# Wlingua vs Balkademy

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Balkademy at none against Wlingua's 3. Wlingua's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Wlingua sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Balkademy asks for nothing beyond the download.

Wlingua ships an update every 2 days, Balkademy monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Wlingua | Balkademy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (355 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wlingua-learn-russian/id1488321912/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **355** | — |
| Positive reviews | 91.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 63 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [WLINGUA SOCIEDAD LIMITADA](https://appshunter.io/developer/473658200) | [Antecna](https://appshunter.io/developer/1581603051) |

## What reviewers say

### Wlingua

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wlingua-learn-russian/id1488321912)

Master Russian with a comprehensive online course designed for all levels. Learn vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation through interactive exercises and real-life examples. Progress quickly and earn certificates to validate your skills.

**Highlights:** Learn Russian from scratch, Russian cases course, Audio clips with clear pronunciation, Linked concepts and vocabulary explanations, Grammar and vocabulary exercises, Reading comprehension texts, Certificates of completion

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 month Premium access | $12.99 | per month |
| 3 months Premium access | $26.99 | per 3 months |
| 12 months Premium access | $84.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent explanations
- 👍 Better than Duolingo
- 👍 Free resource
- 👍 Well-structured lessons
- 👍 Built-in dictionary

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Speaking option not working
- 🐛 App won't open (Russian version)
- 🐛 Some exercises behind paywall
- 🐛 Locked out despite subscription
- 🐛 Progress lost due to login change

**Reported bugs**

- Speaking option not working due to internet connection error
- App won't open for Russian version
- Some practice/exercises behind a paywall
- Locked out of account despite subscription
- Loss of progress due to login method change

**Requested features**

- Way to study and review verbs
- Ability to re-study previous lessons without finishing new ones


### Balkademy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balkademy/id6752826257)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Wlingua free?

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

### Is Balkademy free?

Balkademy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Wlingua or Balkademy have ads?

Neither Wlingua nor Balkademy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Wlingua or Balkademy?

Wlingua ships an update every 2 days, and Balkademy monthly. Most recently, Wlingua was updated on October 26, 2026 and Balkademy on September 28, 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.*