# Memrise vs Whale Notes

The clearest difference is ads: Whale Notes at none against Memrise's shown. Whale Notes also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Memrise's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (218K vs 34). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Memrise sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Whale Notes sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Memrise against 4.8 for Whale Notes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Memrise has 218K ratings behind it against 34, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of Memrise's written reviews are positive against 50% of Whale Notes's.

Memrise ships an update fortnightly, Whale Notes every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Memrise | Whale Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (218K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/memrise-language-learning-app/id635966718/reviews)** | [4.8 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whale-notes/id1025272002/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **218K** | 34 |
| Positive reviews | **68.1% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#196** | — |
| Size | 240 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Memrise Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/506043249) | [Thi Vo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1020296413) |

## What reviewers say

### Memrise

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/memrise-language-learning-app/id635966718)

**Currently charting:** #196 Top Grossing · Education, #204 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

Learn over 40 languages through immersive lessons that simulate real-life conversations and cultural experiences. Practice vocabulary, listening, and speaking with AI-powered bots and native speaker videos to build confidence and speak like a local.

**Highlights:** Real-life conversation simulation, Cultural insights, Vocabulary and listening practice, Speaking practice with AI, Native speaker videos, Learn over 40 languages

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Language Learning Plan | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Language Learning Plan | $24.99 | per month |
| 3-Month Language Learning Plan | $24.99 | per 3 months |
| 30% off Annual Memrise Pro | $42.99 | per year |
| Memrise Subscription Offer | $58.99 | per year |
| Memrise Subscription Offer | $59.99 | per month |
| Annual Language Learning Plan | $61.99 | per year |
| Memrise Annual Pro | $61.99 | per year |
| Memrise Subscription Offer | $61.99 | per year |
| Memrise Subscription Offer | $79.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Plan Offer | $98.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Plan Offer | $131.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Plan Offer | $164.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Plan | $329.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for learning basics
- 👍 Engaging and fun learning experience
- 👍 Effective memorization techniques
- 👍 Useful for supplementing language learning
- 👍 Variety of languages available

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription is too expensive
- 🔒 Limited functionality without subscription
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches in the app
- 🤖 AI conversations are not very helpful
- 🤔 Transition from basics to more advanced content is too abrupt

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or freezes during lessons
- Inconsistent performance across devices
- Issues with syncing progress across devices
- Incorrect translations or pronunciations in some courses

**Requested features**

- Add more advanced content and courses
- Improve AI conversation feature
- Allow more control over review and repetition
- Provide offline access to courses
- Improve search and discovery of community courses


### Whale Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whale-notes/id1025272002)

Easily record new vocabulary words, their meanings, and example sentences. Sync notes across devices with cloud backup. Offers tools for word definition lookup to help you build a daily learning habit.

**Highlights:** Record new words and meanings, Add example sentences, Cloud backup and sync, Offline functionality, Word definition lookup, Daily learning habit tracker

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium 3 months | $2.99 | per 3 months |
| Premium 6 months | $4.99 | per 6 months |
| Premium 12 months | $8.99 | per year |
| 200 notes | $1.99 | one-time |
| 500 Notes | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Memrise free?

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

### Is Whale Notes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Memrise or Whale Notes?

Memrise is rated higher. Memrise averages 4.8 out of 5 from 218K ratings, while Whale Notes averages 4.8 from 34 ratings.

### Do Memrise or Whale Notes have ads?

Memrise shows ads; Whale Notes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Memrise or Whale Notes?

Memrise ships an update fortnightly, and Whale Notes every 5 months. Most recently, Memrise was updated on November 1, 2026 and Whale Notes on October 14, 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.*