Busuu and LinguaLift may have been founded in the same country, but their platforms couldn’t be more different. While one of the apps has a more traditional approach to teaching, the other takes advantage of flashcards to help you learn a new language. Not only that, but the two companies come with distinct language portfolios; while one has 12 courses under its belt, the other offers just three. Additionally, one of them costs twice as much as the other. Since these two services are as different as chalk and cheese, only one will meet your needs the best.
| Overview | Busuu | LinguaLift |
| Logo |  |  |
| Rating |  | |
| Reviews | Reviews | Reviews |
| Visit | Visit Site | Visit Site |
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free Trial |
| Coupons | Coupons | Coupons |
| Headquarters | UK | UK |
| Founded | 2008 | 2011 |
| Main Features | Busuu | LinguaLift |
| # of Languages | 12 | 5 |
| Languages | ES, FR, DE, PT, JP, RU, CN | JP, RU, HE, ES, FR |
| Placement Test | ||
| Interactive Games | ||
| Audio | ||
| Videos | ||
| Live Tutoring | ||
| Average Duration of Lessons | 10 mins | 15 mins |
| Cultural Context |
| Language Skills | Busuu | LinguaLift |
| Vocabulary | ||
| Grammar | ||
| Writing | ||
| Reading | ||
| Speaking | ||
| Listening |
| Platforms | Busuu | LinguaLift |
| Browser Version | ||
| Windows | ||
| Mac | ||
| Linux | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS |
| Pricing | Busuu | LinguaLift |
| Lowest Price | $5.41/mo | $17/mo |
| Monthly Subscription |
| $29.99/mo |
| Quaterly Subscription | ||
| Biannual Subscription | ||
| Yearly Subscription |
| $17/mo ($204) |
| One-Time Purchase | ||
| Free Trial | 3 lessons | |
| Free Version | ||
| Money-Back Guarantee | 14 days | 30 days |
| Payment Methods | Busuu | LinguaLift |
| Visa | ||
| Mastercard | ||
| American Express | ||
| PayPal | ||
| Wire Transfer | ||
| Discover | ||
| Amazon Payments | ||
| Google Checkout |
| Customer Supporter | Busuu | LinguaLift |
| 24/7 | ||
| Live Chat | ||
| Community | ||
| On Call |
Busuu
Busuu is an engaging language learning app that offers a wide variety of exercises for all 12 language courses in its roster. Not only does Busuu cover the most popular courses, such as Spanish and German, but it also teaches more niche languages like Turkish and Polish. Regardless of your target language, you’ll be able to study it up to level B2, and the company provides official certificates that you can use when looking for a job or applying to a university abroad.
Lessons take around 10 minutes and since Busuu supports both Android and iOS, it’s the perfect app to learn a new language on the go. Better yet, the software comes with a built-in social platform, which allows you to connect with native speakers all around the world. This will help motivate you to speak in your target language and create some friendships along the way.
Busuu Vocabulary Exercise
Busuu Review Dashboard
Busuu Mobile Interface
One of the most enticing aspects of Busuu is its limited free version that you can use forever. Even though grammar exercises and the vocabulary trainer aren’t included, it’s a great place to start. Still, with prices starting at just $5.41 per month, it’s worthwhile to get a paid subscription. You can even get access to every language for as low as $6.28 per month and all plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
LinguaLift
After teaching in various countries, LinguaLift’s founder discovered that the main challenge of learning a new language isn’t the lack of material, but the absence of direction. That’s why LinguaLift provides personal roadmaps for your objectives. Unfortunately, the company only teaches Japanese, Russian, and Hebrew, but it compensates for that with one of the most comprehensive course structures on the market. For example, because all three languages use unique alphabets, LinguaLift teaches you the correct way to draw the characters for each of them.
Of course, the platform includes all types of exercises, and there’s a huge focus on cultural characteristics. In other words, with LinguaLift you don’t only learn a language, but also interesting facts about the country and its customs. To make things more engaging, LinguaLift shares videos throughout the course that tell the story of a student moving abroad going through common situations that you’ll face while traveling.
LinguaLift Cultural Exercise
LinguaLift Course Structure
LinguaLift Mobile Interface
LinguaLift isn’t perfect, and there are a few aspects where the company could improve. First of all, although it has an Android app, there’s no support for iOS users. Moreover, the software doesn’t come with speaking exercises, which is an essential factor to learn pronunciation. With prices starting at $12.99 per month, LinguaLift is also quite expensive, even if it does grant access to all courses available. You can try the first three lessons for free, and ask for a full refund within 30 days of use.
Conclusion
While LinguaLift is one of the most thorough language learning apps on the market, there's no way around the fact that its portfolio is pretty limited. Consequently, if you want to learn anything besides Japanese, Hebrew, or Russian, you'll have to go with Busuu. It also doesn't work in LinguaLift's favor that it's twice as expensive compared to Busuu. Still, if you're looking for a well-rounded language course that explains every small step and offers all the essential cultural nuances of your target language, LinguaLift is worth the investment. You can always try the first three lessons for free or take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee to test everything out for yourself. On the other hand, you can try all the languages provided by Busuu through its limited free version.