Comparison

Drops vs Pimsleur | Language Learning

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

Head to head
About

Drops

Learn new languages through engaging games and visual aids. Practice vocabulary and common phrases in over 55 languages, from beginner to expert levels. Track progress, unlock achievements, and enjoy professionally curated lessons with native speaker pronunciations.

Highlights
  • Gamified vocabulary learning
  • Visual learning aids
  • 55+ language options
  • Progress tracking and rewards
  • Native speaker pronunciations
  • Customizable learning goals
Read full description

Join over 50 million people who use Drops for free language lessons. It’s fast, fun, and easy! Practice vocabulary in Spanish, Japanese, French, Korean, Chinese, German, English. Discover 55+ different new languages with Drops! Learn new languages while playing games. You can become fluent, learn vocabulary and common phrases in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, and Hindi. Set goals, unlock achievements, and get rewards! • Become fluent in a foreign language with this language learning app • Learn to read characters and scripts from different alphabets like Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, and Hindi • Custom illustrations for each vocabulary word makes it easy to remember • From beginner to expert levels, grow your foreign language vocabulary • A professionally curated vocabulary list with more than 3,000 words and phrases • Game-like language lessons that make language learning fun and effective • Level up! Track your progress and get rewards • Professional voice artists and sound design with correct dialect pronunciations • Learn to speak languages like Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English (British), English (American), French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (European), Russian, Spanish (Mexican), Spanish (European), Tagalog, Ainu, Arabic (Egyptian), American Sign Language (ASL), Basque, Bosnian, Cantonese, Catalan, Chti, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, Esperanto, Estonian, Finnish, Galician, Greek, Greenlandic, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Igbo, Indonesian, Irish, Maori, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Samoan, Sanskrit, Serbian, Swahili, Swedish, Swiss German, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Welsh, and even Yoruba! "By focusing on visually appealing games and vocab, Drops aims to lower the barrier preventing users from exploring a new language and, ultimately, accessing the social and economic benefits knowing that language may provide." - TechCrunch We are featured by CNET, Forbes, VentureBeat and many other places too! Try Drops Premium with a 7 day free trial. Download the app to learn about different membership options, and register to learn all about exclusive discounts. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of Drops premium. Afterwards your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto-renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your settings in the iTunes Store after purchase. You can cancel your subscription anytime, and you won't be charged in the next billing cycle. Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: http://languagedrops.com/privacypolicy.html

About

Pimsleur | Language Learning

Master over 50 languages with daily 30-minute audio lessons. Achieve native-like fluency through a scientifically proven method focused on speaking and pronunciation, even offline. Perfect for busy adults seeking flexible, effective language learning.

Highlights
  • Learn 50+ languages
  • 30-minute daily lessons
  • Offline mode
  • Hands-free learning
  • Pronunciation practice
  • AI language tutor
  • Sync across devices
Features
Read full description

Learn languages fluently with Pimsleur - Learn to speak 50+ foreign languages like a local with just 30 minutes of language learning practice a day! The Pimsleur Method™ is the most effective way to learn a foreign language, achieve native conversational fluency, and use the language in your everyday life. Learn to speak fluent Spanish, French, Korean, German, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese and more with ease. Pimsleur’s language learning resources make learning a language fun, flexible and rewarding. Practice speaking fluently with just 30 minutes of language practice a day! For 50 years, we’ve been helping people rapidly learn languages in 30 days. Want to learn Spanish to speak to Mexican friends? Need to learn Japanese for a trip to Tokyo? Choose from over 50 languages to learn while driving, at the gym, or while cooking. No Internet needed with offline mode. Plus the built-in hands-free mode makes it easy to learn a new language anywhere, anytime, even in the car! Our innovative online audio lessons focus on enhancing your vocabulary, pronunciation and speaking skills without the burden of grammar tables, making language learning and practice enjoyable and accessible. Dive into cultural topics that enrich your understanding and language fluency, and join thousands of adults who have transformed their language skills online with Pimsleur. Whether you're a beginner or already looking to improve your language fluency, Pimsleur offers a convenient and effective online language learning platform for adults designed for a flexible study schedule that fits into your daily routine. Learn to speak a new language anytime, anywhere - even in the car as a family. Why Choose Pimsleur as Your Language Partner? - Scientifically proven method for fast, lasting language fluency. - Just 30 minutes a day to speak a new foreign language with confidence. - Learn languages offline, hands-free, and without distractions, no Wi-Fi needed. - Perfect your pronunciation and practice real conversations with a smart AI language tutor. - Sync across devices to track your progress and keep your learning streak going. - Join the global community of Pimsleur language learners! Discover the full list of language courses here: Albanian, Eastern, Egyptian or Modern Standard Arabic, Eastern or Western Armenian, Cantonese or Mandarin Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dari Persian, Dutch, Farsi Persian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Ojibwe, Pashto, Polish, European or Brazilian Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Latin American or Spain-Castilian Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Swiss German, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Twi, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese. FREE TRIAL AVAILABLE Don’t miss out - try Pimsleur for FREE and start learning different languages today! With a complimentary lesson in 51 languages, you'll experience the most effective way to achieve conversational fluency from Day 1. PREMIUM FEATURES CORE CONVERSATIONAL LANGUAGE LEARNING LESSONS Enjoy 30-minute conversational language lessons anywhere. Quickly learn to speak another language in just 30 days! READ You won’t just learn foreign languages; you'll learn to read without sacrificing speaking skills! SPEAK Don't be shy! Learn to speak fluently with conversation partner role-play & review transcripts using AI language learning & voice recognition. Now available for Spanish learners. SKILLS Practice phrases by topic & learn easily with visual language learning through vocabulary flashcards. Learn foreign languages with Quick Match & Speed Rounds. SYNC PROGRESS Track learning progress across different devices, sync & stream offline with no ads. Feature availability depends on the language. Visit our website for more info & a complete list of the different languages available. CA Privacy/Info We Collect: Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Personal Information: Do Not Sell

Screenshots

Drops4 screens
Pimsleur | Language Learning4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is chart position: Pimsleur | Language Learning at #6 against Drops's #160. Pimsleur | Language Learning also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). Drops's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Drops sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Pimsleur | Language Learning sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 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 Drops against 4.7 for Pimsleur | Language Learning. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 72K and 30K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Drops's written reviews are positive against 83% of Pimsleur | Language Learning's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drops ships an update weekly, Pimsleur | Language Learning every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Drops versus Pimsleur | Language Learning: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDropsPimsleur | Language Learning
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (72K ratings)4.7 (30K ratings)
Positive reviews74.6% of reviews82.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings72K — better30K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#160#6 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size191 MB131 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPLANB LABS OUSimon & Schuster

Customer experience

Drops

All ratings71,502 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews2,192 reviews
Positive74.6%
Neutral9.6%
Negative15.8%

Pimsleur | Language Learning

All ratings29,745 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews2,308 reviews
Positive82.5%
Neutral4.5%
Negative13.0%

User reviews

Drops

From 72K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Vocabulary learning
  • 👍 Unique and engaging learning activities
  • 👍 Wide range of languages
  • 👍 Customizable learning experience
  • 👍 Effective for building vocabulary

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate translations or pronunciations
  • 🔒 Subscription model issues
  • 👎 Limited to vocabulary, lacks grammar/sentence structure
  • 👎 Repetitive and not enough variety in exercises

Pimsleur | Language Learning

From 30K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great for speaking and listening practice
  • 👍 Effective for learning pronunciation and conversational skills
  • 💡 Convenient to use while doing other activities
  • 👍 Structured lessons build language skills progressively

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Occasional app crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Limited content for some languages
  • 📚 Lacks written materials and grammar explanations

Bugs and requests

Drops

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Login issues and lost progress
  • Crashes and performance problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more grammar and sentence-level learning
  • Improve accuracy of translations and pronunciations
  • Provide more flexibility in time limits and review sessions
  • Integrate more conversational practice
  • Improve user interface and navigation

Pimsleur | Language Learning

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Lesson downloads frequently get interrupted
  • Inconsistent performance on older devices
  • Sync issues between app and online account

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and content for less popular languages
  • Ability to adjust playback speed of lessons
  • Tighter integration with other language learning resources
  • Improved voice recognition and feedback

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Drops

Subscriptions12
  • Genius for a month$7.991 Month
  • Premium$9.991 Month
  • Premium$11.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • Premium$14.991 Month
  • Curious for a month$22.991 Month
  • Holiday premium!$39.991 Year
  • Premium7 Days trial$62.991 Year
  • Premium7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • All Language Learning Plans7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Premium7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Premium7 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Premium7 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlimited time for all Languages!$59.99
8 purchases

Pimsleur | Language Learning

Subscriptions8
  • Spanish Premium Subscription3 variants$19.991 Month
  • Italian Premium Subscription$19.991 Month
  • Japanese Premium Subscription$19.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • All Access Subscription$20.991 Month
  • All Access Subscription7 Days trial$20.991 Month
  • All Access Subscription1 Month trial$20.991 Month
  • All Access Annual Subscription7 Days trial$131.991 Year
  • All Access Subscription Annual7 Days trial$164.991 Year

Questions

Is Drops free?
Drops is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pimsleur | Language Learning free?
Pimsleur | Language Learning is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Drops or Pimsleur | Language Learning?
Drops and Pimsleur | Language Learning are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 72K and 30K ratings respectively.
Do Drops or Pimsleur | Language Learning have ads?
Both Drops and Pimsleur | Language Learning show ads.
Which is updated more often, Drops or Pimsleur | Language Learning?
Drops ships an update weekly, and Pimsleur | Language Learning every 2 weeks. Most recently, Drops was updated on September 24, 2026 and Pimsleur | Language Learning on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Drops or Pimsleur | Language Learning?
Drops currently peaks at #160 in the App Store charts, and Pimsleur | Language Learning at #6. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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