Memrise vs Pimsleur: which to choose, and what each costs
Prices checked 11 Oct 2026; Memrise's on 6 Sept 2026, Pimsleur's on 6 Sept 2026 · How we check
Memrise if you want to build vocabulary a few minutes a day.
Pimsleur if you want to learn by ear, away from a screen.
| Question | Memrise | Pimsleur |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $61.99 a year for all 149 languages, or $24.99 month to month | $149.95 a year for one language, or $19.95 month to month |
| A lesson is | Short clips of native speakers saying words and phrases, then spaced review. | A 30-minute audio lesson: you hear a prompt, answer aloud, then hear the right answer. |
| Try it | A limited free version, then a 30-day money-back guarantee. | A 7-day free trial on subscriptions; the 30-day money-back guarantee covers only plans bought on pimsleur.com without such a trial. |
| App Store rating, 10 Oct 2026 | 4.8 out of 5 from 217,240 ratings | 4.7 out of 5 from 30,200 ratings |
| Google Play rating, 11 Oct 2026 | 4.4 out of 5 from 1.6 million ratings | 4.1 out of 5 from 16,679 ratings |
How a lesson works in each
Memrise: vocabulary app
Pimsleur: audio course
Side by side
| Compare | Memrise | Pimsleur |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | — | — |
| A year costs | $61.99 a year for all 149 languages, or $24.99 month to month | $149.95 a year for one language, or $19.95 month to month |
| What it is | Vocabulary and flashcards: Short video clips of native speakers plus spaced-repetition review | Audio course: Half-hour audio lessons built on spoken recall, made for commutes |
| Per month at annual billing | $5.17/mo ($61.99 a year) | $12.50/mo ($149.95 a year) |
| Monthly plan | $24.99 | $19.95 for one language, $20.95 for all its languages |
| Lifetime plan | $329.99 once, all languages | $798 once, all languages. Also sold: the complete course for one language, owned for good, $575; one level of one language, owned for good, $150 |
| Free tier | Limited free version of the app; the paid plan unlocks the rest. | None |
| Languages offered | 149 | 51 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | Yes |
| Live tutoring | — | — |
| Offline mode | No · The current experience needs cloud-based tools | Yes |
| Placement test | — | — |
| Refund or trial | 30-day money-back guarantee; monthly plans have a 14-day refund window. Apple purchases require a refund from Apple. | A 7-day free trial on subscriptions. Pimsleur's 30-day money-back guarantee covers only a subscription bought on pimsleur.com or by phone without a free trial of 7 days or more, once per customer; App Store and Google Play purchases are not covered. |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Memrise, United Kingdom | Simon & Schuster, LLC (Pimsleur is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio) |
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Memrise
Vocabulary and flashcards
In our comparison: strongest on the number of languages and price, weakest on teaching depth.
$61.99 a year $5.17 a month, billed yearly$24.99 on the monthly plan
Short video clips of native speakers plus spaced-repetition review. Speech recognition scores your pronunciation.
Pimsleur
Audio course
In our comparison: strongest on the number of languages and trial and refund terms, weakest on the free tier.
$149.95 a year $12.50 a month, billed yearly · PremiumMonthly plans: $19.95 for one language, $20.95 for all its languages
Half-hour audio lessons get you answering aloud, which suits a commute or a walk. Download lessons before you leave and you can practise without a connection.
Memrise is a vocabulary app and Pimsleur is an audio course. Both teach French, Spanish, Chinese, German and 21 more languages.
Which to choose
You want to build vocabulary a few minutes a day
Memrise
Memrise is a vocabulary app: short clips of native speakers saying words and phrases, then spaced review.
You want to learn by ear, away from a screen
Pimsleur
Pimsleur is an audio course: a 30-minute audio lesson: you hear a prompt, answer aloud, then hear the right answer.
You want the smaller yearly bill
Memrise
A year of Memrise costs $61.99 for all 149 languages; a year of Pimsleur, $149.95 for one language.
You want to learn without paying
Memrise
Memrise has a free account with limits; Pimsleur has no free plan. What each free route includes is in the table above.
Where they really differ
- Price: Memrise: $61.99 a year for all 149 languages, or $24.99 month to month. Pimsleur: $149.95 a year for one language, or $19.95 month to month.
- A lesson: Memrise: Short clips of native speakers saying words and phrases, then spaced review. Pimsleur: A 30-minute audio lesson: you hear a prompt, answer aloud, then hear the right answer.
- Offline: Memrise needs a connection. Pimsleur works offline.
- Trying it: Memrise: A limited free version, then a 30-day money-back guarantee. Pimsleur: A 7-day free trial on subscriptions; the 30-day money-back guarantee covers only plans bought on pimsleur.com without such a trial.
- Both: Listen to you speak.
Plans and prices
Memrise
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnnualProSold as a flash sale against a crossed-out $299.88, which is twelve months at the monthly price. Apple's US App Store lists the same plan at $61.99. | Annual | $61.99 | $5.17/mo | all languages |
| MonthlyProApple's US App Store sells the same plan for $24.99. | Monthly | $24.99 | $24.99/mo | all languages |
| LifetimeProApple's US App Store sells the same plan for $329.99. | Lifetime | $329.99 | one-time | all languages |
Pimsleur
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium AnnualPremiumRead on the Spanish (Latin American) course page, whose plan data prices the Premium Annual plan for French and Japanese the same; the year starts with a 7-day free trial. | Annual | $149.95 | $12.50/mo | one language |
| All Access AnnualAll AccessA sale took 20% off the first year, charging $131.96. | Annual | $164.95 | $13.75/mo | all languages |
| Premium MonthlyPremiumAs shown on Pimsleur's Latin American Spanish course page. | Monthly | $19.95 | $19.95/mo | one language |
| All Access MonthlyAll Access | Monthly | $20.95 | $20.95/mo | all languages |
| Individual level (one language)PremiumOne level of one language; the price varies by language and level. A sale offered Level 1 for $105. | Lifetime | $150 | one-time | one language |
| Complete course, Levels 1-5 (one language)PremiumOne language's complete course; the price varies by language. A sale offered the Latin American Spanish course for $402.50. | Lifetime | $575 | one-time | one language |
| All Access LifetimeAll AccessA Labor Day sale offered it for $399. | Lifetime | $798 | one-time | all languages |
What will Memrise cost you for the months you study?
Total billed over 12 months
$237.89 less on annual billingOne yearly payment of $61.99.
What each plan covers. Monthly: all languages. Yearly: all languages.
Questions people ask
Is Memrise better than Pimsleur?
Neither is better for every learner. Choose Memrise if you want to build vocabulary a few minutes a day, the smaller yearly bill, a free account to learn on and more languages to choose from. Choose Pimsleur if you want to learn by ear, away from a screen, a trial or money back and lessons that work offline. In our comparison, Memrise is strongest on the number of languages and price, weakest on teaching depth, and Pimsleur strongest on the number of languages and trial and refund terms, weakest on the free tier.
Which is cheaper, Memrise or Pimsleur?
Memrise costs less by the year: $61.99 for all 149 languages, where a year of Pimsleur is $149.95 for one language. Month to month, and with any lifetime plan, the plans tables above give both.
Do Memrise and Pimsleur teach the same languages?
Memrise lists 149 languages and Pimsleur 51, each counting varieties its own way; 25 languages are taught by both. Each app's page here lists its languages, with a page for each language two or more apps teach.
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