# Busuu vs Learn Russian

The clearest difference is update cadence: Busuu at weekly against Learn Russian's every 5 months. Busuu also leads on ratings volume (101K vs 309) and chart position (#85 vs unranked). Learn Russian's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Busuu sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Learn Russian sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Busuu against 4.7 for Learn Russian. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Busuu has 101K ratings behind it against 309, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Busuu's written reviews are positive against 83% of Learn Russian's.

Busuu ships an update weekly, Learn Russian every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Busuu | Learn Russian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (101K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/busuu-language-learning-app/id379968583/reviews) | [4.7 (309 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-russian-privyet/id1002266189/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **101K** | 309 |
| Positive reviews | **85.4% of reviews** | 82.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#85** | — |
| Size | 267 MB | 236 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Busuu Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/370806574) | [Online Language Help](https://appshunter.io/developer/355913258) |

## What reviewers say

### Busuu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/busuu-language-learning-app/id379968583)

**Currently charting:** #85 Top Grossing · Education, #142 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

Learn new languages through bite-sized lessons and interactive exercises. Connect with native speakers for feedback and practice, and track your progress with personalized study plans and official certificates.

**Highlights:** Learn up to 14 languages, Connect with native speakers, Expert-designed courses, Personalized study plans, Smart review for vocabulary and grammar, Official language certificates, Specialized courses

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $6.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Premium Plan | $23.49 | per month |
| 12 Months Premium | $70.00 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| 14 Day Trial - Premium Plus | $89.99 | per year |
| 12 Months' Premium | $138.99 | per year |
| 12 Months Premium | $138.99 | per year |
| 12 Months Premium Plus | $139.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💯 Best resource for learning
- 🎓 Structured lessons and review
- 👥 Helpful community feedback
- 🎨 Engaging visuals and content
- 🗣️ Realistic native speaker audio

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 Inconsistent AI-generated corrections
- 🔒 Limited access without premium
- 🔀 Difficulty navigating between lessons
- 📚 Lack of advanced content and review
- 🔊 Issues with audio and pronunciation

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect or missing translations
- Inconsistent lesson progress tracking
- Bugs with voice recognition and feedback

**Requested features**

- Ability to learn multiple languages simultaneously
- More detailed grammar explanations and practice
- Customizable review and flashcard features
- Improved community features and messaging
- Offline access to downloaded lessons


### Learn Russian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-russian-privyet/id1002266189)

This app offers an engaging way to learn Russian through interactive lessons and games. It covers essential vocabulary, phrases, and grammar for various real-life situations. Features include native speaker audio, adaptive quizzes, and progress tracking.

**Highlights:** 45 real-life situation lessons, 2000+ vocabulary words and phrases, Hangman and Concentration games, Native speaker audio for pronunciation, Adaptive multiple-choice quizzes, Verb conjugation trainer, Alphabet course

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pangaea Passport | $2.99 | per month |
| Pangaea Passport | $9.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for beginners
- 👍 Effective for learning basics
- 👍 Helps memorize Cyrillic
- 👍 Good for brushing up
- 👍 Free lessons are good

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Too much paid content
- 💰 Expensive for intermediate
- 💰 Difficult for beginners
- 💰 Disappointing, can't learn
- 💰 Not enough content

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot recover accounts
- Paid features not taking effect
- Apple Watch glitch
- Bar on top of screen hides accents/questions
- Two dots on ё hidden by screen bar

**Requested features**

- More intermediate content
- More advanced content
- Small test for placement
- More updates
- More themes/topics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Busuu free?

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

### Is Learn Russian free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Busuu or Learn Russian?

Busuu and Learn Russian are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 101K and 309 ratings respectively.

### Do Busuu or Learn Russian have ads?

Both Busuu and Learn Russian show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Busuu or Learn Russian?

Busuu ships an update weekly, and Learn Russian every 5 months. Most recently, Busuu was updated on September 25, 2026 and Learn Russian on September 18, 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.*