# Memrise vs Earworms

The clearest difference is ads: Earworms at none against Memrise's shown. Earworms also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.0). Memrise's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (217K vs 357). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Memrise sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Earworms sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. 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 Earworms. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Memrise has 217K ratings behind it against 357, 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 71% of Earworms's.

Memrise ships an update fortnightly, Earworms every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Memrise | Earworms |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (217K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/memrise-language-learning-app/id635966718/reviews) | [4.8 (357 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earworms-language-learning/id1214721881/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **217K** | 357 |
| Positive reviews | 68.0% of reviews | **71.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#133** | — |
| Size | 238 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Memrise Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/506043249) | [earworms Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/391784509) |

## What reviewers say

### Memrise

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

**Currently charting:** #133 Top Grossing · Education, #193 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


### Earworms

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earworms-language-learning/id1214721881)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Try before you buy | Free | one-time |
| Essayez avant d’acheter | Free | one-time |
| Álbum de demostración | Free | one-time |
| French Vol. 1 | $11.99 | one-time |
| Italian Vol. 1 | $11.99 | one-time |
| Spanish Lat. Am. Vol. 1 | $11.99 | one-time |
| Portuguese Vol.1 | $11.99 | one-time |
| French Vol. 2 | $11.99 | one-time |
| Dutch Vol. 1-2 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Japanese Vol. 1-2 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Spanish Lat. Am. Vol. 1-3 | $27.99 | one-time |
| Bundle deals, French Vol. 1-3 | $28.99 | one-time |
| Bundle deals, German Vol. 1-3 | $28.99 | one-time |
| Bundle deals, Italian Vol. 1-3 | $28.99 | one-time |
| Bundle, Spanish Eu. Vol. 1-3 | $28.99 | one-time |
| Portuguese Vol.1-3 | $28.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Memrise free?

Memrise 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, Memrise or Earworms?

Memrise and Earworms are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 217K and 357 ratings respectively.

### Do Memrise or Earworms have ads?

Memrise shows ads; Earworms does not.

### Which is updated more often, Memrise or Earworms?

Memrise ships an update fortnightly, and Earworms every 5 months. Most recently, Memrise was updated on September 25, 2026 and Earworms on September 19, 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.*