Comparison

Learn Russian (Beginners) vs Russio

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

Head to head
About

Learn Russian (Beginners)

This app offers a comprehensive Russian language course designed for beginners. It covers the alphabet, vocabulary, reading, writing, and listening skills with native audio. Learn independently at your own pace, with offline access and interactive exercises.

Highlights
  • Learn alphabet, vocabulary, reading, writing, and listening
  • Native audio recordings with adjustable speed
  • Offline course access
  • Interactive exercises with images
  • Review mode for reinforcement
  • Weekly user rankings
Features
Read full description

Want to learn Russian in an easy and flexible way? With over 30 million downloads worldwide, the BNR Languages apps help you study Russian in a practical, simple, and independent way. The complete course allows you to start from scratch, learn the alphabet, build your vocabulary, and practice reading, writing, and listening with native audio recordings. Study on your own, at your own pace, with no daily limits, and use the review mode to reinforce everything you've already learned. Perfect for anyone who wants to learn Russian quickly — whether for travel, study, work, or to communicate better with family and friends. Find out why our app is the ideal choice to study anytime, anywhere: - Offline Russian course — from beginner to advanced levels. - Study independently, at your own pace, without the need for teachers. - No time limits or daily activity restrictions. - Interactive exercises with images that make learning easier. - Review mode to practice and refresh the content. - Native audio recordings with adjustable playback speed. - Different types of exercises: reading, writing, and listening. - Intuitive and easy-to-use interface for all ages. - Join the weekly ranking and compete with other users. - The app works completely offline — no internet connection needed. - All content is available for free. Download now and start learning Russian in a simple, practical, and flexible way — at your own pace! Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Russio

Master Russian grammar and the Cyrillic alphabet from scratch. This app focuses on verb conjugations and noun declensions through extensive drills and active recall, ensuring you can actively use the language.

Highlights
  • Cyrillic alphabet instruction
  • Case system drills
  • Verb conjugation practice
  • Spaced repetition learning
  • Active recall exercises
  • Offline lessons and audio
  • Graded reader stories
Features
Read full description

Learn Russian from absolute zero, and make it stick. The course starts with the alphabet and runs through six levels, from A1 to C2. Knowing Russian words is only the start. Russian does not work by putting words in a row: nouns change their endings to show the job they do in the sentence, most verbs come in two versions depending on whether the action is finished, and going somewhere on foot uses a different verb from going by car. That is where beginners stall. Russio drills it. FREE TO START The Cyrillic alphabet and the whole A1 level are free, and A1 already teaches all six cases. Learn to read, write and produce your first hundreds of Russian words at your own pace, with no time limit. Russio Pro, an in-app purchase, opens A2 to C2. THE ALPHABET FIRST Every path starts with the Russian alphabet. You watch each letter appear, trace it with your finger, and later reviews test it by ear, next to the letters it is most easily confused with. You skip a letter only by showing you know it. THE CASES, DRILLED IN REAL SENTENCES A2 adds over a thousand sentence drills covering accusative, genitive, dative, instrumental and prepositional, plus perfective and imperfective pairs, verbs of motion, past and future, negation, comparatives, questions and reflexive verbs. A short card explains the rule once. Then you meet that same rule again and again, in dozens of different sentences, until choosing the ending stops being a decision. NEVER A SENTENCE YOU CANNOT READ No drill ever contains a word you have not already learned. The single new thing on the screen is the grammar being taught, so you are always working just past what you know instead of guessing. BUILT TO REMEMBER A spaced-repetition engine schedules every letter, word and pattern for the moment you are about to forget it. Your review time goes to what is about to slip, not to what you already know well. BUILD EVERY ANSWER YOURSELF Active recall by default: you spell each answer letter by letter instead of picking it from a list. That is the difference between recognizing Russian and being able to use it. AUDIO FOR EVERY WORD Clear audio for every letter and every word, with the stress marked, so you hear where the emphasis really falls from day one. Lessons and audio work offline. RUSSIO PRO Opens A2 to C2: 5,000 more words, over 200 grammar cards (starting with the plural in every case), every sentence drill, and more than 50 graded reader stories with tap-to-translate. Choose Russio Pro monthly, yearly, or as a one-time payment that does not renew. NO STREAKS, NO GUILT Miss a day and nothing punishes you. Your reviews wait, and you pick up where you left off. Progress is measured by what you actually remember, not by a counter. Whether you want to read the Russian alphabet, study Russian for beginners, build vocabulary, or finally understand the cases, Russio is the calm, focused way to learn Russian. Made by iocodo. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://iocodo.com/apps/russio/privacy

Screenshots

Learn Russian (Beginners)4 screens
Russio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Russio at none against Learn Russian (Beginners)'s shown. Russio also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Learn Russian (Beginners)'s advantage is ratings volume (132 vs 4). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. Learn Russian (Beginners) sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Russio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Russio holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learn Russian (Beginners) has 132 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Learn Russian (Beginners) ships an update monthly, Russio every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Learn Russian (Beginners) versus Russio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLearn Russian (Beginners)Russio
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (132 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings132 — better4
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size170 MB309 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBNR LANGUAGES INC.IOCODO LLC

Customer experience

Learn Russian (Beginners)

All ratings125 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral3.2%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews60 reviews
Positive81.7%
Neutral11.7%
Negative6.7%

Russio

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Learn Russian (Beginners)

Subscriptions6
  • Premium$1.991 Month
  • Unlock all categories$3.991 Month
  • Unlock all categories$5.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Premium$19.991 Year
  • Unlock all categories$24.991 Year
  • Unlock all categories$44.991 Year
One-time3
  • Remove Ads$3.99
  • Unlock categories - lifetime$59.99
  • Unlock categories - lifetime$69.99
3 purchases

Russio

Subscriptions2
  • Russio Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Russio Pro Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Russio Pro Lifetime$59.99

Questions

Is Learn Russian (Beginners) free?
Learn Russian (Beginners) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Russio free?
Russio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Learn Russian (Beginners) or Russio?
Russio is rated higher. Learn Russian (Beginners) averages 4.7 out of 5 from 132 ratings, while Russio averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Learn Russian (Beginners) or Russio have ads?
Learn Russian (Beginners) shows ads; Russio does not.
Which is updated more often, Learn Russian (Beginners) or Russio?
Learn Russian (Beginners) ships an update monthly, and Russio every 3 days. Most recently, Learn Russian (Beginners) was updated on October 31, 2026 and Russio on October 31, 2026.

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