Yabla Review — Affordable and Effective Video-Learning

Yabla

Rating 4.3

★★★★

★

Summary

Yabla is a language-learning platform that uses videos with interactive subtitles and language games to help users learn a language. It’s currently available on the web and for iOS, with an Android app in development. Its videos are of varying difficulty levels and types, and are either sourced from the internet or originally produced, but all videos use native speakers.

Quality 4.5

★★★★

★

It’s very easy and enjoyable to use, but the flashcard feature could be more developed.

Thoroughness 4.5

★★★★

★

While they vary slightly for each language, the video libraries are extensive and full of interesting content.

Value 4.5

★★★★

★

It’s most valuable for learners at the intermediate and advanced levels and is priced very fairly, but you’ll only get access to one language.

I Like

It’s very affordable.
The review activities are enjoyable and varied.
You can filter content by region.
There are plenty of interesting and varied videos.

I Don’t Like

Audio in some review activities is robotic.
No speaking practice.
Translations don’t take context into account.

Price

After a 15-day free trial, users can subscribe to one of the following options:

One month: $12.95 Six months: $54.95 One year: $99.95

Visit Yabla

The best learning resources are the ones you actually enjoy using. This makes video-learning super appealing — who doesn’t enjoy videos?

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FluentU Review — More Expensive than the Competition

FluentU

Rating 3.1

★★★

★

★★

Summary

FluentU is a language-learning platform that uses real-world videos and interactive subtitles to create an immersive learning experience. The videos take on a variety of forms, including commercials, music videos, interviews, and more. Accompanying quizzes give users the chance to practice language used in videos. FluentU offers videos in nine different languages and is available for iOS, Android, and on the web. Most of its content is beyond the beginner level, but it has videos for learners at all levels.

Quality 3.5

★★★

★

★★

It’s very straightforward and easy to use, though not especially visually pleasing.

Thoroughness 3.0

★★★★★

There is a wide variety of videos, but they’re short and disconnected. They also aren’t suitable for absolute beginners.

Value 2.5

★★

★

★★★

It is not the most complete way to study a language.

I Like

The site is easy to navigate.
Interacting with subtitles is easy.
The videos are authentic and tied to practice activities.
Exercises recognize Chinese and Japanese characters.

I Don’t Like

Flashcards use robotic text-to-speech audio.
Writing practice is limited, speaking practice is nonexistent.
Practice activities aren’t very interesting.
There’s no easy way to filter content by region.

Price

After a 14-day free trial, users can purchase one of two subscription options. Subscriptions grant access to all FluentU languages.

Monthly Subscription: $30/month

Annual Subscription: $360/year

Visit FluentU

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Rocket Languages Review: Complete and thorough Courses

Rocket Languages

Rating 3.2

★★★

★

★★

Summary

Rocket Languages is a comprehensive resource offering courses in several commonly learned languages. There’s a range of quality between the different language options. Some aren’t very good, some are worth looking at, but none of them are truly outstanding. While the material is often well-structured and full of practice opportunities, uninteresting content and repetitive exercises often keep the experience mediocre.

Quality 3.5

★★★

★

★★

The platform is well designed and easy to use, but the content is often uninteresting.

Thoroughness 3.5

★★★

★

★★

There are lots of explanations and practice opportunities, but exercises are repetitive.

Value 2.5

★★

★

★★★

The price gives lifetime access to material and content.

I Like

There are a lot of opportunities to speak
Lesson materials are thorough
Lots of practice opportunities

I Don’t Like

Practice opportunities are repetitive and boring
Speech recognition isn’t the best way to learn pronunciation
The audio lessons can be uninspiring

Price

The price seems to change semi-regularly with frequent discounts. At the time of writing, they are:

$99.95 for Level 1

$249.90 for Level 1 and 2

$259.95 for Level 1, 2, and 3

Visit Rocket Languages

In the world of online product reviews, anything goes. It’s often hard to know how accurate a review is — affiliate links with high commissions incentivize reviewers to say positive things about a product so that readers buy it and earn a commission for the reviewer.

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Speaky Review: Better Than Other Language Exchange Apps?

Speaky

Rating 3.7

★★★

★

★★

Summary

Speaky is a social language-learning app for people interested in language exchange. It’s available for iOS, Android, and the web. Users can chat with other language learners, share photos, leave voice messages or even have voice calls. The basic features on Speaky are free to use, but access to more than five translations per day requires a subscription.

Quality 3.0

★★★★★

There are some dedicated language learners on Speaky but not as many as similar apps.

Thoroughness 3.5

★★★

★

★★

The platform is easy to use but lacks advanced features.

Value 4.5

★★★★

★

Speaky is mostly free to use, extra features are available for a subscription.

I Like

It’s mostly free.
It’s easy to use.
There are a lot of users.
There are tons of languages

I Don’t Like

Many community members don’t actually seem interested in language exchange.
The web version doesn’t work well.
There are no extra social features.

Price

The basic features on Speaky are free to use. A premium membership is available for a subscription.

https://www.alllanguageresources.com/recommends/speaky/

Speaky is a language exchange app. It facilitates exchange by allowing users to chat with others in the language they’re learning. Its function is pretty simple and straightforward — search for a partner with a reciprocal language combination and say hello.

…

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Speaky Review: Better Than Other Language Exchange Apps? Read More »

Rype App Review: I Wouldn’t Recommend It To Anybody

Rype App

Rating 1.8

★

★★★★

Summary

Rype is a resource that provides language learners with access to one-on-one lessons with teachers. According to its advertising, you’ll be able to “Learn anytime, anywhere, on-the-go.” Users purchase a subscription package that contains a certain number of lessons per month. The lessons are 30-minutes long and are easy to schedule.

Quality 2.0

★★★★★

The platform is very easy to use, but there aren’t many teacher details and lessons take place on Skype.

Thoroughness 2.0

★★★★★

There seems to be a range of experience levels on Rype and a very small number of teachers.

Value 1.5

★

★★★★

The hourly rates are higher than similar online tutor options and you have to commit to a subscription.

I Like

The interface is very easy to use.
The 30-minute lesson length.
A subscription grants access to lessons in all languages offered.

I Don’t Like

There isn’t a lot of information provided on teachers.
I don’t think the monthly subscription model is worth it.
The selection of teachers for some languages is extremely limited.

Price

The price varies per subscription package and number of lessons each month. This ranges from $59.99-179.99.

Visit Rype

The availability of online one-on-one language courses has skyrocketed in recent years, and it’s made it possible for just about anyone with an internet connection to find a suitable language tutor.

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Rype App Review: I Wouldn’t Recommend It To Anybody Read More »

Live Lingua Review: My Experience With Their Lessons

Live Lingua

Rating 3.8

★★★

★

★★

Summary

Live Lingua is an online language school that pairs students with certified teachers for one-on-one online classes. The platform aims to provide a more personalized service than online tutor directories by assigning a personal class coordinator and a customized curriculum for each student. Lessons are available in seven different popular languages and for a variety of different courses.

Quality 4.5

★★★★

★

All teachers are native speakers and receive additional training through Live Lingua.

Thoroughness 3.5

★★★

★

★★

Lots of extra free material, but with mistakes. There are specialized course options, and video lessons happen on Skype.

Value 3.5

★★★

★

★★

More expensive than other online classes and less flexible, but more personalized.

I Like

The huge library of free resources
The different course options

I Don’t Like

The layout of the site is strange and doesn’t feel very professional
Relying on email to schedule lessons isn’t efficient
Limited flexibility in choosing a teacher

Price

The hourly rate for classes on Live Lingua ranges from $24 – $29 depending on the certificate, language, and number of classes you purchase. The first lesson is free.

Visit Live Lingua

In the words of its founders, Live Lingua is a “boutique” online language school.

…

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Live Lingua Review: My Experience With Their Lessons Read More »

Busuu Review: Some Courses Are Better Than Others

Busuu

Rating 3.4

★★★

★

★★

Summary

Busuu is a digital language-learning app with over 90 million registered users. The resource offers vocabulary and grammar practice through short, self-paced study exercises. It also has a social aspect that allows users to get writing and pronunciation feedback from native speakers. It is available on the web, iOS, and Android.

Quality 3.3

★★★

★

★★

The layout is great, and the quality for non-Asian languages is decent, but there were significant errors in the Chinese course.

Thoroughness 3.0

★★★★★

It has some good explanations but doesn’t often offer much in the way of in-depth explanations.

Value 3.8

★★★

★

★★

Busuu is relatively inexpensive, but there are more thorough and efficient resources out there.

I Like

The layout is easy to use and engaging
The conversation lessons are especially useful
The social feature is great

I Don’t Like

Translations aren’t provided for some exercises.
The Chinese course is low-quality.
The grammar explanations and practice could be better.

Price

Premium Subscriptions

One month: $13.95
Six months: $50.70 ($8.45/month)
One Year: $40.70 ($3.48/month)

VISIT BUSUU

What Is Busuu?

Boasting a user base of over 90 million, Busuu is a heavyweight in the digital language-learning landscape. It was launched in 2008 and has remained a popular and relatively low-cost option for language learners.

…

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Word Dive Review: Falls Short Compared To Similar Apps

Word Dive

Rating 2.8

★★

★

★★★

Summary

Word Dive uses artificial intelligence and short exercises to help language learners commit study items to long-term memory. The app provides instruction in ten languages and is available for desktop, iOS, and Android.

Quality 3.5

★★★

★

★★

It’s very easy to use, but I thought the material was limited.

Thoroughness 2.5

★★

★

★★★

You can practice vocabulary and grammar, but there are almost no grammar explanations.

Value 2.5

★★

★

★★★

It isn’t very expensive, but other resources are similarly priced and more comprehensive.

I Like

It’s convenient for mobile language practice
It’s fun to use
Partial credit answers motivate you to stretch yourself

I Don’t Like

There are almost no grammar explanations.
I found the exercises repetitive.

Price

A subscription starts at $9.99. For 3 months it is $27.99. 6 months $47.99. 12 months $79.99.

Visit Word Dive

Combine a strong affinity for things under the sea and a desire to make the lives of language learners easier, and you might produce something similar to Word Dive.

…

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Word Dive Review: Falls Short Compared To Similar Apps Read More »

HiNative Review: Useful But Not Exceptional Q&A App

HiNative

Rating 3.7

★★★

★

★★

Summary

HiNative is a Q&A app for language learners that want to have questions answered by native speakers. It’s available for iOS, Android and desktop, and it has over three million registered users. A free version is available that offers the basic features of the app.

Quality 3.5

★★★

★

★★

The app is pretty basic, but it works.

Thoroughness 3.5

★★★

★

★★

Many users are very helpful, but not all questions receive intelligent responses.

Value 4.0

★★★★★

The basic functions of the app are available for free, but you’ll need to pay for audio or video features.

I Like

The community is active. Most of my questions received quick responses.
The points system is rewarding.
The free version is very useful.

I Don’t Like

Many of the questions in my feed were unanswerable.
The community could be better.

Price

The basic features of HiNative are free to use. A premium subscription is available for $9.99/month paid monthly, or annually $34.99 payment

Visit HiNative

While learning a new language, one of the best resources available is other people. Native speakers are one of the most reliable sources for authoritative answers to your language questions. They know intuitively and deeply how the language is supposed to be used.

…

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HiNative Review: Useful But Not Exceptional Q&A App Read More »

Tandem Review: A Tinder-esque Language Exchange App?

Tandem

Rating 4.7

★★★★

★

Summary

Tandem is a popular language exchange app with over one million active users. It’s available for iOS and Android and aims to bring language learners from all over the world together. It’s largely centered around its chat capabilities and language tools that facilitate communication, but there is also a tutoring service offered in the app.

Quality 5.0

★★★★★

There are lots of active language learners, especially those looking to pair with native English speakers.

Thoroughness 4.5

★★★★

★

The interface is intuitive and the language tools are simple and effective, though you’ll quickly run out of free translations.

Value 4.5

★★★★

★

The free version is all most people will need. Tandem Pro doesn’t add a ton of extra value.

I Like

There are plenty of language partners
The interface is easy to use and attractive
The free version offers a lot of value

I Don’t Like

You’ll need to use other learning resources as well
Though Tandem has some safety features, you may encounter people using the app as a dating tool

Price

There is a limited free version of Tandem and a pro version available at $6.99 for one month, $10.67/month for three months, and $6.67/month for a year’s subscription.

Visit Tandem

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Tandem Review: A Tinder-esque Language Exchange App? Read More »