WHAT IS BUSUU: Busuu is an online language learning platform that integrates a vast social network where native speakers worldwide provide valuable feedback on user-submitted exercises.
WHICH LANGUAGES CAN YOU LEARN: including but not limited to English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Turkish, and Polish.
WHO IS IT FOR: It caters to beginners, intermediate learners, and even advanced speakers who want to improve their language skills.
Consider if the Busuu app is suitable for you and if its learning process is effective. In this review, I’ll discuss the pros and cons of the Busuu programme to help you decide if it’s the best choice for you, according to your needs, budget and goals. Busuu has been thoroughly tested in beginner courses (A1 and A2) for several languages, including Italian, French, and Spanish. Here is what I found
PROs
- Videos from native speakers
- Native speakers community
- Live lessons available
CONs
- The free version is very limited
- Lessons lack solid conversation practice
- No speech recognition technology
WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN THIS REVIEW
What is Busuu?
Busuu is an online language learning platform used by over 120 million people. It stands out from other providers due to its large social network. When you submit tasks, native speakers from around the world correct them and provide valuable feedback.
The Busuu story began with Bernhard Niesner and Adrian Hilti, who met during their MBA studies. They found that in order to quickly and easily achieve native-level proficiency in a foreign language, traditional methods of language learning were inadequate. Developing Busuu, named after an endangered language spoken in Cameroon, became their final project.
Both founders emphasised interaction between learners, allowing each student to become a teacher. Written exercises and language texts are sent to native speakers who correct them. This makes Busuu different from other platforms and gives it a unique feature.
What Languages are Offered?
Busuu currently offers 14 languages to refresh your basic skills or start from the beginning. Once you’ve registered, some languages require a level test (Premium):
- German
- English
- French
- Spanish
- Italian
- Portuguese
If you choose another language, you’ll automatically start at the beginner level.
This applies to Korean, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Russian and Arabic.
The language courses have been designed according to the guidelines of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) at four of the six possible levels, making the platform suitable for beginners and advanced learners.
However, if you are already at level B2, Busuu may offer little new material. More information can be found on the pages: “The Cognitive Benefits of Learning a Second Language” and “How to Increase Motivation for Learning a Foreign or Second Language?”
Busuu Subscription Options in my Test
Before we look at the paid options, it’s worth noting that Busuu offers a free programme which, as you might expect, is rather limited. The free plan only includes flashcards and access to five lessons. If you opt for the premium version, the following prices apply, based on the term of your subscription:
- For 12 months, you pay Us$83.40 , or Us$6.95 per month.
- A six-month subscription costs Us$50.70, or Us$8.45 per month,
- One month subscription costs Us$13.90
The Premium Plus plan gives access to all Busuu content and features in over 10 languages.
Additional features include:
- A personalised learning plan,
- Grammar lessons,
- Feedback from native speakers
- AI-powered review sessions,
- The ability to download lessons for offline use
- Official language tests from McGraw Hill.
As mentioned above, there’s also a free option, but it’s limited in many ways. This means that you only get a limited view of Busuu’s functionalities.
If you like the layout, look and feel of the platform, I would recommend trying out the premium version. You can also try it for a limited time before you decide to upgrade. You can upgrade from the free option to the premium subscription at any time. Cancellation is immediate and you don’t need to give a reason.
Is there a Free Trial, Discounts and Deals?
Try the free trial first to get familiar with the lesson structure and how to use the app or website. When you reach the limits of the free features, you can upgrade to the premium plan.
Busuu regularly offers discounts, often on annual subscriptions. So it might be worth waiting for a discount before upgrading to the premium subscription. In fact, I’ve found that their premium subscriptions are sometimes discounted by up to 50%, so you probably won’t have to pay full price.
Make sure you sign up for their newsletter to keep up to date with any special offers. If you want to use Busuu at a reduced price, you can also search the internet.
Simply search for the name of the platform on the internet using keywords such as “coupons” or “discount” to find premium offers at favourable prices.
First Steps at Busuu: Download & Registration
First, register with Busuu and follow the download process. If you use both a PC or laptop and the app to learn languages, there will be regular synchronisation between the devices. However, users often complain about this feature, so you will need to manually check the synchronisation on your devices.
Once you have completed the registration process with your personal details, the Premium version will create a personalised learning plan for you based on your learning goals, available time and individual learning pace.
With this personalised plan, you can start the individual lessons and learn the new vocabulary.
Busuu Learning Approach
Busuu offers courses at four levels:
- Beginner (A1)
- Elementary (A2)
- Intermediate (B1)
- Upper Intermediate (B2)
For some languages, such as Spanish and English, there are also advanced courses at the C1 level.
Which language should I learn? Once I explored the world’s major languages, I’ve thought about which ones would be most useful in different situations.
Busuu Lesson Structure
When you first register at Busuu, you can choose to start at the beginning of the course or take a short placement test if you already have some basic knowledge of the language you want to learn. Then you choose the level you want to reach in your target language and the days and times you prefer to study.
The dashboard gives you a clear overview of all your lessons in a linear, path-like sequence. The different tools included in your subscription are conveniently displayed in the top panel for easy navigation.
Each lesson is made up of four learning modules:
- Vocabulary
- Dialogue
- Quiz
- Conversation
Additional modules are included for specific languages. For example, if you’re learning French, there is a pronunciation module.
You start with Lesson 1, which, like all the following lessons, focuses on a specific topic. This is divided into further subtopics, which cover the learning modules mentioned above. New vocabulary is tested in different ways:
- True or false
- Fill in the blank
- Matching tasks
- Multiple choice questions
You’ll then complete speaking and writing tasks, which will be corrected and commented on by native speakers from the community.
All lessons are divided into clear chapters. At the end of each chapter you can take a test and, if you pass, unlock the next chapter. This allows you to check your progress and skip lessons if you’re already at a higher level.
The average length of a lesson is about five minutes. Each lesson consists of several individual exercises that focus on a common theme or the same target words.
Live lessons
Busuu offers users access to private lessons and live group lessons. It’s important to note that these additional services are not included in the Busuu Premium plans. There is a separate cost for these offerings and they may be a little more expensive. However, if you have the budget and are serious about learning a new language, these services can be very useful. The live group lessons range from beginner to advanced and cover a wide variety of topics.
Busuu Special Features
In addition to pre-defined grammar rules and vocabulary lists, Busuu has a blog with entertaining articles on different topics. Here you can test your understanding of the texts.
Topics such as Easter, Netflix movies, Mother’s Day, International Women’s Day or Easter cover interesting content that you may find interesting to learn.
Texts with this everyday content will keep you engaged and may get you to grab a dictionary and look up unfamiliar words.
Busuu uses AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the form of an intelligent vocabulary trainer. It saves your answers, compares them with native vocabulary and phrases, and then tells your strengths and weaknesses. Then it generates a personal vocabulary list. This helps you to practise words that you don’t use easily in each lesson.
Busuu not only covers basic vocabulary for common topics. It also offers additional useful courses for popular languages such as Spanish or French:
- News Lessons: These lessons are based on articles and videos (available in English and Spanish).
- Business courses: You can earn a certificate from McGraw-Hill Education (available in English, French and Dutch).
- Pronunciation courses: These courses focus on correct pronunciation and are available in English, French, Dutch and Italian.
Busuu Target Audience
Learning on Busuu is suitable for anyone who wants to make progress in language learning and is at a level below B2
Of course, you need to take the initiative and set a time every day to learn new vocabulary and to use the language in an active way. Exercises that require you to speak and write will help expand your vocabulary and correct sentence structure.
How Can You Contact Busuu's Customer Service?
You can contact Busuu support by email, using the contact form on the website or via the hotline. However, there are many user reviews online that say the support could be better, so it may take some time to get a response. Patience is key in this regard.
My Personal Experience with Busuu
My experience of learning Italian with Busuu has given me valuable insights that I’d like to share in this review (I’ve also taken numerous screenshots for a more detailed presentation). During my first Busuu lessons, I noticed some strong similarities to Duolingo. Like Duolingo, Busuu motivates users to participate in weekly leagues with other members.
What I really liked about Busuu was the ability to interact with other learners and get feedback from native speakers on my tasks. As I tend to learn languages intuitively, I found the grammar explanations on Busuu very helpful. Sometimes you need rules to guide you. These were a big plus for me on Busuu
Language classes at school limit your ability to express yourself because vocabulary and phrases are only offered for specific everyday topics. This is different at Busuu. Of course it’s standard to talk about yourself, give directions or place an order in a restaurant.
I was also excited to be able to try out another language simultaneously. It allowed me to test the level of my Italian.
What Do We Love About Busuu?
Language learning requires discipline. You need to repeat vocabulary every day so that it becomes part of your long-term memory. Regular practice must become a habit with work, studies, housework and children. Positive incentives are necessary to create feelings of happiness, which Busuu does in many ways.
Community
If you’re stuck and feeling frustrated, the Busuu community is there to help. Your “teacher” is practically always nearby, and if you want, you’ll quickly get the right answer to any question.
Corrections
You can submit written and audio tasks to get feedback and corrections from native speakers on Busuu. You receive positive attention and your achievements are commented on by “strangers”, allowing you to meet more people and build friendships.
Language levels
Each lesson is tailored to a specific language level (A1, A2, B1…), making it easier to keep track of your current progress and stay motivated to achieve your goals
Effective grammar teaching
Busuu does an excellent job of integrating grammar lessons and cultural insights into its courses. Every three to four lessons, an important grammatical principle or rule is highlighted. The topic could be specific articles, possessive adjectives, demonstrative pronouns or the present tense of irregular verbs.
What We Don't Like About Busuu?
One of the main complaints about Busuu is the limited number of languages available. With only 13 languages offered, it falls short of other competitors on the market, such as Pimsleur, which covers over 50 different languages. It’s important to consider language availability as a crucial factor, especially if you’re interested in learning a less common or specific language. Before choosing Busuu, it’s a good idea to check that the language you want to learn is available.
The learning demands increase rapidly. After the introductory lessons, more and more explanations are given in the target language. This can quickly become a challenge for beginners or a motivation to learn more.
Although Busuu is free to use, there are some limitations. A free account only gives you access to flashcards and a limited number of lessons. In other words, you won’t have access to grammar lessons, AI-powered review sessions, personalised learning plans or feedback from the Busuu community.
In the free version, Busuu is only accessible online. Offline learning is only possible when you upgrade to the premium version. In the free version, you have to put up with a lot of advertising. This can be reduced by switching from the web version to the Busuu app.
While there are recordings where you answer questions and occasionally respond to prompts, as well as feedback from native speakers on your pronunciation, these exercises mainly focus on short phrases or sentences.
I was also excited to be able to try out another language simultaneously. It allowed me to test the level of my Italian.
Want to know more? Check out our reviews:
User Reviews on Busuu
Busuu is available on both computers and mobile devices, with many users preferring the app version to minimise advertising in the free version. However, real-time synchronisation between the website and the app is often seen as an area for improvement. Users may find themselves in different lessons on each platform, so it’s advisable to check which lessons have been completed when using both.
Paid content is more prominently displayed in the app compared to the web version, and offline use is only available with the premium model in the app.
In the free version, Busuu is only accessible online. Offline learning is only possible when you upgrade to the premium version. In the free version, you have to put up with a lot of advertising. This can be reduced by switching from the web version to the Busuu app.
Many user reviews point out that the difficulty of the lessons increases rapidly, although some users wish for a more gradual progression. For those who are motivated to put in the time and effort, the increased level of difficulty is not a significant challenge.
My conclusion: Is Busuu worth it?
WHY I RATE BABBEL WITH 6.4/10
Is it worth learning languages with Busuu? Can you really learn a language successfully with the app? My answer is: yes, it is possible to learn languages with Busuu. However, there are a few points to keep in mind.
Busuu has its pros and cons. Compared to similar language learning apps, its strong points outweigh its weaknesses. The interface is well designed and easy to use, providing a better language learning experience than most other apps I’ve tested.
Busuu offers a wide range of learning materials for different languages, with lessons that are interesting and easy to understand. The lessons are short and simple, usually lasting around 10 minutes each. Despite some weak points in certain aspects, especially the lack of pronunciation and speaking exercises, the app is really good in most respects.
If you’re serious about your language learning, my recommendation is to buy the paid version of Busuu. The free version may be fun to use, but there are better free apps with similar features on the market.
If you enjoyed my article, please feel free to share it. Have any questions? Don't hesitate to email me!
Disclaimer: I select and review independently. If you buy through affiliate links, I may earn commissions that help support my testing at no extra cost to you. Please read my full disclosure for more information.
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