What will a language app cost you?
On most apps the yearly plan costs less than paying month to month once you study for 7 months or more. A lifetime plan costs the same as 2.1 to 5.3 years of the same app's yearly plan, so it pays off only if you keep going for years.
Prices checked 6 Sept to 7 Oct 2026 · How we check
Monthly or yearly, for the months you will really study
Total billed over 12 months
$108.48 less on annual billing1 full annual payment · $107.40 at the start of each year.
Check coverage. Monthly: one language. Annual: all languages. Features and language coverage may differ.
When does a lifetime plan pay for itself?
$299.99 once vs $107.40 per year
Month 25Lifetime costs less at annual payment 3.
Month 25: annual bills reach $322.20.
Check coverage. Lifetime: all languages. Annual: all languages. Features and language coverage may differ.
The same sum for every app
Whole bills only: a yearly plan is paid at the start of each year, so 13 months is two yearly bills. Where the monthly plan covers one language and the yearly plan all of the app's languages, the row says so.
| App | Month to month | Yearly plan | Yearly is cheaper | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memrise | $24.99 | $61.99 | from month 3 | $329.99 once, the same as 5.3 years |
| Mondly | $9.99 | $47.99 | from month 5 | no lifetime plan |
| Speak | $17.99 | $83.99 | from month 5 | no lifetime plan |
| Babbel | $17.99one language | $107.40all languages | from month 6 | $299.99 once, the same as 2.8 years |
| Cambly | $24 | $144 | from month 7 | no lifetime plan |
| Clozemaster | $12.99 | $79.99 | from month 7 | no lifetime plan |
| Drops | $11 | $69.99 | from month 7 | $150 once, the same as 2.1 years |
| HelloTalk | $12.99 | $79.99 | from month 7 | no lifetime plan |
| Pimsleur | $20.95 | $164.95 | from month 8 | $798 once, the same as 4.8 years |
| Rosetta Stone | $19.99 | $159 | from month 8 | no lifetime plan |
| FluentU | $29.99 | $239.99 | from month 9 | no lifetime plan |
| Ling | $16.99 | $149.99 | from month 9 | no lifetime plan |
| LingQ | $14.99 | $119.99 | from month 9 | no lifetime plan |
| Lingvist | $9.99 | $79.99 | from month 9 | no lifetime plan |