Comparison

FluentU vs HiNative

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

Head to head
About

FluentU

Learn languages through engaging, real-world videos like movie trailers and music clips. Interactive subtitles and vocabulary tools make comprehension and speaking natural. Connect with culture while mastering a new language.

Highlights
  • Interactive video lessons
  • Real-world content
  • Tap-to-translate subtitles
  • Vocabulary review tools
  • Bilingual dictionary
  • Cultural immersion
Features
Read full description

Start your 2-week free trial of FluentU now! Cancel anytime. Tired of boring language learning textbooks? FluentU brings languages to life with real-world interactive videos! Learn to read and speak Spanish, French, English, Mandarin Chinese, German, Japanese, Russian, Korean and Italian with FluentU. FluentU turns music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks into an amazing language learning experience. Experience an immersive education that teaches you to speak and comprehend new languages in a natural way. Now you can learn a new language while connecting with the culture. No matter what your skill level or interest, FluentU has you covered. FLUENTU FEATURES: LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE - Immerse yourself in a foreign language to understand how it’s used - Connect with the language through real-world videos - Quiz yourself on the vocabulary - Learn to speak the language instead of scripted phrases - Stay motivated to learn each day WATCH, LISTEN & LEARN - Put the textbooks away and learn from experience - Watch videos with subtitles and translations to learn the language - Tap on any word or phrase to learn its meaning - Add words to your vocabulary list for review - Listen to audio dialogues to gain an understanding of the language BILINGUAL DICTIONARY - Look up any word and see how it’s used in a sentence - Search content by title or grammar and vocabulary points AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: - Chinese (Mandarin) - English - French - German - Italian - Japanese - Korean - Russian - Spanish WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING "Great app. To my knowledge the best on the market. You created something unique and new!" - Felix Wedel "It is more helpful than any other tool I've used. I had been using podcasts before and trying to make flashcards, and that worked pretty well. But it ended up that I was spending more time making the flashcards than studying. FluentU really solves this." - David Brown "FluentU has quickly become one of my favorite language-learning tools. Great job on an aesthetically pleasing app and an incredibly functional one." - Justin Price "This concept in FluentU is amazing. It's such a great way to help you understand a spoken language and the way you break it down is amazing." - Demi Pradolin "This app is so fun and useful - the best Chinese language learning app I've ever used." - Richard Jun PLUS SUBSCRIPTION FluentU is available as a monthly ($29.99 for Plus) or yearly subscription ($239.99 for Plus). If you enjoy FluentU, do nothing and your membership will automatically continue for as long as you choose to remain a member. You can easily cancel anytime, online. Just sign up to get started! If you subscribe via iTunes: Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period and identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Privacy policy: http://www.fluentu.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: http://www.fluentu.com/terms/

About

HiNative

Connect with native speakers worldwide to ask questions about languages and cultures. Get pronunciation help, writing corrections, and cultural insights. Learn and help others in over 110 languages.

Highlights
  • Ask questions via audio or text
  • Get writing corrections from natives
  • Post pictures for context
  • Connect with speakers from 170+ countries
  • Supports over 110 languages
  • Premium features for enhanced learning
Features
Read full description

**Over 5,000,000 Users Worldwide!!** HiNative is a global Q&A community for language learners and people that are curious about the world. Ask questions, get answers, and connect with native speakers from over 170 different countries! FEATURES Audio Uploads - Want to check your pronunciation? Curious about a certain region's accent? Need some handy phrases for your upcoming trip? Just record your questions and ask: let the world hear you! Correction Function - Have your writing corrected by native speakers!When you post in your target language, native speakers will show you natural ways to say what you want to say. You can receive corrections to your messages with friends, work emails, journal entries, speeches, etc. Pictures - Not sure how to write something? No problem! It's easier to ask some questions by posting a picture: signs, menus, labels, and even that rad Chinese character you're considering getting a tattoo of--just snap a picture and ask away. Unlike a dictionary or web search, HiNative gives you customized example sentences, responses to your follow-up questions, and tips to improve your pronunciation. With HiNative, you also get access to the best resource for language learning: native speakers. And as a native speaker yourself, you can help out too! HiNative supports over 110 languages, bringing the entire world to your fingertips. It's never been this easy to connect, help, and learn. ------ HiNative is run by the creators of Lang-8, one of the most successful and popular language learning websites around, with over a million users worldwide. ------ HiNative PREMIUM Premium features include the following. 1: Play every voice answer, even those posted in response to other users' questions. This gives you even more opportunity to hear native speakers pronounce the language you're learning. 2: Use bookmarks to gather your favorite questions and answers into a simple, searchable list. Never lose track of important questions. 3: Receive 10 Premium tickets per month to help your questions stand out. Questions asked with a ticket stick to the top of the question feed, get highlighted, and receive more answers on average. 4: Search. Everything's better with search. Search your old questions and bookmarks to find the information you want, faster. 5: Follow any question that you're interested in. You'll receive notifications when anyone responds to a question you follow. This makes it easier to stay up-to-date with the questions you really care about. 6: If a feature you want isn't listed above, email us at support@hinative.com, and we'll see what we can do :) Payment information: Premium Subscriptions cost $11.40 USD per month. - Payment will be charged to a user's iTunes Account upon confirmation of purchase. - Subscription will renew automatically unless Auto-Renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. - A user's account will be charged for the following month if their subscription is not cancelled 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user, and Auto-Renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. - Subscriptions for the current month cannot be canceled. Premium Terms of Use: https://lang8.notion.site/HiNative-Premium-Service-Terms-of-Use-183a44cf58b1800f81abfb35bd68470b Privacy Policy: https://lang8.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-183a44cf58b1802c851acddb39445b95?pvs=74 FAQ about Premium: https://lang8.notion.site/Tell-me-about-the-features-included-with-a-HiNative-Premium-subscription-13ea44cf58b180a9afa4ef6414b11914 How to cancel a Premium subscription: https://lang8.notion.site/How-do-I-cancel-my-Premium-subscription-13ea44cf58b18044acfce96b11c71473

Screenshots

FluentU4 screens
HiNative4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: HiNative at freemium against FluentU's subscription. HiNative also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (68% vs 56%). On price, update cadence, 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. FluentU sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and HiNative sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HiNative holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.8K and 9.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of FluentU's written reviews are positive against 68% of HiNative's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
FluentU versus HiNative: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFluentUHiNative
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (2.8K ratings)4.7 (9.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.3% of reviews68.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.8K9.1K — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size549 MB66 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperEnux Education LimitedLang-8, Inc

Customer experience

FluentU

All ratings2,783 ratings
Positive83.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative12.2%
Written reviews1,067 reviews
Positive56.3%
Neutral9.0%
Negative34.7%

HiNative

All ratings9,087 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews1,022 reviews
Positive68.4%
Neutral8.1%
Negative23.5%

User reviews

FluentU

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Engaging learning experience
  • 🎓 Effective for language learning
  • 👍 Variety of content and features
  • 💡 Innovative learning approach

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable app
  • 🔍 Lack of transparency around pricing and cancellation
  • 📱 Compatibility issues on mobile devices

HiNative

From 9.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for language learning
  • 🤝 Friendly and welcoming community
  • ⚡ Quick response times
  • 💡 Ability to help others learn languages

Room to improve

  • 💰 Excessive paywalls and premium features
  • 🔍 Limited free question templates
  • 🗣️ Inability to listen to audio responses without premium
  • 🗑️ Outdated or incorrect answers from users

Bugs and requests

FluentU

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Subscription issues and unexpected charges
  • Syncing and login problems
  • Inconsistent performance across devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more language options
  • Improve user interface and navigation
  • Provide better guidance and progression for learners
  • Enhance audio and speech recognition capabilities

HiNative

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent app crashes or freezes
  • Inconsistent notification behavior
  • Issues with landscape orientation
  • Difficulty changing language settings

Requested features

4 requests
  • Private messaging or chat functionality
  • Ability to filter or search past questions
  • Moderation system to ensure quality answers
  • More language options and dialects

In-app purchases

12 purchases

FluentU

Subscriptions12
  • FluentU Plus14 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • FluentU Plus14 Days trial$17.991 Month
  • FluentU Plus14 Days trial$20.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • FluentU Plus14 Days trial$23.991 Month
  • FluentU Plus14 Days trial2 variants$29.991 Month
  • FluentU Super Monthly14 Days trial$39.991 Month
  • FluentU Plus14 Days trial$71.991 Year
  • FluentU Plus14 Days trial$95.991 Year
  • FluentU Plus14 Days trial$119.991 Year
  • FluentU Plus14 Days trial$139.991 Year
  • FluentU Super Annual14 Days trial$199.991 Year
  • FluentU Plus14 Days trial2 variants$239.991 Year
10 purchases

HiNative

Subscriptions8
  • HiNative Premium Monthly plan7 Days trial$4.491 Month
  • HiNative Premium Monthly plan1 Month trial$4.491 Month
  • HiNative Premium Monthly plan7 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • HiNative Premium Monthly plan1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • HiNative Premium Yearly plan7 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • HiNative Premium Yearly plan1 Month trial$34.991 Year
  • HiNative Premium Yearly plan7 Days trial$83.991 Year
  • HiNative Premium Yearly plan1 Month trial$83.991 Year
One-time2
  • Hinative Coin$0.99
  • Hinative Coin$8.99

Questions

Is FluentU free?
FluentU is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HiNative free?
HiNative is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FluentU or HiNative?
HiNative is rated higher. FluentU averages 4.3 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while HiNative averages 4.7 from 9.1K ratings.
Do FluentU or HiNative have ads?
Neither FluentU nor HiNative shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FluentU or HiNative?
FluentU ships an update fortnightly, and HiNative fortnightly. Most recently, FluentU was updated on September 22, 2026 and HiNative on September 21, 2026.

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