Memrise vs Rosetta Stone: which to choose, and what each costs
Prices checked 6 Oct 2026; Memrise's on 6 Sept 2026 · How we check
Memrise if you want to build vocabulary a few minutes a day.
Rosetta Stone if you want a course with lessons in order.
| Question | Memrise | Rosetta Stone |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $61.99 a year for all 149 languages, or $24.99 month to month | $159 a year for all 25 languages, or $19.99 month to month |
| A lesson is | Short clips of native speakers saying words and phrases, then spaced review. | Pictures and audio with no translation at all, and your pronunciation scored. |
| Try it | A limited free version, then a 30-day money-back guarantee. | A 7-day free trial in the app, and a 14-day money-back guarantee when you buy on its site. |
| App Store rating, 10 Oct 2026 | 4.8 out of 5 from 217,240 ratings | 4.6 out of 5 from 1,918 ratings |
| Google Play rating, 11 Oct 2026 | 4.4 out of 5 from 1.6 million ratings | 4.6 out of 5 from 406,024 ratings |
How a lesson works in each
Memrise: vocabulary app
Rosetta Stone: course app
Side by side
| Compare | Memrise | Rosetta Stone |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | — | — |
| A year costs | $61.99 a year for all 149 languages, or $24.99 month to month | $159 a year for all 25 languages, or $19.99 month to month |
| What it is | Vocabulary and flashcards: Short video clips of native speakers plus spaced-repetition review | Course app: Immersion-style lessons without translation, with speech scoring |
| Per month at annual billing | $5.17/mo ($61.99 a year) | $13.25/mo ($159 a year) |
| Monthly plan | $24.99 | $19.99 |
| Lifetime plan | $329.99 once, all languages | No lifetime plan |
| Free tier | Limited free version of the app; the paid plan unlocks the rest. | Free sample lessons on its site and a one-time 7-day free trial in the app; no lasting free plan. |
| Languages offered | 149 | 25 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | Yes |
| Live tutoring | — | Coaching sessions with a Rosetta Stone certified tutor. |
| 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 one-time 7-day free trial in the app. Bought from Rosetta Stone: a 14-day money-back guarantee, refunded by its Memberships team by email or phone. App Store purchases go through Apple; a retailer's follow that retailer's policy. |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android |
| Company | Memrise, United Kingdom | Rosetta Stone LLC (a division of IXL Learning) |
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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.
Rosetta Stone
Course app
In our comparison: strongest on trial and refund terms and the number of languages, weakest on the free tier.
$159 a year $13.25 a month, billed yearly$19.99 on the monthly plan
Immersion-style lessons without translation, with speech scoring. Live tutoring sold beside the app (Tutoring).
Memrise is a vocabulary app and Rosetta Stone is a course app. Both teach French, Spanish, Chinese, German and 14 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 a course with lessons in order
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone is a course app: pictures and audio with no translation at all, and your pronunciation scored.
You want the smaller yearly bill
Memrise
A year of Memrise costs $61.99 for all 149 languages; a year of Rosetta Stone, $159 for all 25 languages.
You would rather pay once than subscribe
Memrise
Memrise can be bought once and kept: $329.99 once, all languages. Rosetta Stone's paid plans are subscriptions.
Where they really differ
- Price: Memrise: $61.99 a year for all 149 languages, or $24.99 month to month. Rosetta Stone: $159 a year for all 25 languages, or $19.99 month to month.
- A lesson: Memrise: Short clips of native speakers saying words and phrases, then spaced review. Rosetta Stone: Pictures and audio with no translation at all, and your pronunciation scored.
- A real person: Memrise doesn't mention live tutors. Rosetta Stone sells live tutoring alongside the app.
- Offline: Memrise needs a connection. Rosetta Stone works offline.
- Trying it: Memrise: A limited free version, then a 30-day money-back guarantee. Rosetta Stone: A 7-day free trial in the app, and a 14-day money-back guarantee when you buy on its site.
- 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 |
Rosetta Stone
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YearlyLabelled "Save 33%" against the monthly plan. | Annual | $159 | $13.25/mo | all languages |
| MonthlyAll 25 languages. | Monthly | $19.99 | $19.99/mo | 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 Rosetta Stone?
Neither is better for every learner. Choose Memrise if you want to build vocabulary a few minutes a day, the smaller yearly bill, to pay once rather than subscribe, a free account to learn on and more languages to choose from. Choose Rosetta Stone if you want a course with lessons in order, more speaking practice, 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 Rosetta Stone strongest on trial and refund terms and the number of languages, weakest on the free tier.
Which is cheaper, Memrise or Rosetta Stone?
Memrise costs less by the year: $61.99 for all 149 languages, where a year of Rosetta Stone is $159 for all 25 languages. Month to month, and with any lifetime plan, the plans tables above give both.
Do Memrise and Rosetta Stone teach the same languages?
Memrise lists 149 languages and Rosetta Stone 25, each counting varieties its own way; 18 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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