# Busuu vs Refia

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Refia at none against Busuu's 10. Refia also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Busuu's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (101K vs 2). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Busuu sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Refia asks for nothing beyond the download.

Refia holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Busuu has 101K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Busuu's written reviews are positive against 100% of Refia's.

Busuu ships an update every 8 days, Refia every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Busuu | Refia |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (101K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/busuu-language-learning-app/id379968583/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refia-learn-basic/id6467569203/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **101K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 85.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#85** | — |
| Size | 268 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Busuu Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/370806574) | [marouan kourdi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708829196) |

## What reviewers say

### Busuu

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

**Currently charting:** #85 Top Grossing · Education, #122 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

Master a new language with interactive lessons and feedback from native speakers. This app offers structured courses, personalized study plans, and official certificates to boost your communication skills for travel, career, or personal growth.

**Highlights:** Learn up to 14 languages, Connect with native speakers, Expert-designed online courses, Personalized Study Plan, 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


### Refia

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refia-learn-basic/id6467569203)

Learn the basics of Refia, a dialect spoken in Morocco's Rif region, particularly in Nador. This application is designed to assist foreigners in acquiring knowledge of this specific dialect.

**Highlights:** Learn Refia dialect, Focus on Nador region, Aimed at foreigners, Basic vocabulary and phrases

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Busuu free?

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

### Is Refia free?

Refia is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Refia is rated higher. Busuu averages 4.7 out of 5 from 101K ratings, while Refia averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Busuu or Refia have ads?

Busuu shows ads; Refia does not.

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

Busuu ships an update every 8 days, and Refia every 5 months. Most recently, Busuu was updated on November 7, 2026 and Refia on November 3, 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.*