Comparison

Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) vs Earworms

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

Head to head
About

Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)

This app offers an immersive language learning experience designed to build speaking confidence. It provides personalized plans, pronunciation feedback, and offline lesson downloads. It is exclusively for current subscribers and enterprise/education users.

Highlights
  • Personalized language learning plan
  • Intuitive immersion method
  • Instant pronunciation feedback
  • Offline lesson downloads
  • Extended learning exercises
  • Progress sync across devices
Features
Read full description

⏺ This app is only available for current Rosetta Stone Classic subscribers, and existing enterprise/education users. ⏺ New to Rosetta Stone? Check out Rosetta Stone Sapphire, the brand new Rosetta Stone experience! There, you can explore all of the latest features from the experts in language learning. Learning a language can be an experience that transforms your life. Over 25 years of language learning experience has taught Rosetta Stone one thing: everyone has the ability to learn to read, write, and speak a language with confidence. Try the Rosetta Stone app yourself for free. Many online language learning apps will promise that you can learn a language in just a few minutes a day. However, there is a significant difference between memorizing vocabulary lists and speaking a language with confidence. Learning a language is about more than just the words. One of the mistakes new language learners make is treating language as an object or an end goal instead of as an experience. Ditch the books, translator, and dictionary, and surround yourself with a language whenever, wherever with the Rosetta Stone mobile app. What are people saying about Rosetta Stone: • CNN Underscored - "There’s a good reason why the language learning app Rosetta Stone is the gros chien (that is, the big dog) of the apps we tested" • Mashable - "one of the OG language-learning services, known for its deep dive into accent pronunciation" • Popular Science - "super-smooth and intuitive, and the lessons neither feel too short so as to be forgettable nor too long so as to be a chore" • PC Mag - "reliable, accurate, and thorough" Rosetta Stone has taught millions of people new languages, and you’re next. From day one, you’ll: • Stay focused with a personalized language learning plan based on your motivation. • Learn a language intuitively using our proven immersion method. • Perfect your pronunciation with instantaneous feedback. • Download lessons to do everything offline. • Access different kinds of exercises with our Extended Learning features. • Sync progress across all your devices. • And never see an ad, ever. Choose from 24 languages: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Dutch, English (American or British), Filipino (Tagalog), French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Latin American or Spain), Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Enterprise and Education Learners • Unlimited use of Rosetta Stone's mobile app is available for existing Enterprise and Education Learners. • Features may vary for Enterprise and Education Learners. For questions or assistance, please visit http://support.rosettastone.com Learn a language today with Rosetta Stone. Learn Spanish (Latin American or Spain) Learn French Learn German Learn Italian Learn English (American or British) Learn Japanese Learn Korean Learn Chinese (Mandarin) Learn Arabic Learn Portuguese (Brazil) Learn Russian Learn Dutch Learn Filipino (Tagalog) Learn Greek Learn Hebrew Learn Hindi Learn Irish Learn Persian (Farsi) Learn Polish Learn Swedish Learn Turkish Learn Vietnamese For questions or assistance, please visit http://support.rosettastone.com

About

Earworms

Learn languages effectively using the "earworm effect" with catchy music and lyrics. This method anchors foreign language words and phrases into your long-term memory through engaging, brain-based audio-visual lessons. Improve vocabulary and grammar with bite-sized tracks and native speaker pronunciation.

Highlights
  • Learn languages with music and lyrics
  • Brain-based learning technique
  • Audio-visual experience with karaoke lyrics
  • 6-9 minute learning tracks
  • Content-rich language based on CEF
  • Native speaker pronunciation
Features
Read full description

Do you know what “earworm effect” is? Experience it while you learn languages with catchy music and lyrics that you just can't get out of your head. This highly effective award-winning learning technique uses music as the medium to transport words and phrases of a foreign language into your long-term memory. Start your language learning now! Learn Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Maltese, Dutch, Greek, Russian, Arabic, or Turkish and improve your vocabulary and grammar using the power of music. Earworms plant the words of a foreign language into your head with easy language courses. Try our language learning with music lyrics demo for free. THE EARWOMS METHOD 1. Brain-based: The Earworms method not only provides the words, phrases and grammar that you need for language learning, it also actively anchors them into the auditory cortex of your brain! It’s much more than language courses, it's language learning! Learn French, Spanish, English, Italian, German or Dutch listening to music lyrics. 2. Music is the key: Using music as the medium to learn languages is not only fun, it is also effective. Firstly, music puts the learner into the optimum state of consciousness for learning different languages. Secondly, music lyrics learning allows repetition (a prerequisite for language learning). On top of that, music engages and stimulates both hemispheres of the brain, unleashing more learning potential. 3. Chunking: Instead of language learning in terms of individual words and grammar, the Earworms approach immerses the learner in real-life dialogues and expressions with lyrics. These are broken down into bite-size chunks, practiced rhythmically with music and then reconstructed into full sentences. This gives the learner a strong sense of how real language courses are constructed and learning French, Spanish, German, Italian, English and other different languages and their vocabulary becomes easy. IMPORTANT FEATURES * Developed by language teaching experts. * Convenient. 6-9 minute tracks. Listen and learn track by track, any time, anywhere. * Audio-visual experience with 'karaoke-like' live lyrics feature. * Specific unambiguous goals. 200+ optimally selected sets of words and phrases for language learning. * Measurable. Easy tracking of progress of your language courses. * Target language spoken by native speakers - so correct pronunciation is acquired automatically. * Relevant. Carefully chosen content-rich language. Based on the CEF (Common European Framework) and immediately useful to the learner. * Time-bound. The musical memory method enables real rapid progress. E.g. you can learn to count up to 999 in Mandarin in an hour (!) or retain and recall words, phrases and structures in one language level within a couple of weeks. * Educational discounts are available. Visit https://www.earwormslearning.com/edu LANGUAGES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE French + German + Italian + Spanish (European) + Spanish (Lat. American) + Mandarin + Cantonese + Japanese + Arabic + Portuguese (European) + Portuguese (Brazilian) + Russian + Greek + Turkish + Polish + English + Dutch LEVELS There are 3 learning levels available, which will take you up to intermediate level (CEF level A2). * Volume 1. Within a few hours of listening to this volume, you'll have enough vocabulary knowledge of a language to be able to deal with real-life situations like taking a taxi, at the hotel, at the restaurant, requesting, polite phrases, finding your way, numbers, dealing with problems and so on. * Volume 2. This language course will soon have you talking about yourself, chatting and even flirting! * Volume 3. Here you learn more useful everyday situations while going more into the structure, the grammatical rules of the language while improving your vocabulary. NB. The app includes a demo album, full tracks of all languages available – and is free to download. You can then in-app purchase full courses.

Screenshots

Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)4 screens
Earworms4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) at free against Earworms's free with in-app purchases. Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) also leads on ratings volume (239K vs 368) and update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). Earworms's advantage is review sentiment (73% vs 63%) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 16.0). On price, rating, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $44.99 per 3 months and Earworms sells 17 one-off in-app purchases. 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 — 4.8 for Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) against 4.8 for Earworms. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) has 239K ratings behind it against 368, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)'s written reviews are positive against 73% of Earworms's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) ships an update monthly, Earworms every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) versus Earworms: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRosetta Stone Classic (2024)Earworms
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (239K ratings) — better4.8 (368 ratings)
Positive reviews63.2% of reviews72.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings239K — better368
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#173 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.012.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size219 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRosetta Stone, Ltd.earworms Ltd

Customer experience

Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)

All ratings238,687 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews2,732 reviews
Positive63.2%
Neutral9.4%
Negative27.4%

Earworms

All ratings357 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews84 reviews
Positive72.6%
Neutral10.7%
Negative16.7%

User reviews

Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)

From 239K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient learning method
  • 👍 Engaging visuals and audio
  • 🚀 Rapid progress in language skills
  • 👍 Helpful for pronunciation and speaking
  • 👍 Useful for beginners and intermediate learners

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable speech recognition
  • 🐛 Buggy app with crashes and syncing issues
  • 🔍 Lack of English translations and grammar explanations
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔍 Unclear lesson progression and navigation

Earworms

From 368 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎵 Music-based learning method effectively reinforces memory
  • 👍 Easy and intuitive to use
  • ⭐ Excellent customer support team
  • 🎯 Practical, conversational phrases for real-world use
  • 🧠 Words and phrases stick in memory effortlessly

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing issues
  • 📱 Poor booklet formatting on mobile devices
  • 💸 Pricing considered expensive by some users
  • ❌ Limited number of lessons per language
  • 🔧 App lacks autoplay/continuous playback feature

Bugs and requests

Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Lessons marked as incomplete even after completion
  • Audio playback issues and inconsistent performance
  • Inability to reset progress or redo specific lessons

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to pause and review lessons
  • Option to learn writing/reading in addition to speaking
  • Improved speech recognition and feedback
  • Better sync between app and desktop versions
  • More language options and advanced content

Earworms

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App crashes every few minutes on iPhone
  • Network error on startup despite internet connection
  • Infinite loop on initial setup screen
  • App closes unexpectedly during playback
  • Restore purchases feature not functioning
Show 6 more
  • Activation code cannot be claimed in app
  • Tracks download corrupted or fail to load
  • Text display shows English instead of native script
  • Phrase book download button subscribes to email instead
  • App no longer works after OS updates
  • Category selection feature removed in newer version

Requested features

11 requests
  • Additional volume levels for existing languages
  • More lessons and expanded content library
  • Autoplay feature for continuous listening
  • Repeat single track functionality
  • Ability to select specific lesson categories
Show 6 more
  • Business-focused lesson modules
  • Emergency/medical/police interaction lessons
  • Grocery shopping and tradesperson lessons
  • More Cantonese, Maltese, Hindi, and Finnish content
  • Improved booklet formatting and accessibility
  • Direct email contact option for support

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)

Subscriptions8
  • Spanish (Lat. Am.) – 3 Months$44.993 Months
  • English (American) – 3 Months$44.993 Months
  • French – 3 Months$44.993 Months
Show 5 more
  • Spanish (Lat. Am.) – 3 Months$54.993 Months
  • Spanish 12 Months Access3 Days trial$109.991 Year
  • Unlimited Languages - 1 Year$109.991 Year
  • Unlimited Languages - 1 Year3 Days trial$109.991 Year
  • Spanish (Lat. Am.) – 12 Months$119.991 Year
One-time1
  • Spanish (Latin America) (5 Levels)$199.99
17 purchases

Earworms

One-time17
  • Try before you buyFree
  • Essayez avant d’acheterFree
  • Álbum de demostraciónFree
Show 14 more
  • French Vol. 1$11.99
  • Italian Vol. 1$11.99
  • Spanish Lat. Am. Vol. 1$11.99
  • German Vol. 1$11.99
  • Portuguese Vol.1$11.99
  • French Vol. 2$11.99
  • Dutch Vol. 1-2$19.99
  • Japanese Vol. 1-2$19.99
  • Spanish Lat. Am. Vol. 1-3$27.99
  • Bundle deals, French Vol. 1-3$28.99
  • Bundle deals, German Vol. 1-3$28.99
  • Bundle deals, Italian Vol. 1-3$28.99
  • Bundle, Spanish Eu. Vol. 1-3$28.99
  • Portuguese Vol.1-3$28.99

Questions

Is Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) free?
Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Earworms free?
Earworms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) or Earworms?
Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) is rated higher. Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) averages 4.8 out of 5 from 239K ratings, while Earworms averages 4.8 from 368 ratings.
Do Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) or Earworms have ads?
Neither Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) nor Earworms shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) or Earworms?
Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) ships an update monthly, and Earworms every 5 months. Most recently, Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) was updated on November 3, 2026 and Earworms on November 2, 2026.

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