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German

An Honest Review of Coffee Break With Image of Woman Lying on Floor Using Computer

Coffee Break Review: Italian, French, and German Courses

Coffee Break

Rating 4.0
★★★★★

Summary

The Coffee Break Languages series teach languages through podcast-style lessons. The lessons have a casual feel and offer lots of explanations, building on each other nicely. Courses are available for a one-time purchase, but much of the material is also available for free as podcasts or Youtube videos.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

The audio is of high quality and the instruction is thoughtful.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

There are lots of explanations, and you can start as an absolute beginner, but practice opportunities are limited.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

There is a lot of high-quality content available for free; the paid courses might not be worth the price for some.

I Like
  • Explanations are thorough.
  • Lessons build on each other logically.
  • The language often feels authentic.
  • There’s lots of free content.
I Don’t Like
  • Opportunities to interact with the language are limited.
  • There isn’t much of a focus on productive skills.
  • I expected the paid courses to offer more extra materials for the price.
Price

Many audio lessons are free. The premium version of each season includes extra materials and costs $104.


Depending on which season of language you decide to get the pricing ranges from $20-$200.

Check Out CoffeeBreak

Spotify is my platform of choice, and it’s got a ton of Coffee Break lessons.

…

Coffee Break Review: Italian, French, and German CoursesRead More »

Coffee Break Review: Italian, French, and German Courses Read More »

An Honest Review of Cudoo With Image of Man Working on Computer

Cudoo Review — I Wouldn’t Even Use it if it Were Free

Cudoo

Rating 0.6
★
★★★★★

Summary

Cudoo is an online learning platform that offers courses in over 160 languages. The platform also offers courses teaching soft skills and other professional development courses. Certificates are available upon course completion, and courses are provided to libraries and non-profits for free. We feel that the quality of the language courses is quite low, and that the prices are relatively high.

Quality 1.0
★★★★★

It’s nice to have native speaker audio, but I personally found the course to offer very little learning potential.

Thoroughness 1.0
★★★★★

The course didn’t cover everything listed under “Course Content” and offers no explanations.

Value 0.0
★★★★★

This course is way overpriced in my opinion. I wouldn’t even use it if it were free.

I Like
  • Audio by a variety of native speakers.
I Don’t Like
  • I wanted more explanations
  • Practice opportunities felt severely limited
  • I found the material unengaging
  • Content doesn’t build on itself logically.
Price

Price varies by course, from $4.99 to $24.99, with language bundles costing up to $199.

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

This seems like a reasonable list of goals, depending on the meaning of “…and more!” even if it is a little bit light for the $25 price tag.

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Cudoo Review — I Wouldn’t Even Use it if it Were FreeRead More »

Cudoo Review — I Wouldn’t Even Use it if it Were Free Read More »

An Honest Review of Yabla With Image of Woman on Computer

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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Yabla Review — Affordable and Effective Video-Learning Read More »

FluentU Review

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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FluentU Review — More Expensive than the Competition Read More »

An Honest Review of 17 Minute Languages With Image of Girl Using Computer

17 Minute Languages Review: I Wouldn’t Recommend Using It

17 Minute Languages

Rating 1.5
★
★
★★★★

Summary

17 Minute Languages is a language-learning program that uses spaced repetition and native-speaker audio to teach a wide variety of languages. In our opinion, the courses aren’t very engaging; the courses we tried included significant errors and didn’t offer any language-specific explanations. There are leaderboards for comparing your progress with other users and a language forum that’s available after four days of use.

Quality 1.5
★
★
★★★★

Native speaker audio is the only thing that impressed me in the courses I tried; mistakes and glitches were many.

Thoroughness 1.5
★
★
★★★★

Explanations are lacking, which I found made some material misleading.

Value 1.5
★
★
★★★★

I think there are far better ways to spend your time and money studying a language.

I Like
  • It uses native-speaker audio.
I Don’t Like
  • I came across several bad translations.
  • I didn’t find any helpful explanations.
  • Site navigation wasn’t easy or enjoyable for me.
  • I didn’t find the exercises engaging.
Price

The Beginner’s Course is $59.95 and the Complete Package is $97. For the whole package and all languages it is $197. There is a free 48-hour trial.

https://www.alllanguageresources.com/recommends/17-minute-languages/

Superlearning technology? Fluency in 50 hours? Courses in 80 different languages? This is either the greatest language-learning resource of all time or it’s a painfully overpriced language site making absurd claims. Let’s find out.

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17 Minute Languages Review: I Wouldn’t Recommend Using It Read More »

An Honest Review of Speaky With Image of Girl Using Phone

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 »

An Honest Review of Rype App With Image of Man Using Computer

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 »

An Honest Review of Lingvist With Image of Woman Holding Phone

Lingvist Review: Putting Their Courses To The Test

Lingvist

Rating 4.0
★★★★★

Summary

Lingvist is a language learning resource that uses spaced repetition and flashcards to help you build your vocabulary in a new language. There are five language courses made for English speakers, and some of these have an extra challenges section with additional reading, speaking, grammar, and listening practice. Lingvist is straightforward, easy to use, and most effective for beginners or intermediate learners.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

The interface is easy to use and practice is enjoyable, but the grammar explanations aren’t great.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

The vocabulary practice is great, but the additional features are somewhat limited and vary by language.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

A subscription isn’t super expensive, but it isn’t the best resource for a comprehensive education.

I Like
  • It’s easy to use
  • Learning new words is fun
  • It’s effective at teaching new vocabulary
I Don’t Like
  • The grammar explanations aren’t very helpful
  • Practice can get monotonous
  • Limited speaking and writing opportunities
Price

Pricing options include $9.99 a month or $79.99 per year.

Visit Lingvist

Most language learning tools either aim to do something different or to do something that’s been done before exceptionally well. Learning new words with flashcards isn’t a novel idea, but it can be pretty effective.

…

Lingvist Review: Putting Their Courses To The TestRead More »

Lingvist Review: Putting Their Courses To The Test Read More »

An Honest Review Live Lingua With Image of Boy Using Computer

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 »