start learning! Ready to move up to the next level? Find your next course on our website and continue learning! THE METHOD THAT WORKS WITH YOUR BRAIN 'What you understand, you know; and what you know, you don't forget.' – Michel Thomas Based on Michel Thomas’s 25 years of extensive research on how the brain best learns and retains information, and perfected over another 25 years of teaching with students, academics, professionals, politicians and Hollywood stars. The highly acclaimed Michel Thomas Method courses provide an accelerated method for foreign language learning that will have you speaking a language in whole sentences right from the start. You will quickly build a solid foundation and gain a deep understanding of the language, and be motivated to carry on due to your phenomenal progress. HOW DO THE COURSES WORK? ‘All stress inhibits true and effective learning’ – Michel Thomas During your course, you will join a Michel Thomas Method teacher and two students in live lessons, learning from both their successes and their mistakes to keep you motivated and involved throughout the course. You, as the learner, become the third student and participate actively in the class. Within the very first hour you will be able to construct simple phrases by listening and thinking out answers for yourself without the pressure of writing, or stress of having to memorize. You will learn at your own pace, pausing and repeating where necessary. Michel Thomas Method courses are the perfect foundation for anyone looking to start their language learning journey, continue their journey, or for those who have failed to learn a language in the past or lack confidence speaking. We offer courses from beginner to high intermediate level. The courses make it easy and convenient to fit language learning into your daily routine in whatever time you have. Let go of the tensions and anxieties traditionally associated with language learning, and enjoy it. WHY IS IT SO EFFECTIVE? You will learn the language naturally, as you learned your own, by listening and speaking, rapidly building your confidence and improving your fluency. The language is broken into essential building blocks which you reconstruct to create sentences, absorbing the vocabulary and grammatical structures almost effortlessly, to say what you want, when you want. You will enjoy the language learning process as it creates real excitement – you’ll speak the language immediately and experience a constant sense of progress through your new understanding. LEARN UP TO 19 LANGUAGES: Arabic (Egyptian) Arabic (MSA) Danish Dutch French German Greek Hindi Irish Italian Japanese Korean Mandarin (Chinese) Norwegian Polish Portuguese Russian Spanish Swedish Join 5 million people who have learned a language with the Michel Thomas Method and achieve your goal to speak a new language today! Any questions? Contact us at support@michelthomas.com Michel Thomas Method® is a registered trademark of Michel Thomas, used by Hodder & Stoughton Limited (a division of Hachette UK) under exclusive license.

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

Michel Thomas Language Library4 screens
Assimil4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Assimil at every 4 days against Michel Thomas Language Library's every 4 months. Assimil also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.2). Michel Thomas Language Library's advantage is ratings volume (157 vs 29) and review sentiment (41% vs 32%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Michel Thomas Language Library sells 4 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 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Michel Thomas Language Library has 157 ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 41% of Michel Thomas Language Library'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

Michel Thomas Language Library ships an update every 4 months, Assimil every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Michel Thomas Language Library versus Assimil: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMichel Thomas Language LibraryAssimil
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (157 ratings)4.4 (29 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.8% of reviews — better32.2% of reviews
Number of ratings157 — better29
Update frequencyEvery 4 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
Size97 MB137 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHachette UK (Holdings)LimitedHOLIWAVE

Customer experience

Michel Thomas Language Library

All ratings156 ratings
Positive78.2%
Neutral5.1%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive40.8%
Neutral6.1%
Negative53.1%

Assimil

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

Bugs and requests

Michel Thomas Language Library

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • App crashes on login
  • App crashes when opening audio files
  • Pause/play button unresponsive when phone locked
  • Pause button skips back 30 seconds
  • Progress bar out of sync with audio
Show 11 more
  • Audio tracks fail to play despite downloading
  • Auto-play between tracks not working
  • App minimizes unexpectedly
  • Incompatibility with iOS 13+ updates
  • Sign-up button non-functional on iPad
  • Downloaded content shows 'coming soon' indefinitely
  • Purchased courses inaccessible after app updates
  • Device limit restrictions blocking legitimate users
  • App blocks access after multiple reinstalls
  • Slow loading screens for simple operations
  • Inconsistent play/pause icon display

Requested features

11 requests
  • Bookmark/progress saving functionality
  • Lesson completion tracking
  • Better pause/play button responsiveness
  • Improved UI design with larger control buttons
  • MP3 file access for external players
Show 6 more
  • Subscription option for all courses
  • Spaced repetition reminders
  • Real-time speaking feedback
  • Consistent track numbering with PDF booklets
  • Better integration with lock screen controls
  • Dark mode option

Assimil

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Michel Thomas Language Library

One-time4
  • Pack of 11 Credits$10.99
  • Pack of 12 Credits$11.99
  • Pack of 90 Credits$89.99
Show 1 more
  • Pack of 100 Credits$99.99
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 Michel Thomas Language Library free?
Michel Thomas Language Library 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, Michel Thomas Language Library or Assimil?
Assimil is rated higher. Michel Thomas Language Library averages 4.2 out of 5 from 157 ratings, while Assimil averages 4.4 from 29 ratings.
Do Michel Thomas Language Library or Assimil have ads?
Neither Michel Thomas Language Library nor Assimil shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Michel Thomas Language Library or Assimil?
Michel Thomas Language Library ships an update every 4 months, and Assimil every 4 days. Most recently, Michel Thomas Language Library was updated on October 29, 2026 and Assimil on October 29, 2026.

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