Comparison

Busuu vs Bunpo

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

Head to head
About

Busuu

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
Read full description

Busuu helps you communicate with confidence from day one. Combine expertly designed language lessons with feedback and tips from our global community of native speakers and harness the power of learning together. Looking for the best way to learn a new language on your phone? You’ve just discovered it, with Busuu, a Chegg service – we’re the app that makes learning new languages easier, more fun and more effective for all. Whether you’re learning to get confident having new conversations, for a higher grade, a career boost, or for mind-blowing travel experiences, Busuu’s got your back. We’re already helping millions of people overcome their learning struggles, from lack of time and motivation to problems with grammar and vocab. We help our learners achieve their goals, one milestone at a time – and we want to do the same for you. DOWNLOAD THE APP NOW FOR FREE LANGUAGE LEARNING ================ How are we doing this? We’re glad you asked. Whether you’re learning on your iPad or iPhone, Busuu helps you… – Learn up to 14 languages That’s right, 14! We’ve got complete courses in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Polish, Russian, Arabic, Dutch or Turkish with Busuu. – Master languages with real people You want to learn the relevant language, right? You’re in luck: we’ll connect you with our community of native speakers so you can get localized language knowledge and support. Feel even better when you help other learners in return. – Learn from the experts Busuu’s online courses are created by our ingenious language experts. Learn step-by-step with bite-sized lessons, plenty of practice and lots of opportunities to test your progress. – Say hello to useful language skills Learn the language that will really take you places! With regularly updated content, video flashcards featuring real people and useful cultural tips, you’ll be fully immersed in no time. – Kiss goodbye to stressful timetabling We’re serious. We organize your learning time for you with a personalized Study Plan. Simply tell us when you want to study and for how long, and we’ll send you notifications to keep you on track. – Revise with ease There’ll be no forgetting on our watch. Smart Review cleverly saves all the grammar and vocab you learn in lessons and stores them in one handy place, so you can make those tricky words and rules stick. – Show off achievements with official certificates With our Busuu language certificates, you’ll have actual proof of your language capabilities. – Access specialized courses for language lovers You’ve learned the basics, and now you’re hungry for more. Learn about manga, advance your pronunciation or add travel-specific phrases to your skillset, plus much more. ================ DON’T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT. See what others have to say about Busuu: ● EDITOR RATING: EXCELLENT - PC MAG ● Named 'Best Buy' language learning app by the Independent in 2021 ● Language Learning App of the Year at the EdTech Breakthrough Awards 2020 ================ PLEASE NOTE A lot of the features are free, but you will need a subscription in order to get access to all features of this app. Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current payment period. Your iTunes account will be automatically charged at the same price for renewal within the 24-hour period prior to the end of the current payment period unless you change your subscription preferences in your Account Settings. You can manage your subscriptions through your Account Settings after purchase. Privacy policy: https://www.busuu.com/en/privacy/ Terms of Service: https://www.busuu.com/en/terms/

About

Bunpo

Master multiple languages with this comprehensive learning app. It offers detailed grammar explanations, vocabulary building, and smart review systems to help you progress from beginner to advanced levels. Learn Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, and Chinese with interactive exercises and personalized study plans.

Highlights
  • Learn 6 languages
  • Master grammar with detailed explanations
  • Build vocabulary and kanji knowledge
  • Spaced repetition for smart review
  • Interactive quizzes and example sentences
  • Offline learning for Spanish, French, German, Chinese
Features
Read full description

Learn languages with Bunpo! Learn Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, English and more! Master speaking, grammar, and vocabulary from beginner to advanced, trusted by over 5 million learners worldwide. From your first Hiragana あ to JLPT N1, from "annyeong" to a real Korean conversation, or any of our 8+ languages, Bunpo takes you from day one to fluency. ========= Why Bunpo works for language learning - Speak from day one: Start speaking from your very first lesson with advanced speech recognition technology. - 8+ languages, one app: Learn Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, and English, and switch between them anytime without juggling multiple apps. - Grammar that makes sense: Detailed explanations in plain English, plus exercises that make it stick. - Smart review: A personalized study plan powered by spaced repetition (SRS) so you remember more, faster. - From the alphabet to advanced: Start with your very first character and build all the way to advanced grammar, whatever language you choose. Whether you're learning for travel, a higher grade, JLPT, a career boost, or just to feel confident in a new conversation, Bunpo's got your back. ========= Japanese Course - Master the Japanese alphabets (Hiragana & Katakana) so you can read menus, train signs, and even your favorite manga without guessing. - Learn Japanese grammar for every JLPT level (N5 to N1) with clear, no-nonsense explanations because "This is a pen" will only get you so far. - Build real-world Japanese vocabulary and kanji knowledge you can actually use in daily conversations, not just in textbooks. - Practice with 1,800+ Japanese example sentences and 8,000+ interactive quizzes designed to make new grammar and vocab stick. - Search any topic instantly in the Japanese grammar dictionary, perfect for "What does that mean again?" moments. - Review smarter, not harder, with a spaced repetition system (SRS) that reminds you before you forget. ========= Korean Course - Master the Korean alphabet (Hangul) with a guided chart, listening, and writing practice. - Build Korean vocabulary you'll actually use in everyday conversations. - Practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking so every skill grows together. ========= Spanish Course - Learn Spanish offline - Master Spanish grammar from A1 to B1 level - Spanish verb conjugation - Perfect your Spanish pronunciation ========= French Course - Learn French offline - Master French grammar from A1 to A2 level - French verb conjugation - Perfect your French pronunciation ========= German Course - Learn German offline - Master German grammar from A1 to C1 level - German verb conjugation - Perfect your German pronunciation ========= Chinese Course - Learn Chinese offline - Master Chinese vocabulary and phrases - Listen, speak, and write Chinese ========= Subscription pricing and terms Bunpo offers an auto-renewing monthly subscription and an auto-renewing yearly subscription to provide you with unlimited access to the Bunpo courses while you maintain an active subscription. These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary, and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. The subscription will automatically renew unless turned off in your iTunes Account Settings at least 24 hours before the current period ends. You can go to your iTunes Account settings to manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew. Your iTunes Account will be charged when the purchase is confirmed. Bunpo also offers a Forever subscription, which is paid for by a one-off upfront payment with unlimited access to the Bunpo courses forever. Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: https://bunpo.app/privacy.html Any feedback? Feel free to contact us at: iphone@bunpo.app

Screenshots

Busuu4 screens
Bunpo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Bunpo at none against Busuu's shown. Bunpo also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Busuu's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 72%) and chart position (#67 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, 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. Busuu sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Bunpo sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bunpo holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Busuu has 101K ratings behind it against 18K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 85% of Busuu's written reviews are positive against 72% of Bunpo's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Busuu ships an update weekly, Bunpo every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 3, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Busuu versus Bunpo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBusuuBunpo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (101K ratings)4.9 (18K ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.4% of reviews — better72.5% of reviews
Number of ratings101K — better18K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 9 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#67 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size267 MB189 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBusuu LimitedBunpo Language Learning

Customer experience

Busuu

All ratings100,939 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral3.6%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews5,445 reviews
Positive85.4%
Neutral5.8%
Negative8.8%

Bunpo

All ratings18,012 ratings
Positive98.1%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews1,137 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral9.4%
Negative18.1%

User reviews

Busuu

From 101K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Bunpo

From 18K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helpful for learning Japanese
  • 👍 Well-designed and organized
  • 👍 Explains grammar and usage well
  • 👍 Customizable to learning needs
  • 👍 Effective spaced repetition

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Too much content locked behind paywall
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes reported
  • 🐛 Issues with keyboard and text display
  • 🐛 Inconsistencies in question answers
  • 🔒 Lack of offline access to paid content

Bugs and requests

Busuu

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incorrect or missing translations
  • Inconsistent lesson progress tracking
  • Bugs with voice recognition and feedback

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Bunpo

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes during lesson reviews
  • Incorrect answers marked as wrong
  • Text and keyboard issues on smaller screens
  • Audio playback problems

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add landscape mode support for tablets
  • Improve review options to revisit specific grammar points
  • Expand vocabulary lessons and practice
  • Add more languages beyond Japanese

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Busuu

Subscriptions9
  • Monthly Subscription$6.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Premium Plan$23.491 Month
Show 6 more
  • 12 Months Premium$70.001 Year
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • 14 Day Trial - Premium Plus14 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • 12 Months' Premium7 Days trial$138.991 Year
  • 12 Months Premium7 Days trial2 variants$138.991 Year
  • 12 Months Premium Plus7 Days trial2 variants$139.991 Year
9 purchases

Bunpo

Subscriptions7
  • Bunpo Plus Monthly2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Bunpo Platinum Monthly7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Bunpo Platinum Monthly$19.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Bunpo Plus Yearly$29.991 Year
  • Bunpo Plus Yearly$39.991 Year
  • Bunpo Platinum Yearly7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Bunpo Platinum Yearly$79.991 Year
One-time2
  • Bunpo Plus Lifetime$39.99
  • Bunpo Plus Lifetime$44.99

Questions

Is Busuu free?
Busuu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bunpo free?
Bunpo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Busuu or Bunpo?
Bunpo is rated higher. Busuu averages 4.7 out of 5 from 101K ratings, while Bunpo averages 4.9 from 18K ratings.
Do Busuu or Bunpo have ads?
Busuu shows ads; Bunpo does not.
Which is updated more often, Busuu or Bunpo?
Busuu ships an update weekly, and Bunpo every 9 days. Most recently, Busuu was updated on October 3, 2026 and Bunpo on October 3, 2026.

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