General Overview
Learning languages is not as easy as many YouTube ads would have you believe. It requires regular practice without missing a beat. A very popular option to learn a new language is using different language learning apps.
There are a lot of popular options out there. But today we’re here to talk about two apps in particular. We’re talking about Memrise vs Mondly. We have reviewed the two apps on their own in great detail in the past. But today we’re doing a straight-up comparison.
From what we’ve seen Mondly is using a new approach by implementing virtual reality and augmented reality. This makes all the courses interesting and interactive.
On the other hand, Memrise allows for user-generated content. And most of the content there are video clips of native speakers speaking and explaining the different lessons. All of that is accompanied by a visually stunning app.
Now the question comes, “Is Memrise better than Mondly?”. If we had to choose one, we’d go with Memrise.
But why are we choosing Memrise between Memrise and Mondly? Keep reading and you can learn the reasons yourself once you see a detailed side-by-side comparison.
Stuck between choosing Babbel or Mondly for your language learning journey? Our comprehensive comparison article can help you assess the pros and cons of each platform, allowing you to make an informed decision.
Overall Comparison: Mondly vs Memrise
Category | Memrise | Mondly |
Monthly Packages
|
$8.49 | $10 |
Length of Lesson
|
Adjustable for up to 20 minutes | 15-20 minutes |
Vocabulary Practice
|
Emphasized | Minimal |
Conversation Practice
|
Minimal | Emphasized |
Languages Covered
|
More than 20 | More than 30 |
Grammatical Lessons
|
Minimal |
Explained little in conversation practices
|
Platforms' Features You Should Know
Here we will be covering the features that helped us make the decision between Memrise or Mondly. As we said, we loved Memrise for its interface and user-generated content. But no one can deny the innovation in Mondly’s use of virtual reality either.
Mondly is more focused on advanced learners of any language. As it focuses more on conversational practices and developing communication skills, career professionals can make use of it in their workplaces.
As for Memrise, it’s focused more on the vocabulary and the basics of any language. That’s why beginners have an easier time learning the ropes of any language. And when you consider that with the price of the subscription, the choice is clear between Memrise Vs Mondly.
Our Lingoda.com review provides an in-depth analysis of this language learning platform, covering everything from its course offerings to user interface and customer support. This information can be pivotal in choosing the right learning resource for you.
Memrise: Why is it Better Than Mondly?
- Native Speakers
- You Set the Lesson Duration
- Variety of Courses
- Native Speakers
We liked Memrise more because it felt like an authentic learning experience. The main method of learning using Memrise is the video clips of native speakers. Why is this so important? This is because studies show that a person can learn new languages faster by hearing native speakers.
- Set the Lesson Duration
The customizability of the class duration is also one of the key aspects in Memrise. You set the duration of each lesson. Depending on your learning speed, you can set the lesson duration which will help you learn efficiently and make the best use of your precious time.
- Variety of Courses
There are hundreds upon hundreds of courses that you can find on Memrise. Find one you like and pick it up. Get started on the different modules and slowly learn more about the languages. Depending on the topic that you choose, you will be taught words related to that.
Mondly: Why is it Better Than Memrise?
- VR Applications
- AR Applications
- Making Languages Fun with Games
- VR Applications
Before talking about anything we’ll need to talk about the VR apps. It’s unique and revolutionary when it comes to language courses. Mondly is a trailblazer for making use of innovative technologies to impart education on languages.
Virtual reality aims to put you in scenarios from real life to help with the interaction process. If you are in a virtual recreation of a setting from your real life, and you are given the chance to practice. It improves your conversation skills.
- AR Applications
If you can’t access VR due to the absence of a VR headset, AR is a suitable alternative. It emulates a similar setting, only it makes use of augmented reality. This allows you to simply use your phone to create the same virtual simulation but this time augmented.
- Making Languages Fun with Games
Mondly also gamified all their lessons to make them more fun and approachable. Career-oriented professionals can choose courses that would help them progress in their professional lives. There are lessons on how to interact with others in their workplace which also come in handy.
Pricing Comparison
So far, we’ve only looked at the features. Some of the them are really great and effective to learn new language. But how do they stack up to the price? That’s what we’re going to compare now.
Memrise Prices
There is a free version of the Memrise app that anyone can try out for free. It has some features to get you started. But honestly, it’s not enough if you want to learn a new language. It only introduces you to a couple of new words which you can pick up from watching the TV.
This is why almost everyone who chooses to go with Memrise upgrades to the paid subscriptions. Memrise offers two paid packages. The packages themselves don’t cost much. But they do come with loads of bells and whistles
There’s no difference in the classes you get access to for the paid packages. The only difference is in the time period. The first plan is a monthly package while the second one is a yearly one. But the important question here is, how much would you need to spend?
The monthly package that Memrise offers costs $8.49 per month. Again, considering what you’re getting when it comes to pricing, it’s really affordable if you want to learn new languages.
Up next, we have the yearly package. This one costs less each month. The entire package is $59.99. That means it will cost you around $5 per month.
Memrise also offers a lifetime subscription. This is targeted toward people who want to learn multiple languages. Considering you can get lessons over an extended period of time, the Memrise prices are not that high. It’s double the yearly cost sitting at $119.99.
Mondly Prices
Similar to Memrise, Mondly too has a free version. But from our reviews, there are better free alternatives to the free version of Mondly. Things do get better when you upgrade to the premium version. What about the pricing?
Mondly also offers two packages. One is the monthly which costs $10 per month. Compared to Memrise it’s a bit more expensive. But that all balances out when you get the yearly package which is only $48 for the whole year.
Compared to Memrise, you get an overall lower cost for the yearly package. But it’s the lifetime subscription where everything goes haywire. It costs $480 for all the languages. And that too for only a year. There are much more cheaper and affordable options than that.
The pricing is one of the reasons we went with Memrise. It’s an overall better bang for your buck.
Quality of Learning and Value for Money
How is Mondly vs Memrise as a tutor then? We’re now going to talk about the lessons and the learning experience at both of these platforms. We’re going for one that’s cost-effective with loads to enjoy. That should give you an idea of which one is the best value.
Memrise
By now we already know that the main mode of courses at Memrise is through recorded video classes. These video clips are narrated by native speakers of the languages you’re trying to learn. They teach you the words and explain the meaning and the context in which you can use them.
Video clips also give you authentic pronunciation as well as give you nuances of the words. You enrich your vocabulary by learning more advanced words as well. Your exposure to the vocabulary begins here at Memrise.
Another feature that deserves mention is the ability to adjust the length of classes. You can choose to learn 10 words in a single session or ramp it up to 20 or 30 if you so choose. This is a great addition since not everyone has the same learning speed.
And when you combine all of these with the exercises and drills, it ties it all together. You can test out how well you’ve learned the new words and judge your progress. If you don’t do well with a certain drill, you can always go back and watch the previous video.
You can also try out some of the user-generated content on the app. These are video clips or tips and tricks from users already learning from Memrise. If you feel confident and want to help others out with advice or suggestions of any kind, you can do it too.
Since Memrise focuses more on the basics, therefore, beginners can consider it a great option to add more to their vocabulary.
Mondly
The main selling point of Mondly is the VR and AR apps that come with it. But before we delve into that, how do you actually learn a new language on Mondly?
The approach for lessons that the folks at Mondly have decided to go with is a gaming exercise. It’s one of the key aspects and differences from Memrise. The entire learning experience will feel like an adventure game as you go from one level to the next, clearing all the challenges.
When you start, you are required to choose the language that you wish to learn and the level that you are at. In apps like Duolingo, you need to take a placement test that places you on the right level. But at Mondly, you need to do that on your own.
Now let’s delve into the VR and AR aspects of the app. The VR system is designed to put you into a virtual scenario from daily life where you must interact with the virtual environment. The application tracks your speaking and reviews your pronunciation.
It’s really great to get students used to the process of dealing with the environment. But there is one drawback here that made us go with Memrise. That is the requirement of a VR headset.
Without a VR headset, you can’t make use of the VR lessons. If you don’t own one, it’s an extra purchase on top of the Mondly subscription.
As an alternative, you can use AR apps. For that, you only need to use your phone and it works like VR. The app puts you in scenarios where you need to interact in a real-life scenario.
Main Disadvantages of the Platforms
All this time we have been talking about the advantages that both Memrise and Mondly offer. But there are disadvantages to them like you’d expect. Let’s take a look at them for a deeper understanding of the two products.
Memrise
- Requires a Mandatory Upgrade
In terms of disadvantages, the free version of Memrise doesn’t have much. You can still get lessons, but you can’t download the materials to review them later offline. To do that you need to upgrade to the premium, which feels a bit forced.
- Lack of Conversation Practice
Memrise’s main focus is teaching the students new words and their uses in sentences in a language. To that end, the app does a wonderful job, but there is no real conversational practice.
- Not Appealing to Advanced Students
Memrise is also targeted toward someone completely new to the language. It’s not the best way to learn a language if you’ve already been exposed to it. Advanced learners don’t need the kind of basic vocabulary that’s taught at Memrise.
- Inconsistency in UGC
Although user-generated courses are a big part of Memrise, it’s never consistent. Since there is no restriction to what someone can post, the courses vary a lot from one course to the next. This gives the feeling of discrepancy in the learning process.
- Inconsistent Interface on Different Devices
There is also another issue that’s related to the different devices. Although the interface is great for some devices, it’s not consistent throughout all devices. It’s a major design flaw that the app has and takes a lot away from a satisfying user experience.
Mondly
- Not Focused on the Basics
Mondly uses VR technology to put the students in real-life scenarios where the objective of the lessons is to make conversation. But that’s all there is to it.
Mondly will teach you how to speak the language and communicate with it. But in terms of actually learning the language and broadening your vocabulary, Mondly hardly does anything.
- No Customizability for Lesson Duration
And even then, the lessons that exist are pretty basic everyday conversations. This is something you can get away with a simple version and practically doesn’t require an advanced lesson. The sessions are also always fixed in time.
- Requires VR Headset
We also mentioned it before, but in order to use the VR app, you need a VR headset. The additional cost of getting one is also a big turnoff for many people. Although, you do have an alternative, not being able to access a feature like VR is a real bummer.
Mondly vs Memrise for Teachers
From what we’ve told and shown you so far, you should have a good idea about the things that you can expect as a student or a user. But what if you’re a teacher who’s looking to educate others? What are some of the benefits that teachers can get from here? Let’s check them out.
Mondly
As you’ve seen in Mondly, there are no video lessons like you get in Memrise. So, for a teaching position, there really aren’t any options. But you can contribute to the teaching process in different ways.
You can become a B2B Marketing Manager and work in marketing Mondly to customers. You can also work as a Web Product Designer and Product Designer. Mondly also has positions for PHP full-stack developers as well.
You can also work as a part of the VR team at Mondly. You should already know by now that VR is an integral part of the teaching process at Mondly. So, working to develop that system further to make a better system for the students is also a great career to pursue here.
For the mobile app, there is the option to work as an Android developer and the same for an iOS developer. All the positions that you can get offered here are for the development and advertisement of the application. It ensures that the reach of Mondly is spread far and wide.
You can get a handsome salary for working at Mondly. Check out the official website and see the details and requirements for the different positions to get started.
Memrise
On the other hand, at Memrise, you can work as a teacher and work directly in teaching the students. The head offices of Memrise are based out of London. Since the labor laws are really strict in the UK, there is a lot of competition for getting hired there.
Based on how much experience you have as a teacher; you’ll be hired anywhere from £47,000 and £60,000 yearly. This is also applicable to online teaching positions as well. Since you’ll be making online courses for other students, most of the time it’s going to be an online teaching situation for you.
And towards the development of the app, the company hires app developers, marketers, analysts, and many other professionals. Find the details on the career page of the Memrise website.
FAQ
Can you become fluent with Mondly?
Since Mondly focuses more on courses based on conversation, it’s easy to become fluent using Mondly. You will be interacting in virtual scenarios that you will come across in daily life. The regular practice will get you fluent in conversing in the language in no time at all.
What is better than Memrise?
Depending on your use case and what you’re looking to get, there are definitely options that are better than Memrise. Duolingo, Babbel, and Mondly are just a few examples. They aren’t the best, but some of the things they have are definitely better than Memrise.
Is Memrise better than Mondly?
Considering the price and the benefits that Memrise has, it’s a really solid option when you want to learn a new language and improve your vocabulary. In some aspects, you could say that Memrise is better than Mondly. But for those that it applies to, Mondly is not completely a bad option.