Comparison

English Learning Lounge Starter vs Basic English

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

Head to head
About

English Learning Lounge Starter

This app provides over 20 years of ESL teaching experience to help you improve your English. It offers detailed grammar explanations and practice exercises, focusing on listening, reading, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Designed for busy learners, it explains concepts before testing your understanding.

Highlights
  • Detailed grammar explanations
  • Authentic listening and reading practice
  • Vocabulary building exercises
  • Pronunciation practice
  • Multiple choice quizzes
  • Gap fill exercises
  • Word re-ordering activities
Features
Read full description

Give your English learning a boost today. Get over 20 years of high quality ESL teaching experience in one app! Macmillan Education review: "Focuses on all aspects of language learning...detailed grammar explanations and plenty of opportunity to practice." * The FREE app for iPhone/iPad that doesn't stress you and test you - it explains, then checks. * Real English: authentic listenings and readings. * Created by native speaker teachers with 20 years' English teaching. Are you too busy to do a long, expensive English course? Do you need English and don't know where to start? Or wish to improve the English you already have? English Learning Lounge is the free English learning app from esl-lounge.com, the ESL website that has helped millions of both teachers and students of English since 2001. English Learning Lounge will help students of all levels to make a giant leap in their English learning. In 2015, we launched new versions of the English Learning Lounge - this is the Starter app. -- THE LEVELS ON "STARTER" -- + First Words If you are beginning your English learning, First Words will teach you your first 200 words using easy-to-understand pictures and audio. And you can learn either UK or US pronunciation and spelling. You choose! + Beginner Using the verb "to be", Present Simple, Adjectives, There Is/Are, Contractions, Apostrophes, Pronouns, Using "to have", Spelling. + Elementary Using "can", Some/Any, Past Simple, Present Continuous, Comparatives & Superlatives, Going To future, Adverbs, Prepositions, Verb Patterns, Plurals. PLEASE NOTE: Our other English Learning Lounge apps (Intermediate, Advanced, Exams), you can go to even higher levels and get practice for Cambridge Examinations! Look for them on the App Store today! -- USING THE APP -- If you need English for your job, your studies, your life - then English Learning Lounge, our FREE app, is the app for you today. With this app, you don't just do quizzes and tests: there are full grammar explanations too. English Learning Lounge is your very own English teacher, in your pocket! The quizzes on English Learning Lounge are fun and intuitive: multiple choice, gap fill quizzes, word re-ordering, colorful matching exercises and sentence editing. Super easy to understand, just use your fingers. Tap here, swipe there, and your English will get better! The English Learning Lounge will help you improve the following areas of your English: + Grammar + Reading + Listening + Vocabulary + Pronunciation + Writing As you go through the app, move onto higher and higher levels and move towards mastering the most popular and useful language in the world. -- THE BENEFITS -- Learn English as you go about your busy day. While other apps only test you, English Learning Lounge gives full explanations of grammar and then checks if you have understood. -- USEFUL LINKS -- Follow us: https://twitter.com/esllounge Like us: https://www.facebook.com/esl.lounge.student/ Visit us: http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/

About

Basic English

Learn to speak English fluently and confidently with interactive lessons, audio, and quizzes. Improve speaking, listening, and vocabulary through step-by-step instruction and real-world conversation practice, even offline.

Highlights
  • Offline learning support
  • Interactive lessons with audio and quizzes
  • Real-world conversation practice
  • Vocabulary and grammar expansion
  • Speaking practice with recording
  • Listening practice via radio
Features
Read full description

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO SPEAK ENGLISH FLUENTLY + Support iPhone and iPad. + iOS 13.0 above + Can use offline. ● Do you feel nervous or shy when you speak English? --> The app can help you learn English and improve your speaking without taking a class. --> All the lessons include images, slideshows, audio files, and quizzes to help you learn in an easy way. If you are a beginner or low intermediate English learner, then this app will be perfect for you. ● Do other people sometimes not understand you when you speak English? --> The app will improve your English skill speaking, listening and understanding. All the lessons were created in a step-by-step manner teaching simple words and sentences in the beginning and slowly getting harder in later lessons. ● Do you want to practice English speaking even when you have nobody to practice with? --> The app have many conversations for you practice speak English naturally and confidently for work, travel, or daily life ... ● Would you like to know how to use English in real world situations? --> Become a confident English speaker by seeing, hearing, and participating with interactive lessons ●●● Main features - Over 5000 conversations. - Support learning offline without internet - Expand vocebulary, grammar through videos channel. - Practice speaking and record to listen again. - Quizzes test will helpful for you test what did you know. - Bookmarks: group the lessons to a package. - History, Favorite will be better for you learn again. - Take note on lesson. - Support 3000 words for speaking. - Practice listening via English radio. ●●● BEST GOAL: The app can help you after completing - You will be able to speak English. - Feel confident when you speak English. - Speak natural English with clear pronunciation. - Improve your English speaking even when you are alone. - Learn all the grammar and vocabulary you need to communicate in English. - Speak smoothly and fluently without stopping or pausing. - Learn English for specific situations like travel or business meeting. ### Purchase to unlock features and ads free on the app ### - Privacy policy: https://mobilephl.com/eslcourse/privacy.php - Terms of Use: https://mobilephl.com/eslcourse/term_of_use.php - And read more USER LICENSE AGREEMENT (about EULA) at here: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

English Learning Lounge Starter4 screens
Basic English4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Basic English at 4.7 against English Learning Lounge Starter's 4.0. Basic English also leads on ratings volume (5.9K vs 4). English Learning Lounge Starter's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (100% vs 91%). 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. English Learning Lounge Starter sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Basic English sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Basic English holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Basic English has 5.9K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of English Learning Lounge Starter's written reviews are positive against 91% of Basic English's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

English Learning Lounge Starter ships an update every 6 weeks, Basic English every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
English Learning Lounge Starter versus Basic English: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEnglish Learning Lounge StarterBasic English
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)4.7 (5.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better90.8% of reviews
Number of ratings45.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB198 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNeil CoghlanNguyen Thi Hoai Thu

Customer experience

English Learning Lounge Starter

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Basic English

All ratings5,851 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral2.6%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive90.8%
Neutral6.6%
Negative2.6%

Bugs and requests

English Learning Lounge Starter

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Basic English

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Audio issue during use
  • Repeated audio lessons

Requested features

2 requests
  • Option to speak slowly
  • Desktop version for online classes

In-app purchases

10 purchases

English Learning Lounge Starter

One-time10
  • Remove Ads$0.99
  • Beginner Unit 11$0.99
  • Beginner Unit 12$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Beginner Unit 13$0.99
  • Beginner Unit 14$0.99
  • Beginner Unit 2$0.99
  • First Words Expansion Pack$2.99
  • Beginner Expansion Pack$3.99
  • Elementary Expansion Pack$3.99
  • Starter App Unlock$8.99
3 purchases

Basic English

Subscriptions2
  • Month$6.991 Month
  • Year$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium$11.99

Questions

Is English Learning Lounge Starter free?
English Learning Lounge Starter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Basic English free?
Basic English is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, English Learning Lounge Starter or Basic English?
Basic English is rated higher. English Learning Lounge Starter averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Basic English averages 4.7 from 5.9K ratings.
Do English Learning Lounge Starter or Basic English have ads?
Neither English Learning Lounge Starter nor Basic English shows ads.
Which is updated more often, English Learning Lounge Starter or Basic English?
English Learning Lounge Starter ships an update every 6 weeks, and Basic English every 3 weeks. Most recently, English Learning Lounge Starter was updated on November 1, 2026 and Basic English on November 2, 2026.

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