Busuu App Review – Is it worth it?

Busuu was founded in 2008, and the company took its name from speakers of the Busuu language in Cameroon. Since then, it has had over 100 million users.

Busuu has 12 different offered languages, and they claim that you can make progress in learning a new one in just 10 minutes a day with their language course app. But is this true? Well, we checked Busuu out to see whether it was as good as some say.

Busuu Review – Is it worth it?

Busuu is considered to be one of the top language learning platforms to opt for, and it’s easy to see why. The app offers speaking exercises, writing exercises and official language tests that can help you to speak fluently in a new language.

It has a fairly simple lesson format that includes support for most popular languages. Let’s look at what Busuu offers in a little more detail.

Busuu Free vs Busuu Premium

First off, the free version of Busuu is quite limited, but the paid programme unlocks some good features.

Busuu’s paid course offers most of the same features you find in similar language courses and apps, like Babbel and the Mondly app. 

However, the free version isn’t much to shout about. It’s not as user-friendly as some of its competitors, but it does offer basic language learning tools. If you’re looking for free language learning apps, there are better alternatives.

In the free version, you have to start at the beginning of your chosen language and complete lessons to move on to the next. This isn’t ideal if you already have a good bit of knowledge of the language. 

However, you could view it as a revision exercise and work your way up to the correct level. 

The lessons are very similar to other language apps out there. The vocabulary exercises are good in that they teach you new words in context, as opposed to drilling the individual words into you with no guidance as to how they are used. 

Busuu does have some good features that the other free versions of language apps don’t have. For example, the opportunity to have your writing exercises corrected by native speakers in the “community” section.

busuu-app-exercise

The premium version of the app is a much more user-friendly and comprehensive language course.

Busuu Features

Firstly, you can do a placement test so that you don’t need to waste your time doing exercises on topics that you already know. 

Next, you can set your goals for how quickly you would like to learn your chosen language. So, it may create a personalised plan for you to study for 20 minutes a day for six months to reach that goal.

So if you need that accountability and structured plan, Busuu is a good option for you. 

Busuu has great lessons focusing on grammar, sentence structure, and conjugating verbs.

The premium version is definitely much more enjoyable to use than the free plan, it offers a functional programme that uses an effective teaching method along with flowing lesson plans that build on each other.

You also have access to the active, friendly community of learners, who are there to help with your studying and motivate you. 

Next, we’re going to explore some of the pros and cons of Busuu and answer some burning questions that you might have about Busuu.

Pros and cons of Busuu

Pros

Cons

  • Very well-structured courses on the paid plan
  • User-friendly experience on the paid plan
  • Good value for a long-term subscription
  • Relatively small language selection
  • Some boring typing exercises
  • Lacks speaking and pronunciation exercises

On the whole, Busuu’s courses are well-structured and I saw an improvement in my fluency while using the app. There are many language apps whose lessons seem a little all over the place.

And for the price, it’s a great app if you’re ready to take your learning seriously. 

However, by only offering 12 languages, you may not be able to study your chosen language with Busuu, which is a real shame! We can only hope they add in more languages soon.

Also, I did have some issues with the writing and speaking lessons on the app. The writing lessons are pretty boring and there is a real lack of speaking and pronunciation exercises. However, this is often to be expected with apps, as it’s tricky to do. 

Busuu Lessons

Within Busuu, you’ll be able to learn via interactive grammar lessons, vocabulary lessons and basic phrases for conversations that are tailored towards your chosen level. You also have the option to work with a private tutor for half an hour of one-on-one lessons.

While you have to pay extra for these, you pay less than you would on another platform to do the same. 

Lessons in Busuu break down into three or four mini-lessons, which are all on the same topic and the same words.

The first mini-lesson shows you the words you will use, and the second gives you practice using them. The lesson ends with either a quiz or a writing exercise.

There are a lot of writing exercises on the app, which, to be honest, are a little tedious. However, you can have your writing corrected by a native speaker, which is a great feature.

But remember that these people are other, regular Busuu users, not trained teachers, so you may see some inconsistencies in the corrections. 

How do you use Busuu?

First, you’ll be asked to pick which of the 12 languages you’d like to learn. You’ll then be prompted to sign up or log in and you will direct you to the relevant language course. 

busuu-app-language

Busuu does not offer a free trial. It offers a free version and paid plans. 

Busuu offers a “casual learner” plan or a “serious learner” plan. The serious learner plan is only around £1 more than the casual learner, and it offers access to all of the resources.

So I’d recommend going for this one. Like many similar subscriptions, you’ll save more by signing up for a longer plan. 

After doing this, you’ll go through to the relevant language course and will be prompted to take a placement test, which will place you on the correct language level. You’ll be asked a series of questions to determine your proficiency. 

Within the premium version, you don’t need to stick with that level, and you can jump between different lessons and courses as you please. 

This is a handy feature if you are stronger in some areas than in others. So you could focus on intermediate listening activities but do advanced reading exercises if you’re stronger in that area.

Common Questions about Busuu

Which languages can you learn on the Busuu app?

Busuu has courses in twelve languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish), each language course gives access to native speakers ready to correct your writing exercises.

How much does Busuu cost?

Busuu has two subscriptions plans – a “casual learner” plan, and a “serious learner” plan.

Within each is three payment plans, you can either pay for one, six, or twelve months at a time. When you first create an account, Busuu will offer a 24-hour discount on the annual plan, so for the “serious learner” plan, it will cost only ÂŁ38.99 – which is a great value. Alternatively, you can pay monthly and cancel any time for ÂŁ10.99 or pay for 6 months for ÂŁ59.99. 

For me, the annual plan is definitely worth it for this price and the access to resources that they offer.

Does Busuu have a free trial?

No, Busuu does not offer a free trial. 

Final thoughts 

There are several language-learning apps out there, and in my opinion, Busuu is one of the best if you’re willing to pay and if you’re going to take things seriously when learning a new language.

The features that you get with Busuu aren’t available in the free or even cheaper language apps. There’s a lot of effort gone into creating the platform, and it shows.

If you’re not willing to give the premium version a go, then we’d advise you to at least sign up for the free version of Busuu to see whether it’s right for you.

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Author

Alex

By day he's an engineer and by night (well, evening or very early morning but night sounds way cooler) Alex runs the Apps UK ship. He has a keen interest in language, fitness & especially social media - he is always on the lookout for the next hot platform.

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