Busuu vs EF Hello Speak
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
EF Hello Speak
Practice English conversation with an AI tutor that provides instant feedback on pronunciation, grammar, and fluency. Engage in short, personalized lessons designed for real-life scenarios, helping you build confidence for work, study, or travel.
- AI English Tutor (Addi)
- Real-time pronunciation and grammar feedback
- Bite-sized 5-minute learning sessions
- Personalized learning paths
- Pronunciation Coach
- Grammar Checker
- Immersive listening exercises
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On paper, you're great. Out loud, at speed, in a room full of people? That's the part nobody ever trained you for. So train it here first! Meet Addi, your AI language tutor. Addi builds a plan around the job you actually do and practices with you anytime, anywhere—until you speak up with confidence. YOUR PLAN, BUILT AROUND YOUR WORK Tell Addi your level, your goal and how much time you have. You get a path — what to practice today, what comes next — instead of a library to guess your way through. FIVE LANGUAGES, ONE TUTOR English, Spanish, French, German, Italian. Pick one and Addi builds your plan from there. FOR THE ROOM YOU'RE IN • Give the presentation — open strong, hold the room, handle the Q&A without freezing. • Write the email — say it directly and professionally, the first time. • Ace the interview — from "tell me about yourself" to the questions you ask back. • Run the meeting — disagree, interrupt politely, close the loop. PRACTICE OUT LOUD, 24/7 Addi is a patient tutor who never runs out of time. Role-play a real scenario over messages or in a live voice call, and get real-time feedback on pronunciation, grammar and fluency. No scheduling, no judgment, no waiting for a class to start. KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO FIX Every conversation ends with a score on pronunciation, fluency, grammar and how well you hit your goal — plus the exact lines you'd say better next time. "You're doing great" isn't feedback. This is. REAL VIDEO, REAL ACCENTS Watch short clips with subtitles and the key phrases pulled out, then practice saying them yourself. TEN MINUTES, OR THIRTY Commute, lunch break, before bed — one scenario takes ten minutes. Got a real block of time? Work through a full structured lesson: learn it, try it, then use it in conversation. AWARD-WINNING LANGUAGE LEARNING 2024 App Store Award Winner, rated 4.9 stars, and built on over 60 years of EF's language education expertise. TRY IT FREE FOR 7 DAYS Every feature unlocked, cancel anytime. Ten minutes a day is long enough to hear yourself say it. HERE TO HELP 24/7 Shake your phone inside the app or email efhello@ef.com, and we'll be there. Terms of Service: https://hello.ef.com/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://hello.ef.com/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: EF Hello Speak at none against Busuu's shown. EF Hello Speak also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Busuu's advantage is ratings volume (101K vs 9.4K) and chart position (#77 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Busuu sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and EF Hello Speak sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 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 EF Hello Speak. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Busuu has 101K ratings behind it against 9.4K, 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 88% of EF Hello Speak's.
Busuu ships an update weekly, EF Hello Speak fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Busuu | EF Hello Speak |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (101K ratings) | 4.8 (9.4K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.4% of reviews | 88.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 101K — better | 9.4K |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #77 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 267 MB | 125 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Busuu Limited | Signum International AG |
Customer experience
Busuu
EF Hello Speak
User reviews
Busuu
From 101K App Store ratingsWhat 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
EF Hello Speak
From 9.4K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Engaging and easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive AI features
- 💡 Practical real-life scenarios
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Helpful for improving language skills
Room to improve
- 🔒 Subscription required for full access
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance with voice recognition
- 🐛 Inability to review past lessons
- 🐛 Clunky interactions and meaningless quizzes
- 🐛 Lack of language selection options
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
EF Hello Speak
Reported bugs
3 issues- Freezing issues when trying to access lessons
- Inability to change language settings
- Inconsistent behavior between app versions
Requested features
5 requests- More language options beyond English, Spanish, French, and German
- Improved voice recognition and feedback
- Better lesson review functionality
- Customizable difficulty levels
- Offline mode for lessons
In-app purchases
Busuu
- Monthly Subscription$6.991 Month
- Monthly Subscription$9.991 Month
- Monthly Premium Plan$23.491 Month
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- 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
EF Hello Speak
- 1 month access$9.991 Month
- 3 months access$38.993 Months
- 3 months premium$38.993 Months
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- EF Hello Pro 3 Month Plan$39.993 Months
- 6 months access$48.996 Months
- Annual access$55.991 Year
- Annual Pro access$55.991 Year
- Annual premium$59.001 Year
- EF Hello Pro Yearly Plan$79.991 Year
- Learn Spanish: 1-year plan7 Days trial$79.991 Year
- 1 Year Access7 Days trial$79.991 Year
- 1 year Hello Pro$79.991 Year
- 1 year access7 Days trial$79.991 Year
- 1 year premium7 Days trial$84.991 Year
- EF Hello Pro Yearly Plan7 Days trial$119.991 Year
- EF Hello Pro Family Plan7 Days trial$119.991 Year








