Memrise and Mondly are two very similar language learning apps, which I think are both well-suited for beginners. With a focus on vocabulary development and essential grammar, each one is a great place to start as you learn a new language. But which one is better for you? See which language learning company we prefer in this detailed comparison.
Given this is a detailed article, we’ve included jump-to links above for quick navigation.
In this video, team member John breaks down the key components of the Memrise and Mondly language learning programs. He assesses how they stack up so can you figure out which one is a better fit for you. As always, continue reading for more detail.
To kick this comparison off, let’s quickly cover what the core lessons are like from both Memrise and Mondly.
For Memrise, each lesson typically begins with a series of short videos where locals speaking their native tongue introduce you to new words and phrases.
From there, you complete a variety of exercises and drills that span listening, speaking, reading, and writing to ensure you understand what you’ve just learned (similar to the practice drills from Babbel and Pimsleur).
These drills include multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blanks, speed games, selecting correct translations, writing sentences, and more. The other nice thing with Memrise is that you can adjust your preferences to essentially control how long you want each lesson or learning session to be.
You can learn 10 new words per session, or you can stretch out the lessons to cover 50 new words and phrases if you want (i.e., you’re in the driver’s seat).
Now switching sides to Mondly, their lessons are actually fairly similar to those of Memrise, minus the video clips of native speakers.
Each Mondly lesson is made up of a dozen or so quick-hit, interactive drills and exercises. However, where Mondly really makes their mark is with their focus on practical, everyday vocabulary.
Next, let’s compare pricing. Both companies offer a free version, but as you might expect with anything that is free, there are some drawbacks. To cut right to the chase, the free versions from both companies are very limited.
That’s why most people choose to upgrade to the paid plans from both companies. With Mondly, that would be the Premium Plan, which unlocks all content and features. The Premium plan costs about $10 per month or around $62 if you want to pay up for an entire year in advance.
With Memrise, you can upgrade to their Pro Plan, which costs around $120 for an entire year.
Both companies also offer lifetime options as well if you’re looking to learn multiple languages over an extended period of time, with Mondly being more affordable at under $100.
Overall, pricing between the two companies is not really that close. Mondly is clearly more affordable.
Next, let’s cover the specific strengths of the Mondly language program in relation to Memrise.
One of my favorite things about Mondly is how quick the lessons are, as well as how they focus on everyday vocabulary.
Unlike other apps that teach you a bunch of nonsense words and phrases (see Duolingo), Mondly focuses on the essentials. They will teach you how to order food, ask how much something costs, and give directions. In other words, this is very practical instruction.
Moreover, because the typical Mondly lesson only takes 5-10 minutes, they’re easier to fit into a busy schedule.
The downside is that this isn’t the most in-depth language app out there. There’s limited grammar instruction and listening practice, so you won’t get to conversational proficiency using Mondly. Memrise won’t get you there, either, as these are both lightweight apps. If you want a stronger learning tool, you’re better off going with a structured curriculum like Babbel offers or an app designed around speaking and listening (like Rocket Languages or Pimsleur).
Another advantage in favor of Mondly is how they gamify the language learning experience and make it unique. To be more specific, I’m mainly referring to their virtual reality app, which is designed to supplement the company’s standard lessons.
This is really where Mondly differentiates itself from Memrise and other competitors, and why they’re widely considered a trailblazer in the digital language learning space.
The Mondly VR app is a virtual immersion mechanism that places you in simulated environments. You’ll be immersed in all sorts of situations that require you to speak to locals, whether you’re ordering lunch in a restaurant, checking into a hotel, or making small talk with a taxi driver.
The VR app costs around $5 extra, which isn’t bad, but the bigger bummer is that you’ll need an Oculus headset to use it.
Unfortunately, this might rule the app out for a good portion of customers who aren’t willing to splurge on a special headset.
Beyond the cool animations in the VR app, Mondly has more opportunities for practicing your pronunciation than Memrise. With Memrise, you really just end up listening to and repeating words independently.
In contrast, Mondly places you in locations and environments to simulate real-world situations and conversations, which in my opinion, is more effective.
Therefore, I have to give the win to Mondly in this category. With that said, I do think there are better courses and apps out there to help you develop your speaking skills. For example, I think Rocket Languages and Pimsleur are better than both Mondly and Memrise in this regard.
I’m a big fan of the job-specific courses and lessons that Mondly offers. This is another key attribute that separates Mondly from Memrise and other competitors. I think these courses are useful for career-orientated professionals.
For example, a few of the courses Mondly offers are directly related to marketing, negotiations, customer service, finance, and healthcare.
If you’re learning a new language in part to advance your career prospects, Mondly won’t get you past the beginner stages, but it is nice to learn a few work-related words and phrases upfront.
👉 Related: Mondly vs Babbel Comparison
Now let’s dive into the primary strengths of the Memrise language program in relation to Mondly.
The first advantage in favor of Memrise has to be the video clips of native speakers integrated into their lessons. This is a key difference between the two companies.
Within the Memrise lessons, you actually get to watch locals teach you new vocabulary, which really helps make the lessons feel more authentic and personal.
You get to examine their body language, hand gestures, and inflection as they speak, which in my opinion, is extremely beneficial. This helps you understand the subtle nuances and learn the target language faster.
This next one is a pro and a con mixed together. Memrise used to provide customers access to hundreds of user-generated courses in addition to their own proprietary courses. This allowed you to go beyond the standard lessons and really explore specific topics that may be of interest to you.
For example, if you were learning Korean, there were courses that touch on local colleges, romance, K-pop music, Korean Slang, and more. There were also courses for Spanish, German, and French, among other languages too.
Now, however, Mondly has discontinued the user-generated courses, likely because the quality varied from course to course. You had to double-check the content within each course, because there was no way to know if what you were reading was accurate.
Still, I’m disappointed that this isn’t part of Mondly anymore, as I thought it was awesome that you could find super unique courses that matched your distinct interests. You could essentially build an entire curriculum plan around your individual passions to keep you interested and motivated.
Thankfully, these courses are still available to browse, but they’re on a separate website and no longer integrated into your Mondly plan. The content is out there, but you’ll have to dig through it separately, rather than as a part of your official Mondly learning experience.
I like that you can tailor the length of lessons and learning sessions with Memrise by adjusting your preferences. Essentially, you can sort of mold the lessons around your specific schedule.
If you’re generally free during the day, you can set your words per review session to 100 and quickly make a lot of progress.
Alternatively, if you have a full-time job or you’re a busy parent and don’t have a ton of time to spare, you can set your words per review session to five and progress at your own pace.
👉 Also worth reading: Memrise vs Rosetta Stone
Mondly and Memrise both have their strengths, especially if you’re just getting started in a language and want to pick up a few basic words to test the waters. Mondly’s VR app is a unique option for people who want a role-play approach to learning, and Memrise keeps lessons doable for busy people with their short video clips and flexible lesson length.
Ultimately, however, neither of these apps is built to push you towards real fluency. Mondly and Memrise are both designed to primarily be games, not educational powerhouses. They won’t teach you grammar or prepare you to have a conversation with a real person.
If you want a learning tool that is actually going to challenge you, go with Rocket Languages. You’re speaking and listening to extended conversations between fluent speakers from day one, and the program will give you the grammar, practice, and support you need to hold your own in a dialogue. Babbel is also good for people who want quick lessons that deliver real substance, with grammar worked in. But for the best all-around language app that will get you to an advanced level, you can’t go wrong with Rocket.
👉 Read Next: Memrise vs Rocket Languages
After testing both, our team considers Memrise and Mondly both to be low-quality apps, especially when compared to the more in-depth lessons you get with a structured course like Babbel or Rocket Languages.
Mondly is significantly cheaper than Memrise. At around $5 per month (annual plan), Mondly is less than half the cost of Memrise.
Yes, both Memrise and Mondly each offer lifetime plans in case customers want to learn multiple languages over an extended period of time.
The lessons from both companies are similar in several respects; however, Memrise separates itself from Mondly in that they offer video clips of native speakers and hundreds of user-generated courses, while Mondly offers a greater focus on conversational vocabulary through their unique VR app.
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