Comparison

Busuu vs Lingvist

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

Lingvist

This app uses AI and scientific methods to teach vocabulary efficiently for faster language acquisition. It offers personalized learning plans, speech recognition, and spaced repetition to help users remember words long-term. Learn 16 languages with a focus on practical, high-frequency vocabulary.

Highlights
  • AI-powered vocabulary learning
  • Spaced repetition for long-term memory
  • Speech recognition for pronunciation
  • Learn grammar in context
  • Personalized learning plans
  • Customizable vocabulary lists
Features
Read full description

Lingvist is the language learning app built by scientists and language experts that teaches vocabulary better than anyone else in the world. The depth of our AI-powered courses combined with the latest research in machine learning gets you using a language with high proficiency, fast. GET LEVEL PLACED FOR FREE - TRY LINGVIST LEARN 16 LANGUAGES: English, Spanish, German, French, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Norwegian, Latin American Spanish, Estonian, Polish, Japanese, Korean and Russian. ===== WHY LINGVIST? FOLLOW CONVERSATIONS QUICKLY Learn the vocabulary that appears most often in a language first, allowing you to accelerate your learning. READ, WRITE, SPEAK, AND LISTEN Perfect your pronunciation using sophisticated speech recognition technology or type your answers. Every sentence has audio to ensure you hone your listening skills. FOR SERIOUS LEARNERS Your learning efficiency is our focus. Enjoy a clean UI with no advertising, no unnecessary clicks, and no distractions. REMEMBER A LANGUAGE FOREVER Using scientifically proven spaced repetition methodology, the vocabulary gets fixed in your long-term memory over time. LEARN GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT OR AS A FOCUS Acquire grammar passively like a native with our bite-sized sentences, or practice conjugating French verbs in our French course. SPECIALIST VOCABULARY FOR YOU Submit your own words, images, or text and Lingvist will automatically gather vocabulary related to the theme for you to learn. Whether it’s Harry Potter in German or Spanish colors, you can learn the words most important to you. Our AI works intelligently to provide appropriate context for vocabulary. MOTIVATIONAL STATISTICS Packed with data on your learning progress, you’ll be able to chart your path to success. A MUST-HAVE TOOL IN YOUR BAG Do you live in your target country, use a tutor or language school, or even read books, listen to podcasts, or watch content in your target language? Lingvist works best when used in parallel with other learning methods. It’s the difference between passing your test or acing it. Lingvist is the perfect complement to learn faster and boost your vocabulary. LEARN BY DOING Getting it wrong is one of the fastest ways to learn, and your brain will start to remember very quickly. PERSONALIZED SETTINGS Every learner is different. Personalize your learning to suit you, with various settings allowing you to learn with extra slow speech, strict diacritics, and even grammar tables. PERSONALIZED LEARNING PLAN We'll serve you new words that are most relevant to you. As we measure your memory curves, we ask you to repeat words at the optimal time – just before you forget them. This way, you'll always know what to learn next. LANGUAGE LEARNING MADE EASY Whether you are planning on spending this summer in Italy and need to learn Italian, or your next adventure is taking up a course in Germany and you need an app to learn German, or you're heading to Korea and you need to learn Korean, we have you covered. Our language learning techniques will help you to get fluent in over 16 languages. ===== SUBSCRIPTION You will need a subscription in order to get access to the full learning materials for all languages we offer. Each subscription will be automatically renewed unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current payment period. When a subscription is canceled, access to the app's courses and features will expire at the end of the current payment period. Visit our blog to get tips, tricks, and interesting facts on how to learn languages: ▸▸ Lingvist blog: https://lingvist.com/blog/ Follow us to get interesting facts on how to learn languages: ▸▸ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theLingvist ▸▸ Instagram: instagram.com/thelingvist/ ▸▸ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lingvist ▸▸ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lingvist Privacy Policy: https://lingvist.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://lingvist.com/tos/

Screenshots

Busuu4 screens
Lingvist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Lingvist at none against Busuu's shown. Lingvist also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). Busuu's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 59%) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, rating, 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 Lingvist sells 10 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Busuu against 4.6 for Lingvist. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Busuu has 101K ratings behind it against 3.7K, 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 59% of Lingvist's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Busuu ships an update weekly, Lingvist monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Busuu versus Lingvist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBusuuLingvist
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (101K ratings) — better4.6 (3.7K ratings)
Positive reviews85.4% of reviews — better59.1% of reviews
Number of ratings101K — better3.7K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#77 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size267 MB92 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperBusuu LimitedLingvist Technologies OU

Customer experience

Busuu

All ratings100,718 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral3.6%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews5,376 reviews
Positive85.4%
Neutral5.8%
Negative8.8%

Lingvist

All ratings3,690 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews450 reviews
Positive59.1%
Neutral10.0%
Negative30.9%

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

Lingvist

From 3.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient vocabulary learning
  • 👍 Useful sentence-based learning
  • 📚 Comprehensive vocabulary coverage
  • 📊 Helpful progress tracking
  • 🔊 Good pronunciation examples

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔒 Limited free version
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🤔 Inconsistent word acceptance
  • 🤖 Robotic voice quality

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

Lingvist

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Progress reset issues
  • Keyboard blocking UI elements
  • Inconsistent audio playback
  • Placement test bugs

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more language options
  • Improve grammar explanations
  • Allow custom word lists
  • Provide more context-based learning
  • Add speech recognition practice

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
10 purchases

Lingvist

Subscriptions10
  • Learn languages: 1-month plan2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Learn languages: 1-month plan7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Learn languages: 1-month plan7 Days trial$49.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Learn languages: 1-month plan$49.991 Month
  • Learn languages: 1-month plan3 Days trial$49.991 Month
  • Learn languages: 12-month plan14 Days trial$55.991 Year
  • Learn languages: 12-month plan14 Days trial2 variants$79.991 Year
  • Learn languages: 12-month plan$79.991 Year
  • Learn languages: 12-month plan7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Learn languages: 12-month plan14 Days trial$199.991 Year

Questions

Is Busuu free?
Busuu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lingvist free?
Lingvist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Busuu or Lingvist?
Busuu is rated higher. Busuu averages 4.7 out of 5 from 101K ratings, while Lingvist averages 4.6 from 3.7K ratings.
Do Busuu or Lingvist have ads?
Busuu shows ads; Lingvist does not.
Which is updated more often, Busuu or Lingvist?
Busuu ships an update weekly, and Lingvist monthly. Most recently, Busuu was updated on September 24, 2026 and Lingvist on September 23, 2026.

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