Ever feel stuck trying to speak a new language, even after months of learning? You’re not alone. The right app can turn that frustration into fluency. In this guide, I’ll compare Busuu and Memrise to help you pick the best fit for your goals. Whether you want to expand your vocabulary, practice real-life conversations, or build confidence speaking solo, both apps have something to offer. But which one will get you talking faster? Let’s explore their strengths and weaknesses, so you can start speaking your target language with ease—no partner needed!
Languages Available for you to Learn
Offering 12 language courses, Busuu is here with the courses in more commonly spoken languages. They are Polish, Turkish, Russian, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, English, Spanish, and more.
Memrise wins when it comes to offering a variety of language courses to its users. You will find the above-mentioned language courses similar to Busuu. Along with them, there are Japanese, German, French and more.
Using Busuu and Memrise Language Apps
Both Busuu and Memrise are the primary flashcard apps. Both apps use a reward system to motivate the users. When it comes to layout, Busuu did a great job at creating an interactive design to engage the users. I will claim that Memrise did not lose either.
Busuu and Memrise aim to assist you in learning your target language in an easier way. Both can be used mobile devices and desktops. Busuu arranges gaming elements and quiz challenges. Memrise on the other hand, uses chatbots for interactive learning time with the learners. The conversational abilities of the chatbots are impressive, but there is room for improvement.
Learning experience
Memrise focused on teaching vocabulary for daily encounters, including common words and phrases. So, for those who aim to learn language for spoken purpose, Memrise will help you to hold conversations in your target language.
Busuu did quite a good job at making their lessons, especially for beginner level learners. But, I will say that in the case of learning techniques and content, Memrise takes the lead.
Cost
Busuu offers two choices of subscription plan: Premium and Premium Plus. The Premium only provides access to one language, which costs $9.99 for one month. On the other hand, Premium Plus provides access to all the languages available on the platform for $13.99 per month.
For Memrise, the good news is that most of the content is available for free. However, if you want to purchase the Premium version, it costs $8.99 per month on a monthly basis. The plan includes their grammar and chatbots, official courses, and some other features.
Benefits
Busuu pushes the learners to learn through simulated conversation practice. Based on real life scenarios, different exercises are planned for improvement. Busuu allows users to get feedback about their mistakes. The website and apps are designed with an interactive layout to keep the users motivated to learn easily.
Memrise did an impressive job with their repetition exercise that allows the users to memorize and revise vocabulary for a longer time. This flashcard app allows users to have interactive lessons. The never – ending range of content available on the platform offers a never ending journey of learning.
Lackings
One of the noticeable quality drops in Busuu is in their Chinese course. The learners pointed out that they did not learn to type or write in the language even though there were plenty of resources provided by Busuu but not effective. Furthermore, the lack of grammar explanations and practice in each lesson is a drawback.
Memrise lacks content for intermediate or advanced level learners. Despite having tons of content for beginners, there is not enough content for higher level learners. Besides, the paid version does not really add much value to users, so you can gain more knowledge through the free version.
Final thoughts
Before I come to my conclusion, I want to say that when it comes to useful resources for beginners, both Busuu and Memrise are commendable. If you set a decent budget for your language program, you can attain effective learning through these platforms.
However, there are certain drawbacks to both platforms. Memrise is better for improving vocabulary, but you do not really need to pay for the premium version for your improvement. Busuu offers various kinds of content for better output from the students. Instead of confusing you, I will directly recommend Memrise for learning a language as it will allow you to use your target language in your life.
