# Busuu vs Ling

Busuu and Ling both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of Busuu's written reviews are positive against 61% of Ling's. Busuu also leads on ratings volume (101K vs 15K). Ling's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, rating, update cadence 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 Ling sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 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 4.6 for Ling. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Busuu has 101K ratings behind it against 15K, 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 61% of Ling's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Busuu | Ling |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (101K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/busuu-language-learning-app/id379968583/reviews)** | [4.6 (15K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ling-learn-languages-easily/id1403783779/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **101K** | 15K |
| Positive reviews | **85.4% of reviews** | 60.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #84 | **#61** |
| Size | 267 MB | 176 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Busuu Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/370806574) | [SIMYA LABS COMPANY LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1298485730) |

## What reviewers say

### Busuu

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

**Currently charting:** #84 Top Grossing · Education, #143 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


### Ling

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ling-learn-languages-easily/id1403783779)

**Currently charting:** #61 Top Grossing · Education, #168 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

Master over 70 languages with fun, bite-sized lessons. Develop speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills with native speaker audio and cultural insights. Science-backed methods ensure retention, making even difficult languages accessible.

**Highlights:** 70+ languages available, Bite-sized lessons, Native speaker audio, Cultural insights, Speaking, reading, listening, writing skills, Science-backed learning methodology

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (20)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ling Monthly Subscription | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Language Learning Plan | $10.99 | per month |
| Ling Monthly Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| Ling Pro 1 Month Subscription | $16.99 | per month |
| Ling Half Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per 6 months |
| Ling 3 Month Subscription | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| Learn Language Pro Yearly 7 | $48.99 | per year |
| Ling Pro Yearly Subscription | $54.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| Black Friday Offer | $59.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $69.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Ling Pro 12 Month Subscription | $89.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $119.99 | per year |
| Ling Pro Lifetime Plan | $199.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Bite-sized lessons
- 🎮 Gamified learning
- 📚 Offers rare languages
- 🗣️ Good pronunciation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy, glitchy
- 💰 Expensive, pay to learn
- 🤖 Robotic voices
- 🧠 Lessons not in logical order
- 🔍 Lack of basic vocabulary and grammar

**Reported bugs**

- Progress resets to zero
- Incorrect translations and pronunciations
- Lessons skipping ahead unexpectedly
- Microphone issues, can't record properly
- Sync issues across devices

**Requested features**

- Allow retry/go back in lessons
- Improve speech recognition
- Add grammar explanations
- Provide more review and practice options
- Introduce alphabet/writing system first


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Busuu free?

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

### Is Ling free?

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

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

Busuu is rated higher. Busuu averages 4.7 out of 5 from 101K ratings, while Ling averages 4.6 from 15K ratings.

### Do Busuu or Ling have ads?

Both Busuu and Ling show ads.

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

Busuu ships an update weekly, and Ling weekly. Most recently, Busuu was updated on September 25, 2026 and Ling on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Busuu or Ling?

Busuu currently peaks at #84 in the App Store charts, and Ling at #61. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*