Mondly vs Pimsleur: which to choose, and what each costs
Prices checked 11 Oct 2026; Mondly's on 6 Sept 2026, Pimsleur's on 6 Sept 2026 · How we check
Mondly if you want a course with lessons in order.
Pimsleur if you want to learn by ear, away from a screen.
| Question | Mondly | Pimsleur |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $47.99 a year for one language, or $9.99 month to month | $149.95 a year for one language, or $19.95 month to month |
| A lesson is | Short daily lessons with pictures and audio, plus a chatbot you can talk to. | A 30-minute audio lesson: you hear a prompt, answer aloud, then hear the right answer. |
| Try it | Free version with Daily Lessons, the Hello category and a chatbot lesson. | 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 | 4.7 out of 5 from 33,226 ratings | 4.7 out of 5 from 30,200 ratings |
| Google Play rating, 11 Oct 2026 | 4.5 out of 5 from 927,579 ratings | 4.1 out of 5 from 16,679 ratings |
How a lesson works in each
Mondly: course app
Pimsleur: audio course
Side by side
| Compare | Mondly | Pimsleur |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | A1 to B2 (by course) | — |
| A year costs | $47.99 a year for one language, or $9.99 month to month | $149.95 a year for one language, or $19.95 month to month |
| What it is | Course app: Short daily lessons across many languages, with a chatbot | Audio course: Half-hour audio lessons built on spoken recall, made for commutes |
| Per month at annual billing | $4/mo ($47.99 a year) | $12.50/mo ($149.95 a year) |
| Monthly plan | $9.99 for one language, $15.90 for all its languages | $19.95 for one language, $20.95 for all its languages |
| Lifetime plan | No lifetime plan | $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 | Free version with Daily Lessons, the Hello category and a chatbot lesson. | None |
| Languages offered | 41 | 51 |
| Speech recognition | — | Yes |
| Live tutoring | — | — |
| Offline mode | — | Yes |
| Placement test | — | — |
| Refund or trial | 7-day free trial | 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 | Mondly by Pearson (ATi Studios A.P.P.S. SRL), Romania | Simon & Schuster, LLC (Pimsleur is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio) |
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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.
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.
Mondly is a course app and Pimsleur is an audio course. Both teach French, Spanish, Chinese, German and 28 more languages.
Which to choose
You want a course with lessons in order
Mondly
Mondly is a course app: short daily lessons with pictures and audio, plus a chatbot you can talk to.
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
Mondly
A year of Mondly costs $47.99 for one language; a year of Pimsleur, $149.95 for one language.
You would rather pay once than subscribe
Pimsleur
Pimsleur can be bought once and kept: $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. Mondly's paid plans are subscriptions.
Where they really differ
- Price: Mondly: $47.99 a year for one language, or $9.99 month to month. Pimsleur: $149.95 a year for one language, or $19.95 month to month.
- A lesson: Mondly: Short daily lessons with pictures and audio, plus a chatbot you can talk to. Pimsleur: A 30-minute audio lesson: you hear a prompt, answer aloud, then hear the right answer.
- Levels: Mondly states a CEFR range for each course, up to B2. Pimsleur doesn't state CEFR levels.
- Speaking: Mondly doesn't say whether it listens to you speak. Pimsleur listens to you speak.
- Offline: Mondly doesn't say whether it works offline. Pimsleur works offline.
- Trying it: Mondly: Free version with Daily Lessons, the Hello category and a chatbot lesson. 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.
Plans and prices
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 |
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 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 Mondly better than Pimsleur?
Neither is better for every learner. Choose Mondly if you want a course with lessons in order, the smaller yearly bill, a free account to learn on and a course that states its CEFR levels. Choose Pimsleur if you want to learn by ear, away from a screen, to pay once rather than subscribe, more speaking practice and a trial or money back. In our comparison, Mondly is strongest on the number of languages and price, weakest on speaking practice, and Pimsleur strongest on the number of languages and trial and refund terms, weakest on the free tier.
Which is cheaper, Mondly or Pimsleur?
Mondly costs less by the year: $47.99 for one language, 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 Mondly and Pimsleur teach the same languages?
Mondly lists 41 languages and Pimsleur 51, each counting varieties its own way; 32 languages are taught by both. Each app's page here lists its languages, with a page for each language two or more apps teach.