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Mondly vs Memrise
See which language learning app wins in this detailed Memrise vs Mondly comparison
Memrise and Mondly may not be the most popular language learning apps available, but they have certainly made a name for themselves in recent years. Memrise has made their mark with user-generated courses, a sleek mobile app, and video clips of native speakers within their lessons. Mondly, on the other hand, is known for their innovative virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) apps. Let’s see which of these language learning companies is better in this detailed comparison.
Given this is a detailed article, we’ve included jump-to links above for quick navigation.
Video Review: Mondly Or Memrise?
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 in their native tongue introduce you to new words and phrases.
A typical Memrise exercise
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, etc.
Th 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).
A typical Mondly exercise
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 VR and AR apps, which I will cover in more detail later in this comparison.
Pricing And Subscription Options
Next up, let’s compare pricing and affordability. Both companies actually offer a free version, but as you might expect with anything that is free these days, there are some drawbacks. To cut right to the chase, the free versions from both companies are very limited.
Therefore, as a result, 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 $10 per month or around $48 if you want to pay up for an entire year in advance.
Alternatively, with Memrise, you can upgrade to their Pro Plan, which costs around $8 if you’d like to go month-to-month or $5 per month if you want to pay up for an entire year in advance.
Both companies also offer lifetime options as well if you’re looking to learn multiple languages over an extended period of time.
Overall, pricing between the two companies is very close (and quite affordable if I might add). Memrise and Mondly are two of the cheaper language learning apps on the market.
Why Choose Memrise Over Mondly
Now that we’ve covered lesson format and pricing, let’s dive into the primary strengths of the Memrise language program in relation to Mondly.
Lessons Include Videos Of Native Speakers
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.
The Memrise lessons feature short videos
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 the locals’ body language, hand gestures, and inflection as they speak, which in my opinion, is extremely beneficial. This really helps you understand the subtle nuances and learn the target language faster.
Hundreds Of Unique Courses To Choose From
The second advantage in favor of Memrise is that they provide customers access to hundreds and hundreds of user-generated courses in addition to their own proprietary courses. This allows you to go beyond the standard lessons and really explore specific topics that may be of interest to you.
For example, if you’re learning Korean, there are courses that touch on local colleges, romance, K-pop music, Korean Slang, etc. There are also courses for Spanish, German, and French, among other languages too.
There are hundreds of user-created courses
I think it’s awesome that you can find super unique courses that match your distinct interests. You can essentially build an entire curriculum plan around your individual passions to keep you interested and motivated.
Personalize Lessons
Lastly, 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 mom/dad 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.
Now that you have some background as to what Memrise has to offer, let’s cover the strengths of the Mondly language program.
VR/AR Apps
The first advantage in favor of Mondly is how they gamify the language learning experience and really make it unique. To be more specific, I’m mainly referring to their virtual reality and augmented reality learning apps, which are 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.
Mondly’s VR app is simply awesome
The VR app costs around $5, 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.
Luckily though, if you don’t have an Oculus headset, Mondly also offers their AR app, which is free as long as you sign-up for a premium account. The AR app takes a scan of your room and then uses augmented reality technology to generate a CGI teacher and animations in the room right in front of you. This can be a great tool for students studying for the AP Spanish test.
For example, if you’re learning about food, the teacher will show you animations of soup, steak, bread, etc. The instructor will provide some background and instruction in this CGI space, and then have you practice using the words in sentences.
You can interact with the animations and even get up to walk around and get a 360-degree view, which is pretty amazing.
Good Tool For Pronunciation Practice
Beyond the cool animations, I found Mondly’s VR and AR apps to be a nice change of pace from the standard lessons and a good way to add some fun into your language learning experience.
The apps are also a powerful tool for pronunciation and conversational practice, which is an area where Memrise could use some improvement. 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.
Mondly seems to be slightly better for speaking practice
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.
Lastly, 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 super 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.
Bottom line, if you’re learning a new language in part to advance your career prospects, then Mondly is a fantastic option.
Should you choose Mondly or Memrise to help you meet your language learning goals? That’s the big question. Well, after testing each program, it’s a very close call.
The two companies are similar in several respects, but also have their own strengths and weaknesses.
I think the decision here ultimately boils down to the VR and AR apps from Mondly. If you really like video games and virtual reality or you’re just looking to add some fun into your language learning journey, then Mondly certainly fits the bill.
However, if those things aren’t really that important to you and you’re just looking for some solid lessons and a sleek app to learn a new language, then I’d ultimately have to give the edge to Memrise.
Which language learning app is better, Memrise or Mondly?
The language apps from Memrise and Mondly each have their own strengths and weaknesses; however, after testing both, our team thinks Memrise is the more effective option between the two.
Is Mondly cheaper than Memrise?
Both companies offer free access to users. They also both offer paid plans, which are in the same ballpark in terms of price ($5-$10 per month).
Do Memrise and Mondly offer lifetime subscription plans?
Yes, both Memrise and Mondly each offer lifetime plans in case customers want to learn multiple languages over an extended period of time.
What is the difference between Memrise and Mondly?
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.
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