Duolingo and Busuu have some similar features, yet they are competitive with each other. On one hand, Duolingo is a solid option with its free version having almost all the features and the animated design attracts users. Then Busuu is a developed app with its grammar explanations and better audio to make the user a pro at a new language.
However, both the apps have significant lacking which make them fall short. If you want an honest opinion on Busuu vs Duolingo, read the article and by the end, you can decide which is the right one for your language acquisition journey.
Language options for learning
Busuu offer a total of 12 languages, which are the most commonly spoken. They are Spanish, French, German, Italian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, English, Portuguese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian
Duolingo offers a wider range of options for beginning a new language. Along with the most commonly spoken languages, Duolingo offers a total of 35 languages, including Esperanto, Hawaiian and Welsh. Presently, they are developing 2 language programs to target more users to use the program.
Usability and learning experience
For both Busuu and Duolingo, you can start right away after downloading the app and logging in. Both apps are well-designed and have most of the program content arranged properly for the users to navigate easily. However, the organization and direction of the tasks are different for both the apps.
Busuu requires you to select the level of your learning after you log in. Based on their placement text, they will arrange the language program for you. The interface of the app is well-developed, so you won’t face difficulty in navigating the app.
Once you purchase the subscription, you will acquire advanced features as you make progress in your targeted language. The 30-minute tailored lessons are flexible programs, so you can become an ace at your targeted language even if you have a busy schedule.
Duolingo is commendable for its well-developed software. The pronunciation function, repetitive exercise and progress bar are great features to ensure progress in learning. The attractive game-like design of the app can be appealing to most young users. Duolingo does not teach grammar rules and basics comprehensively, so for beginner learners, it might be very confusing to complete the language practices.
Affordability of Busuu and Duolingo?
Busuu offers two different monthly subscription options. One is the Premium where you have to pay $9.99 for the access to materials of one language. Another one is the Premium Plus, which for $13.99 for a single month’s subscription and accesses materials and programs of all languages.
Duolingo is popular for providing bulk of the content of different languages in their free version. But, in case you want to take full advantage of their advanced features, you have to pay $9.99 per month for a monthly plan or $6.99 per month for a 12-month subscription. In a paid subscription, you do not have to face ads and can keep a tab of your progress with data.
Benefits of Duolingo and Busuu
With Duolingo’s intensive drills and repetitive practices, the learner can progress smoothly in their target language. The interface is appealing to young users because of its game-like look. The Speech recognition technology is well-developed and is a notable feature. Lastly, there are more language options in Duolingo than in Busuu.
Busuu contains more comprehensive materials for language learners than Duolingo. The learners can learn about grammar, sentence structures and pronunciation better in Busuu. For perfecting pronunciation, Busuu ensured direct feedback from fluent speakers of the language. In the case of translations, Busuu offers more accurate translations.
Lackings of Duolingo and Busuu
Even if the free version of Duolingo is impressive for users, the excess amount of ads can be frustrating while learning. The lessons of the language programs lack real-life conversational practice. The game-like framework can seem gimmicky in the long run.
Busuu offers the free plan only for a limited time, so the users cannot navigate the program with their free version at all. Unlike Duolingo, there is no speech recognition software available in Busuu.
Conclusive thoughts
So far, you have seen the comparison of both Busuu and Duolingo and noticed that both have some pros and cons. Both platforms can be included in reasonably good options for committing to learning a new language. Although which one is suitable for you, you need to choose for yourself, I would recommend Busuu for its competent content and advanced program.
