Pimsleur vs Rocket Languages: which to choose, and what each costs
Prices checked 12 Oct 2026; Pimsleur's on 6 Sept 2026 · How we check
Pimsleur if you want to learn by ear, away from a screen.
Rocket Languages if you want a course with lessons in order.
| Question | Pimsleur | Rocket Languages |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $149.95 a year for one language, or $19.95 month to month | $149.95 once |
| A lesson is | A 30-minute audio lesson: you hear a prompt, answer aloud, then hear the right answer. | Audio lessons built on conversations, with language and culture lessons and voice-recognition drills alongside. |
| Try it | A 7-day free trial on subscriptions; the 30-day money-back guarantee covers only plans bought on pimsleur.com without such a trial. | A free trial, then a 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases. |
| App Store rating, 10 Oct 2026 | 4.7 out of 5 from 30,200 ratings | 4.6 out of 5 from 2,472 ratings |
| Google Play rating, 11 Oct 2026 | 4.1 out of 5 from 16,679 ratings | 4.7 out of 5 from 3,762 ratings |
How a lesson works in each
Pimsleur: audio course
Rocket Languages: course app
Side by side
| Compare | Pimsleur | Rocket Languages |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | — | A1 to B2 (by course) |
| A year costs | $149.95 a year for one language, or $19.95 month to month | $149.95 once |
| What it is | Audio course: Half-hour audio lessons built on spoken recall, made for commutes | Course app: Audio lessons, language and culture lessons and voice-recognition practice, bought once per level |
| Per month at annual billing | $12.50/mo ($149.95 a year) | — |
| Monthly plan | $19.95 for one language, $20.95 for all its languages | — |
| 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 | $99.95 to $449.85 once, for one language's course; the price depends on the language and how many levels you buy |
| Free tier | None | A free trial; the page does not say what it includes or for how long. |
| Languages offered | 51 | 13 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | Yes |
| Live tutoring | — | No |
| Offline mode | Yes | Yes · audio lessons download in the app; voice recognition needs a connection |
| Placement test | — | — |
| Refund or 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. | A free trial; 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases. |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Simon & Schuster, LLC (Pimsleur is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio) | Libros Media Limited |
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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.
Rocket Languages
Course app
In our comparison: strongest on teaching depth and trial and refund terms, weakest on the free tier.
$149.95 once one language's course or first level, in 11 of its 13 languages; American Sign Language and English $99.95
Audio lessons, language and culture lessons and voice-recognition practice, bought once per level. Speech recognition scores your pronunciation.
Pimsleur is an audio course and Rocket Languages is a course app. Both teach French, Spanish, Chinese, German and 7 more languages.
Which to choose
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 a course with lessons in order
Rocket Languages
Rocket Languages is a course app: audio lessons built on conversations, with language and culture lessons and voice-recognition drills alongside.
You want to learn more than one language
Pimsleur
One plan covers all of Pimsleur's 51 languages: $164.95 a year, or $798 once. On Rocket Languages, each language is bought on its own.
You want to know what level a course takes you to
Rocket Languages
Rocket Languages states CEFR levels A1 to B2 (by course: Spanish, French, German and Italian A1 to B2). Pimsleur doesn't state CEFR levels for its courses. A stated level is what the lessons cover, not a level you are promised.
Where they really differ
- Price: Pimsleur: $149.95 a year for one language, or $19.95 month to month. Rocket Languages: $149.95 once.
- A lesson: Pimsleur: A 30-minute audio lesson: you hear a prompt, answer aloud, then hear the right answer. Rocket Languages: Audio lessons built on conversations, with language and culture lessons and voice-recognition drills alongside.
- A real person: Pimsleur doesn't mention live tutors. Rocket Languages has no live tutors.
- Levels: Pimsleur doesn't state CEFR levels. Rocket Languages states a CEFR range for each course, up to B2.
- Trying it: 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. Rocket Languages: A free trial, then a 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases.
- Both: Listen to you speak and work offline.
Plans and prices
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 |
Rocket Languages
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket Sign LanguageComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 96 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $99.95 | one-time | American Sign Language, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket EnglishComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 132 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $99.95 | one-time | English, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket Spanish Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 138 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Spanish, Level 1 |
| Rocket French Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 138 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | French, Level 1 |
| Rocket Italian Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 134 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Italian, Level 1 |
| Rocket German Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 136 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | German, Level 1 |
| Rocket Japanese Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 175 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Japanese, Level 1 |
| Rocket Chinese Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 156 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Chinese, Level 1 |
| Rocket KoreanComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 156 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Korean, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket Russian Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 146 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Russian, Level 1 |
| Rocket ArabicComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 155 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Arabic, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket HindiComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 151 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Hindi, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket PortugueseComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 138 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Portuguese, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket Spanish Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 260 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Spanish, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket French Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 262 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | French, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Italian Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 257 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Italian, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket German Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 266 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | German, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Japanese Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 314 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Japanese, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Chinese Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 304 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Chinese, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Russian Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 231 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Russian, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Spanish Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 382 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Spanish, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket French Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 385 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | French, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket Italian Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 374 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Italian, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket German Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 389 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | German, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket Japanese Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 451 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Japanese, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket Chinese Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 451 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Chinese, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket Russian Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 312 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Russian, Levels 1 to 3 |
What will Pimsleur cost you for the months you study?
Total billed over 12 months
$89.45 less on annual billingOne yearly payment of $149.95.
What each plan covers. Monthly: one language. Yearly: one language.
Questions people ask
Is Pimsleur better than Rocket Languages?
Neither is better for every learner. Choose Pimsleur if you want to learn by ear, away from a screen, every language for one price, a trial or money back and more languages to choose from. Choose Rocket Languages if you want a course with lessons in order and a course that states its CEFR levels. In our comparison, Pimsleur is strongest on the number of languages and trial and refund terms, weakest on the free tier, and Rocket Languages strongest on teaching depth and trial and refund terms, weakest on the free tier.
Which is cheaper, Pimsleur or Rocket Languages?
They are priced differently. On Pimsleur, a year costs $149.95 for one language. On Rocket Languages, you pay $99.95 to $449.85 once, for one language's course; the price depends on the language and how many levels you buy.
Do Pimsleur and Rocket Languages teach the same languages?
Pimsleur lists 51 languages and Rocket Languages 13, each counting varieties its own way; 11 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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