Babbel Italian

Summary

Babbel is an online language-learning platform with over 1 million active users. The app aims to get learners to a conversational level as quickly as possible through the use of a variety of exercises and spaced repetition for review. The courses are well put together and relatively inexpensive; there are 14 different languages available.

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I Like

• The content is practical for real-life use
• It’s easy to use
• The lessons are fairly short

I Don’t Like

• The exercises can get repetitive
• The review exercises don’t include grammar concepts
• Speech recognition isn’t the best way to learn pronunciation

Price

Babbel uses a recurring subscription model and offers a 20-day money-back guarantee. Price per month depends on the length of the subscription and only includes access to one language.

Monthly – $14.95/mo Every 3 Months – $12.65/mo Every 6 Months – $11.15/mo Every year – $7.45/mo

The prices listed here are for customers in the United States; they otherwise vary by region.

Pimsleur Italian

Summary

Pimsleur is one of the most popular and longest-standing resources out there for learning a foreign language. Its Italian courses place a strong emphasis on aural and verbal communication skills that can be used right away.

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I Like

• The lessons are structured well and are an appropriate length.
• There are both male and female native speakers.
• Lessons build on each other nicely.
• The platform is easy to navigate and visually appealing.

I Don’t Like

• There’s very little visual content.
• Lesson speed isn’t customizable.

Price

Subscriptions of either $14.95/month or $19.95/month are available for courses with at least 60 lessons. Prices otherwise range from around $20 to over $500. All purchases come with a 7-day free trial.

Rosetta Stone Italian

Summary

A Rosetta Stone Italian course could be most suitable for learners that don’t mind repetitive exercises and prefer to learn from pictures and context rather than translations and explanations. It’s probably not a good option for anyone wanting to significantly improve their speaking or writing skills, or those looking for an engaging course.

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I Like

• The audio quality is very good.
• Lessons progress naturally and logically.

I Don’t Like

• It’s repetitive and boring.
• You don’t get to generate your own sentences.
• Speech recognition doesn’t work very well.
• No grammar explanations in core material.

Price

StoryLearning Italian Uncovered

Summary

StoryLeaning Italian Uncovered comes from Olly Richards, the creator of the super popular polyglot blog. It’s quite a bit different than most courses as it revolves around an engaging story. It can be a bit more challenging than other courses, as you begin reading somewhat long texts right off the bat. Overall, I found it to be a more fun way to approach language learning that will be great for some but not ideal for others.

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I Like

• Immersive narrative structure
• Engaging Italian tutor
• Option to join online community

I Don’t Like

• No direct speaking software
• Pricier than some language courses

Price

A one-time purchase costs $297. There’s also a 7-day free trial.

Ripeti Con Me

Summary

Think In Italian (formerly “Ripeti Con Me”) by Italian polyglot Stefano now offers two libraries of online lessons. The first one is a course that’s similar in style to Glossika but fixes many of the problems I have with it. It teaches the language intuitively and requires you to speak throughout the lessons. Not everyone will love the lesson style but it’ll definitely improve your speaking rhythm and understanding of Italian. The second one is a huge collection of bilingual readings with audio that could replace LingQ if you are frustrated by its organization of the library. New features include live tutoring, a community forum, and a mobile app.

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I Like

• The focus on Italian culture, names, and places.
• The manner in which things you’ve learned come up later on in future lessons.
• The lessons and recordings have better spacing than Glossika. The reading materials follow the same format.

I Don’t Like

• It’s not a particularly exciting course. There are no game elements to keep you motivated.
• Not everyone will like the lesson style where key concepts aren’t explicitly taught.

Price

Starts with a 7-day free trial and is then $39.80/month or $357/yr

Use the promo code “ALRRCM” to save 5%