Rosetta Stone vs Duolingo Review (Which Is Better?)

[@TestPrepInsight]

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[@bananabs3624]

Wow man, I’ve been listening to you and your teams advice for over a year now, and you have been really helpful! I decided to learn French with busuu from your review of it and comparisons with others, and have gotten to an A2/ almost B1 level! I just want to say thank you so much for your help for the past year and a bit and I am so happy that you guys have gotten to 17k subscribers! When I started watching you were only 2k :)

[@CompactJitters]

I have Duolingo, but I've been considering Rosetta Stone since I like visuals, and I've noticed a lot of that in their advertising. Thanks for going over the pros and cons of each.

[@TestPrepInsight]

No problem. Thanks for watching!

[@911Teresa911]

That 60% discount sold me ! Thank you for the feedback on both websites! :)

[@TestPrepInsight]

No problem! Let us know what you think

[@andthatsshannii]

This is probably coming from a place of privilege where I can afford quite a few language learning resources at one time, but I actually love using both. I love the fact that Rosetta Stone throws you in the deep end with the language. Then, I follow that up with Duolingo's little nuggets of grammar lessons. Because as much as language learning experts will tell me that we learn better without grammar rules, I feel like I need them for verb tables. I mean, even when I was learning English, I actually DID explicitly learn grammar around the same time I was learning accuracy. I didn't just pick it up by osmosis. I was learning grammar in English class at school. Plus, it's nice to use instinct, but once I get it wrong, it's helpful to know exactly WHAT I did wrong, not just get told the right answer. The more I know about the rule, the easier it is to apply my learning from previous mistakes to other, similar words and sentences. For example, picking up the French passé composé with Rosetta Stone has been really hard. I didn't understand why sometimes it had to be "je suis" and sometimes it was "j'ai". It was nice to have other resources explicitly teaching grammar that told me how to distinguish between the two auxiliary verbs. And then, of course, I don't just rely on those, either. I listen to TV and podcasts in my target language - which are largely free. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to find some cheap books in a charity shop - especially if it's around a university. It's a proven fact that new learning sticks better when we get access to the same information/knowledge in multiple different forms. That's why I dislike when people act like one app is better than the other because of the way it teaches you. The more teachers you have with different methods, the better.

[@TestPrepInsight]

All great points- thanks so much for sharing!

[@ameliarose47]

As a native English speaker, trying to learn "rules" of the English language sounds like hell. I'm trying to learn Korean and I'm SHOCKED at how organized everything is compared to English.

[@davidrona]

I com from a place of privilege as well and I created and AI bot that accelerated my learning far beyond both...enjoy your travels

[@robh4671]

I did a full course of Rosetta Stone German, and it took me three years to complete, today if I watch a film totally in German, I hardly understand any of the talking, yes I can order food at a restaurant, ask my way around i.e. directions, do a bit of shopping and that's it. after three years ..I have only the very basic understanding of the language, I have learned the best way to become fluent is to go live in the country so you can totally immerse yourself in that language, that's impossible for most people including me , in essence I enjoyed the challenge and was happy to complete the course, and I can have conversation as long as its within the context of the course, the Rosetta Stone course should be seen as a very basic foundation to build on.

[@ramoin2612]

It depends on the movie. I find it easier to grasp cartoons, reality tv, documentaries and some news in french. Movies? Hardly. Fluency is a bit too ambitious of a goal, if you ask me.

[@shawnykennedy4250]

Thanks for the review! I am using Duolingo (free app) to learn Japanese as I plan to travel to Japan with my daughter when she completes her Master program! She challenged me to learn at least 20 words, so I'm on it!! Loving the format thus far. As I'm retired I am not in a position to pay for language courses so this is working out well so far! :)

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad it's working for you!

[@bobfognozzle]

I completed both rosetta and duolingo (german) i can read but cannot understand real Germans speaking German…my grammar sucks and I can’t form sentences from scratch. Again I can read but not hear or speak. LingQ has unlocked the hearing and speech part. The key is to practice speech and reading.

[@rocknroll427]

When using apps to learn languages you should also try to teach it to yourself by learning the alphabet beforehand and watching or listening to music or shows in that language to help yourself adjust and keep your brain from forgetting what you have learned.

[@jeffrey2315]

Great video! I had purchased Rosetta Stone for Japanese years ago and loved it. After taking an extended break (I should have been using it during lockdown!! :) ) I went to dive back in and realized that while I had the CDs (yes, I purchased it that long ago) I couldn't find the activation code! So unfortunately I was faced with either re-purchasing or maybe making the switch. This video helped with that decision immensely. Thank you!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Great! Glad we could help, and good luck!

[@jackiechiles7552]

i do really like Duo and have a 200+ day streak but looking to boost my learning. thanks for the helpful vid

[@wellcoachlynell]

You helped me make a decision. Rosetta Stone vs. Duolingo- excellent review.

[@melissaruth6437]

I used Rosetta Stone for french a few years ago but didn’t get very far and failed to speak it well in Montreal. I now will be traveling to Chile so working on my Spanish. I appreciate this review because I have a lifetime membership to Rosetta Stone but was wondering about the others.

[@kakeinfanzon1599]

Just so you know Chilean Spanish is probably the hardest Spanish to understand. Its hard even for native speakers.

[@kingsofsummer858]

This really helped. Been using Duolingo but not getting anywhere so gonna try Rosetta Stone. Thanks

[@thearmbrechts8901]

We homeschool and my girls have been using Duolingo for a year. I am realizing how little they are actually grasping and I think RS will be a better platform to learn from. Thanks for the video!

[@doggiesarus]

I decided to get Rosetta Stone because they have some unusual languages like Irish, Hindi and Filipino. I like the little "fill in circle" when the voice matching thing tells you that you have pronounced a word correctly. I also like the stories. I have learned through my other languages that reading (aloud and silently), even easy "fairy tales" you learn quite a lot.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Very cool - thanks for sharing!

[@TomAFitch]

I’m currently doing both now for about two weeks. Your review is spot on.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Awesome, thank you! Good luck

[@alainar6674]

Thanks for the great review! I use Duolingo now but I’d really like to try Rosetta Stone after watching this video.

[@AdHoc741]

Thank you so much for the review & discount! I appreciate it.

[@TestPrepInsight]

No problem!!

[@kennybania5177]

Great comparison. I use Rosetta Stone and really like it!

[@David.drinkingtea]

Just what I was looking for! How about a video of books you should study for the the bar exam, might be a good prep study guide idea

[@valeriejoines5037]

I want to learn French because I graduated from culinary school a few years back & one of my chef instructors is French & came here when he was in his 30's so very thick accent & I loved it! Plus a trip to France knowing how to communicate would be great

[@TestPrepInsight]

Oh yeah, that would be great. Thanks for watching!

[@ksantos0511]

I just bought the program with your discount code lol. Thanks for the good deal

[@TestPrepInsight]

No problem, good luck!

[@sidneezingara1976]

I’ve used Duo for Irish. There’s not a lot of sound bites and no feedback for pronunciation. A while ago they added Scots Gaelic which has a lot more native speaker sounds. If I’d spent the last 2040 days learning something useful for me, I’d be practically fluent!

[@TestPrepInsight]

good luck! tough languages!

[@sidneezingara1976]

@@TestPrepInsight yes they are! I’m amazed at how much I understand, though. I was watching an old favorite movie, Ring of Bright Water, which takes place mostly in Scotland. I’ve seen it many times, but when I watched it a few months ago, I recognized and understood the Scots Gaelic that was spoken!

[@SEHipple]

Thanks! I tried both Duo and Rosetta Stone for Korean - just the earliest of lessons, and Duo starts with just the Korean letters, and it is really boring. RS starts much more immersive. So I was leaning toward RS, but I really appreciate having that inclination seconded by someone who knows more than me about both apps.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad we could help! Good luck :)

[@stephanieparker5333]

I’ve been using Duolingo, but I think I’ll give Rosetta Stone a shot now. Thank you.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Nice! Thanks for watching :)

[@RosanneLoriMalowany]

I have used Duolingo for two years and I am half way through the course. I find the app entertaining. I love the podcasts to learn from as well. However, the exercises are a bit too repetitive. Thank-you for your review and I am seriously checking out Rosetta Stone app now. Cheers!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks for sharing!

[@sakshigoyal1013]

Thanks for the review! Learning french as it'll come in handy while applying for B-school in France.

[@yayas.645]

Was looking forward to this comparison, since I used Duo for years but didn't feel complete. Thank you!

[@therealpeterparker]

I have been using Duolingo to learn Korean....or I should say try to learn. I wish that there was better way for me to review vocabulary. I would really like it if I could create a personalized list of opposite words or similar looking words so that I could work on recognizing the differences. I like the idea of learning through visualizations as well that Rosetta seems to offer.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Good luck!

[@AdrianC.98]

Hello , did you use rosseta for studyingkorean? Im also learning that language

[@jenk601]

Thanks for this information! Very helpful!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad it was helpful!

[@BazArt-x6r]

Thanks for this fella, very informative. I think I will try both. I used Linguaphone for learning Spanish which is good BUT you have a time limit which is annoying. Thanks for this great video!

[@valkrie1990]

Great comparison for someone trying to navigate through these waters!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks!

[@ericjohnson5330]

I like them both. I love the writing letters features especially for Chinese characters in Duolingo.

[@TheTeliya]

Thanks for the information. I have duolingo and wanted to find out more about Rosetta stone.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad we could help :)

[@jonangle461]

Rosetta has a lot of good features in the extras, surprised they aren’t part of the main lessons

[@billiemink77]

I am learning French with two of my grandchildren and because I subscribe to the plus family version of dingo one of my other grandchildren is learning German I am 106 days into a streak which for me is incredible as a dyslexic 73 year old woman who only has a fourth grade education One of my children offered to subscribe me just to Rosetta Stone when I have completed my subscription with Duolingo thus I came here and found your wonderful video comparing the two I appreciate you and apologize for the run-on sentences lack of the medical skills and complete absence of punctuation

[@ChrisCal619]

Great review as always

[@markduffey]

Thanks for the review!

[@TestPrepInsight]

No worries!

[@alexandremarchetti8964]

I use Duolingo to learn Italian because my ancestors came from Italy. I didn't know about Rosetta, but I will try Rosetta Stone.

[@TestPrepInsight]

You should! Good luck and have fun :)

[@loralingenfelter6534]

Very helpful review! Thank you

[@avilevin23]

Thank you for the Rosetta discount!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Any time! Thanks for watching!

[@maryamshahi2874]

So useful,keep on the good job👏🏻

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks!!

[@Prodigious82]

Thanks, these videos are super helpful. Just curious, with all the reviews you've done on language platforms are you fluent in multiple languages? Which ones?

[@alannahfoley3088]

Thanks for sharing this. Very useful.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad it was helpful!

[@OphyLa]

First off, thank you for all of the excellent reviews you do on language learning apps! I've been trying to figure out for some time, which app would work best for me and my learning style. And your reviews have been really helpful for pointing me in the direction of apps to try out first. 😄🙌 If you ever are looking for suggestions, I have a few thoughts on videos I would be super interested in seeing. As I've gone through your videos and tried out a few apps, I feel like it could be really helpful to combine a couple of apps. And you mentioned combining apps and a few of your videos. It could be cool to maybe take a specific app, and looking at how it would synergize with other apps. How those two apps together may help fill in each other's gaps, and lead to a more well-rounded learning experience. Or maybe pairing those two particular apps, has a bit of redundancy. It may not be as worth it. I love coming up with ideas... So in the vein of just throwing out random ideas that you may or may not be interested in (no worries if you don't do any of them 😆)... I'd also be interested in a review based on the most accessible language learning tools. Ones that have features that are supportive for the visually impaired, colorblind, limited mobility, or perhaps have text that is dyslexic friendly, etc. Also... I saw that rocket languages has an option for learning sign language. It got me curious which apps would be the best for learning sign language. I've always wanted to reach fluency in ASL, yeah it can sometimes be daunting to self teach. And opportunities for more structured learning are not always easy to find. Having a structured language learning program for ASL could be amazing! Final thought... I've noticed in a few videos that you note that the Duolingo free version has a cap on learning / hearts. And it kinda does. But there is a way to get around that, by using the "practice to earn more hearts" feature, on the phone app. Unsure if it would be on the computer version as well. It is a nice feature to know about though, for those who may need the more budget friendly free version. 😊 Thanks again for being amazing and so helpful! I plan on always looking for a test prep affiliate link, when purchasing any language learning tools! Ciao! Adios! Au revoir!

[@slavisapetric9899]

This was very helpful. Thank you so much

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad it was helpful!

[@boczbalazs3499]

I tried Duolingo and alternatív about two months it really started to annoy me. To me the only substantial upside seems to be the free version. On the other hand I am usong Rosetta Stone To learn Dutch and it really helps improving pronounciation, and through that, retention.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Awesome! Thanks for watching and sharing!

[@stevegreenwood8168]

Great review. Thanks

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks for watching!

[@st-christian14]

I'm learning Spanish for work. There are a lot of Spanish customers in my work and I feel bad because I could not assist them because of the language barrier. So hopefully I'll be able to learn their language with the help of one of these language learning apps. I've been using Duolingo for awhile now because of its free content, but I haven't tried the other apps since I couldn't afford it right now. I would love to try a new app to help me with my goals. Thanks for the video and the detailed review on your website!

[@angela-maia]

Thank you for the information! Great video! Rosetta Stone looks like a good option with all the extras they provide.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Yes it does! Thanks for watching and sharing!

[@senorconejo6760]

Thanks a lot for your recommendations ❤

[@TestPrepInsight]

My pleasure 😊

[@teuida]

How about using TEUIDA to learn Korean and Japanese:)

[@jasonsartain972]

I was on the fence about if I should buy Rosetta Stone. After listening to the comparison with duo lingo, it was an easy decision.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad to help!

[@Acidicwest]

Thank you this video was helpful

[@AzureBlueStarr33]

Great review!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks!

[@lamorena6379]

You forgot to mention that Rosetta Stone has way more languages offered

[@TestPrepInsight]

True! Always a factor...Thanks for watching!

[@wbcorkery]

Thanks so much for the video

[@TestPrepInsight]

No problem

[@randyholdaway8851]

I want to learn Italian my great grandparents came here from Italy and I would like to know about those roots. All of my family speaks English and I myself have been separated from that side of the family but I so want to go to my roots. I went to Italy recently and just got a stronger connection of wanting to learn Italian

[@TestPrepInsight]

Very cool! That will be a fun reason to learn

[@MrRichard1280]

Thanks for this video

[@TestPrepInsight]

No problem. Thanks for watching!

[@chuckiepeoples]

What blows is I had the entire Tagalog box set, then they said they were discontinuing the reader, so you wouldn’t be able to play the CDs on your laptop anymore. So, that lifetime plan ended abruptly and I wasn’t too happy.

[@robertandersson3417]

I am learning Filipino because I have a Filipino girlfriend, and I want to surprise her by learning her language :)

[@TestPrepInsight]

Very coo, love that reason :)

[@anizzamoniblessed616]

Cool which language

[@robertandersson3417]

@@anizzamoniblessed616 Tagalog:)

[@andrewross6060]

Great job 👍

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks 👍

[@guy7622]

I've used Duolingo for a while and feel like I've learned a lot. I didn't take a language in school and wanted to make a goal to learn Spanish on my own. Now though, I catch myself doing the lessons because of the risk of being demoted each week. Hate having to compete. Wish I was at the point where I could listen and comprehend sentences, but not yet. I can pick out the translation, but not able to listen as in conversation. Wondering if I'll get to that place with Duolingo.

[@MarieFrancineToussaint]

Good review!!! I'm learning curently mandarin. I do so to help my boys.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks for watching!

[@skouterr]

I love both of them but I only use them as tools to help me learn languages.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Nice :)

[@L.u.c.e.r.o.]

I have used Duolingo off and on for around 10 years. It has helped me improve my Spanish skills. I think Duo is good for someone who already knows the language and wants to improve it. Like the video states, Duo does not include a lot of graphics. For these reasons, I think Duo is not a good choice for beginners, such as my 8-year-old grandson. Rosetta Stone would be my first choice for him because he is a visual learner. Does Rosetta Stone sell individual subscriptions for elementary school age children apart from school districts? I would only need one subscription because he is homeschooled.

[@GarrisonMorton]

Rosetta Stone is now bundling ALL their courses for 200 dollars lifetime. (One time payment). That sounds like a much better deal than Duolingo to me.

[@theproffessional9]

I feel like Duolingo has gone down in quality so much at this point it's essentially useless. I have been using it for years now and in the last couple months they have dumbed it down so much that it feels like I'm just going around in circles and not really improving that much. Duolingo used to have proficiency test so you could check how you were advancing and they had more advanced grammar and now it feels like they're just trying to get you to Elementary School level of grammar and then tell you "Okay time for daily refresh" Which is just repeating the same basic lessons like you're an elementary school student, it just does not make any sense if you want to become deeply fluent.

[@TestPrepInsight]

totally agree. feels like they are trying to dumb it down to keep you in the app for as long as possible rather than actually teaching

[@Emyrus17]

I am hoping to learn Japanese for my career. (I want to learn it for fun too) I would also like to learn Irish given that it is the language of where my family came from.

[@futuristnicole9582]

Thank you for the 60% off

[@SCIFIVAMPIRE]

I tried Rosetta for Korean but for me the immersion method for a character based language with a different sentence order was too frustrating.

[@TestPrepInsight]

I get that. In the settings you should be able to adjust it to do it without characters (to see how how things are pronounced phonetically)

[@AashisDahal]

helpful as always😊😊

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad you think so!

[@LironLei]

Great review.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks for watching!

[@richardross612]

Great video

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks!

[@WillemvanderBurg]

I would like to learn Greek an have no idea what is best... i prefer Rosetta Stone as it looks better... But do they also have from Dutch to Greek? I only see English to Greek...

[@TestPrepInsight]

Hmmm, for Dutch to Greek, you may have to look into Pimsleur. They are fairly good about offering courses from languages other than in English into other languages. Thanks for watching!

[@jgg650]

I'm learning Spanish because I want to be able to talk and understand my family

[@TestPrepInsight]

That's cool :)

[@PaolaTorres-re3se]

I am learning French because I am moving there to work inParis

[@frenchwannaloseweight]

Oh take care in Paris ! It's not Paris as depicted in Emily in Paris

[@johannes_keeper]

Bonne chance !

[@yayas.645]

And I am learning Chinese because for one it seems very useful and am teaching Spanish.

[@huzaifakhundkar1600]

Informative discourse for learners

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thank you

[@mistertwister7658]

i have been using duolingo for the longest time but i feel like i dont actually learn the language just the answers

[@TestPrepInsight]

That is definitely one of the shortcomings with Duo

[@afrocentricalbion]

I have been using Duolingo for about 3 years. I've enjoyed it, for the most part, but wish it featured video content. Having tried other (free) resources, I feel that the app is definitely lacking in that regard. It's a breath of fresh air to see video content. It feels like going outside after studying in a windowless room. Would it be worth considering both at the same time, or would this be counter productive?

[@TestPrepInsight]

Yes, often times combining apps is the best approach. It makes you mentally reconcile differences in what they teach you, which promotes a deeper understanding. And the different approaches helps with retention. Good luck!

[@Anonymous__S]

Has Rosetta stone gotten better in voice recognition in these two months? Aside from the ocasional student who was forced to install it by their school, every single 1 star rev at Google Play is a complain of how frustrating and useless voice recognition is. And the most recent are literally 10 days ago

[@Larenz2022]

When will the link be updated for rosetta stone?

[@TestPrepInsight]

I think it should be working...

[@tantan1626]

The old duolingo version was nice that current version is kinda messed up 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@TestPrepInsight]

Agree

[@allisonparker6950]

Spanish! I am trying to teach my daughter to be bilingual at an earlier age

[@TestPrepInsight]

Learning alongside your kid can be a blast :)

[@Your_average_American15]

I have a lifetime subscription with every language

[@chrisvonahnen3578]

My kid just started learning Spanish in School

[@sarzootashoota]

You should get one of these programs and learn along with them!!! It would really help them do better and create a great bonding moment.

[@restinrip7370]

I love duolingo and will give rosseta stone a chance

[@TestPrepInsight]

Nice! Thanks for watching and sharing!

[@clindsey30]

I'm learning spanish right now to speak with my coworkers.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Cool :)

[@YoghurtEquity]

As a polyglot myself, and serious learner: Duolingo is a kids platform... but it's great for practicing once you've leveled way up, that's when it gets less easy. But the keyword is "practicing", not "learning". Visual learning is way better imo, no translation in your head irl. Yet, it's not enough, so learn these (on your own): 1) Phonetics (how the language sounds). 2) Grammar (verbs, nouns, etc.) 3) Morphology (words gender, etc.) 4) Syntax (the correct sequence of the words). 5) Lexicon (vocabulary (words) + expressions). 6) Pragmatics (formality, politeness, etc.) 7) Orthography (spelling, punctuation, etc.) That'd be more than enough, but to master it: 8) Semantics (meanings, double meaning, etc.) 9) Culture (historics, slang, local words, etc.) Bye.

[@Generic20]

Thanks for the insight :)

[@TestPrepInsight]

No worries! Thanks for watching!

[@jeanniedevereaux5857]

French, because I love the language

[@JakeJ254]

Rosetta Stone looks much better!

[@vipnetworker]

I’d like to learn multiple languages, starting with Spanish. Mandarin also seems very useful, but difficult. Duolingo is fun like a game, but Rosetta Stone seems more focused on learning.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Totally agree. Thanks for watching!

[@07rg89]

Rosetta stone is better I think

[@robertryan3268]

Lit helps!!

[@envy4932]

I use Duolingo like it quite a bit

[@lykonos]

I remember trying Rosetta Stone and agree its more comprehensive, but I think ultimately Duolingo is better because its much easier to keep up in the long term. Also, now that Duolingo has the paths system it integrates spaced repetition into the program which I think is key for memorization. Does Rosetta Stone do this too?

[@TestPrepInsight]

Yes, Rosetta builds in spaced repetition as well through a review function every lesson

[@UsBallVilockea24]

I think I like duolingo better, Cause rosetta stone is just too difficult to use😭

[@nicholasfield6127]

I'm trying to learn German because we want to move to Germany!

[@TestPrepInsight]

That's so cool :)

[@YoghurtEquity]

4:20, I came here looking for the best, not the cheapest. When looking for the best language learning software, being free is not an upside for Duolingo. Being "fun" isn't either, we're not kids.