# Busuu vs Woodpecker

The clearest difference is ads: Woodpecker at none against Busuu's shown. Woodpecker also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). Busuu's advantage is ratings volume (101K vs 1K) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Busuu sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Woodpecker sells 5 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 4.8 for Woodpecker. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Busuu has 101K ratings behind it against 1K, 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 82% of Woodpecker's.

Busuu ships an update weekly, Woodpecker every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Busuu | Woodpecker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (101K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/busuu-language-learning-app/id379968583/reviews) | **[4.8 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/woodpecker-language-learning/id1067723008/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **101K** | 1K |
| Positive reviews | **85.4% of reviews** | 81.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#69** | — |
| Size | 267 MB | 29 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Busuu Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/370806574) | [Woodpecker Learning Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1435002350) |

## What reviewers say

### Busuu

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

**Currently charting:** #69 Top Grossing · Education, #117 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


### Woodpecker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/woodpecker-language-learning/id1067723008)

Learn languages by watching videos in your target language. Touch words in subtitles for instant definitions and save them for review. Explore content from YouTube and Netflix to immerse yourself in native-speaker material.

**Highlights:** Interactive video subtitles, Instant word definitions, Save vocabulary for review, YouTube video discovery, Netflix integration (iPad), Offline bilingual dictionaries, Flashcard creation

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Video Player Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Woodpecker Tools Subscription | $7.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Video Player Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Export Word History | $0.99 | one-time |
| Woodpecker Web Browser | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for learning a new language
- 👍 Good for practicing speaking and listening
- 👍 Diverse content selection
- 👍 Useful for improving vocabulary and reading skills
- 👍 Enjoyable and engaging learning experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Subtitle issues (not working, inconsistent)
- 💰 Confusing or expensive pricing
- 🐛 App crashes or doesn't work properly

**Reported bugs**

- Netflix subtitles not working
- App crashing or not opening
- Inconsistent subtitle display

**Requested features**

- Support for more languages
- Improved subtitle synchronization
- Clearer pricing structure
- Better user interface and navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Busuu free?

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

### Is Woodpecker free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Busuu or Woodpecker?

Woodpecker is rated higher. Busuu averages 4.7 out of 5 from 101K ratings, while Woodpecker averages 4.8 from 1K ratings.

### Do Busuu or Woodpecker have ads?

Busuu shows ads; Woodpecker does not.

### Which is updated more often, Busuu or Woodpecker?

Busuu ships an update weekly, and Woodpecker every 5 weeks. Most recently, Busuu was updated on September 26, 2026 and Woodpecker on September 13, 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.*