Busuu vs Mondly: which to choose, and what each costs
Prices checked 6 Oct 2026; Mondly's on 6 Sept 2026 · How we check
Busuu if you want more speaking practice.
Mondly if you want the smaller yearly bill.
| Question | Busuu | Mondly |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $72.99 a year for all 14 languages | $47.99 a year for one language, or $9.99 month to month |
| A lesson is | Short lessons with dialogues, grammar tips and exercises; you can send spoken or written answers for the community, native speakers included, to correct. | Short daily lessons with pictures and audio, plus a chatbot you can talk to. |
| Try it | A free account, then a 14-day money-back guarantee on your first Premium payment. | Free version with Daily Lessons, the Hello category and a chatbot lesson. |
| App Store rating, 10 Oct 2026 | 4.7 out of 5 from 101,167 ratings | 4.7 out of 5 from 33,226 ratings |
| Google Play rating, 12 Oct 2026 and 11 Oct 2026 | 4.7 out of 5 from 1.2 million ratings | 4.5 out of 5 from 927,579 ratings |
How a lesson works in each
Both are course apps, so a lesson has the same shape
Side by side
| Compare | Busuu | Mondly |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | A1 to C1 (by course) | A1 to B2 (by course) |
| A year costs | $72.99 a year for all 14 languages | $47.99 a year for one language, or $9.99 month to month |
| What it is | Course app: corrections from native speakers and CEFR-labelled levels | Course app: Short daily lessons across many languages, with a chatbot |
| Per month at annual billing | $6.08/mo ($72.99 a year) | $4/mo ($47.99 a year) |
| Monthly plan | — | $9.99 for one language, $15.90 for all its languages |
| Lifetime plan | No lifetime plan | No lifetime plan |
| Free tier | Free account with the complete course in each language, community feedback and basic progress tracking; Premium adds review tools, offline mode and no ads. | Free version with Daily Lessons, the Hello category and a chatbot lesson. |
| Languages offered | 14 | 41 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | — |
| Live tutoring | No · Live Lessons are exclusive to Busuu for Business, outside the consumer subscription | — |
| Offline mode | Yes | — |
| Placement test | Yes · Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish | — |
| Refund or trial | 14-day money-back guarantee on the initial Premium payment; no renewal refunds. Apple and mobile-operator purchases require a refund from that provider. | 7-day free trial |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Busuu Limited, United Kingdom | Mondly by Pearson (ATi Studios A.P.P.S. SRL), Romania |
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Busuu
Course app
In our comparison: strongest on teaching depth and price, weakest on the number of languages.
$72.99 a year $6.08 a month, billed yearly · Premium
A structured course gives you a path through lessons, with corrections from native speakers. You can start with a free account before deciding whether the paid extras are useful.
Mondly
Course app
In our comparison: strongest on the number of languages and price, weakest on speaking practice.
$47.99 a year $4 a month, billed yearly · PremiumMonthly plans: $9.99 for one language, $15.90 for all its languages
Short daily lessons across many languages, with a chatbot. A free account with limits.
Busuu is a course app and Mondly is one too. Both teach French, Spanish, Chinese, German and 10 more languages.
Which to choose
You want the smaller yearly bill
Mondly
A year of Mondly costs $47.99 for one language; a year of Busuu, $72.99 for all 14 languages.
You want to practise speaking
Busuu
Busuu: Speech recognition scores how you say words. Mondly: Its pages don't say whether it listens to you speak.
You want a trial, or your money back if it doesn't suit you
Busuu
Busuu: 14-day money-back guarantee on the initial Premium payment; no renewal refunds. Apple and mobile-operator purchases require a refund from that provider. Mondly: 7-day free trial.
Your language is less common
Mondly
Mondly teaches 41 languages and Busuu 14; 14 are taught by both. Check that yours is on the list before paying.
Where they really differ
- Price: Busuu: $72.99 a year for all 14 languages. Mondly: $47.99 a year for one language, or $9.99 month to month.
- A lesson: Busuu: Short lessons with dialogues, grammar tips and exercises; you can send spoken or written answers for the community, native speakers included, to correct. Mondly: Short daily lessons with pictures and audio, plus a chatbot you can talk to.
- A real person: Busuu has no live tutors. Mondly doesn't mention live tutors.
- Levels: Busuu states a CEFR range for each course, up to C1. Mondly states a CEFR range for each course, up to B2.
- Speaking: Busuu listens to you speak. Mondly doesn't say whether it listens to you speak.
- Offline: Busuu works offline. Mondly doesn't say whether it works offline.
- Trying it: Busuu: A free account, then a 14-day money-back guarantee on your first Premium payment. Mondly: Free version with Daily Lessons, the Hello category and a chatbot lesson.
Plans and prices
Busuu
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium, 12 monthsPremiumA sale price; the crossed-out $149.88 is twelve months at the monthly rate. | Annual | $72.99 | $6.08/mo | all languages |
| Premium Plus, 12 monthsPremium PlusA sale price, against a crossed-out $178.80. Adds AI conversations, pronunciation practice and extra content to Premium. | Annual | $87.90 | $7.33/mo | all languages |
| 1 monthPremiumBusuu's site doesn't show its monthly price. Apple's US App Store lists a "Monthly Premium Plan" at $23.49. | Monthly | — | — | all languages |
Mondly
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium yearlyPremiumA "starts at" price; Mondly doesn't say how many languages it covers. | Annual | $47.99 | $4/mo | one language |
| Unlimited Access - 12 Months (iOS in-app purchase)PremiumApple's US App Store price. | Annual | $74.90 | $6.24/mo | all languages |
| Premium monthlyPremiumA "starts at" price from Mondly's Android subscriptions page. | Monthly | $9.99 | $9.99/mo | one language |
| Unlimited Access - Monthly (iOS in-app purchase)PremiumApple's US App Store price, which differs from Mondly's Android prices. | Monthly | $15.90 | $15.90/mo | all languages |
What will Mondly cost you for the months you study?
Total billed over 12 months
$71.89 less on annual billingOne yearly payment of $47.99.
What each plan covers. Monthly: one language. Yearly: one language.
Questions people ask
Is Busuu better than Mondly?
Neither is better for every learner. Choose Busuu if you want more speaking practice and a trial or money back. Choose Mondly if you want the smaller yearly bill and more languages to choose from. In our comparison, Busuu is strongest on teaching depth and price, weakest on the number of languages, and Mondly strongest on the number of languages and price, weakest on speaking practice.
Which is cheaper, Busuu or Mondly?
Mondly costs less by the year: $47.99 for one language, where a year of Busuu is $72.99 for all 14 languages. Month to month, and with any lifetime plan, the plans tables above give both.
Do Busuu and Mondly teach the same languages?
Busuu lists 14 languages and Mondly 41, each counting varieties its own way; 14 languages are taught by both. Each app's page here lists its languages, with a page for each language two or more apps teach.