Our in-depth Mondly review: Is this language learning app worth it?

Are you trying to work out whether Mondly is the best English learning app for you?

There are several things that set Mondly apart from similar apps:

1. You can learn English with instructions in your native language (41 languages currently available)
2. The price is very affordable, with free basic access and the Premium version costing from $4/month
3. A separate app for kids (Mondly Kids) is included in your subscription
4. Optional VR and AR language applications add an extra dimension to learning

Of course, there are some other things to consider before signing up. In this detailed Mondly review we will cover the app’s usability, pricing, teaching methods, and unique features. We also compare Mondly with some popular alternatives so you can decide which one is right for you.

Is Mondly a game-changer for language learners, or is it all hype? Let’s find out.

Our Mondly review at a glance

1

Mondly language learning app

Short, daily lessons make it easy to improve your English

8.1

Try it now - free access

Highlights: Affordable and approachable English lessons that teach you phrases you'll actually use. Get points from completing daily lessons and work through topics at your own pace.

Price: From $4/month (free trial available)

Special offer:Check discounts for lifetime access

Pros

• Access via app or website
• Receive instructions in your native language (41 languages available)
• Short, fun, daily lessons
• AI and voice recognition keeps lessons varied
• Learn phrases you'll use in real situations

Cons

• Only for beginner and intermediate levels
• Limited grammar teaching
• No personalized feedback on the mistakes you make

What is Mondly by Pearson?

Mondly is a language-learning app that was purchased by education company Pearson in 2022.

Through bite-sized lessons that last around 10 minutes each, Mondly aims to make learning a language fun and effective for beginner and intermediate users.

It helps you focus on learning useful phrases rather than individual words, so you can quickly start using and applying the language yourself.

You can learn 41 different languages using this app, but we are going to focus on what it’s like learning English with Mondly.

Getting started with Mondly

It’s very easy to access your first lesson with Mondly for free.

Either download the app from your usual app store, or visit their website. You’ll need to:

• Pick your native language
• Select the language you want to learn (you can choose from British or American English, which many other apps don’t offer)
• Choose your current proficiency level

You can access Mondly’s English course without creating an account, but your progress will only be saved if you have an account.

Mondly pricing and plans

Mondly pricing is quite simple.

First, there is a free plan that gives access to one category of lessons and a chatbot lesson. You should regard this as a free trial rather than a free learning plan, because it is very limited.

The Premium plan gives full access to all 40 categories, which cover travel, sports, family, making plans, and more everyday topics.

You can choose from the following Premium plan payment options:

• $9.99/month (1 language)
• $47.99/year (1 language)
• $1999 for lifetime access to all 41 languages – often discounted to as little as $89

If you just want to learn English, the annual plan is very reasonable at around $4/month. But if you’re interested in learning several languages, the lifetime plan is excellent value. Just don’t pay the advertised price of $1999; it’s regularly on sale for $89.

Mondly’s interface and unique features

The main dashboard of Mondly is designed like an interactive map, from which you can navigate to different lessons and topics. It can take some time to get used to the layout, as the daily lesson and chatbot are nestled in with the lesson topics.

Once you are familiar with the layout, it’s easy enough to navigate between the different areas of the app, including:

• Topic-based video lessons and practice exercises that you can work through at your own pace
• Daily lessons that take 8-10 minutes each
• Weekly quizzes (accessible after completing all daily lessons for the week)
• Monthly challenges (accessible after completing all weekly quizzes for the month)
• A chatbot with speech recognition technology to help you practice what you’ve learned so far

You get points for completing each lesson, quiz, and challenge, and these are added to your statistics dashboard. From here, you can track your performance (including your daily streak) and see the number of words and phrases you have learned. There’s also a leaderboard where you can compete with your friends and other users.

This whole gamified experience is great for making learning fun and keeping you engaged with the process. You want to come back day after day to maintain your streak and unlock more content.

Other helpful Mondly features include verb conjugation tables and a built-in dictionary which you can access by tapping or clicking on words within the app.

Overall, Mondly is a useful platform for you to learn the basics of the English language and practice real conversations to build your speaking confidence.

Mondly’s learning structure

Mondly uses an AI chatbot and voice recognition technology to offer varied exercises in its language lessons.

The app focuses on teaching you useful phrases rather than individual words and endless grammar rules. As you progress, you’ll be able to apply what you’ve learned to real situations.

Within each topic, you’ll find a series of video lessons, each one with an accompanying practice exercise. The exercises offer a variety of word comprehension, listening comprehension, writing, speaking, and grammar practice.

It’s worth noting that although the chatbot has a computerized voice, the video lessons use real native speakers’ voices, so you get to hear how words are pronounced naturally.

You can complete topics – and the levels within them – in any order you like. This is helpful if you want to focus on one particular area like travel or business English. However, some learners may struggle with the lack of structure.

A common criticism of Mondly is that it does not offer advanced lessons, and some users feel that there isn’t even a significant difference between the lesson content at beginner and intermediate level.

With this in mind, we would only recommend Mondly for beginner and intermediate learners. There are better options for learning advanced English.

Mondly for Business

Some of the modules available on the Mondly app focus on business topics including:

• Customer service
• Planning an event
• Career
• Teamwork

These are all included in the Premium subscription, and provide a good foundation for anyone wanting to learn business English. After this, you may want to take a more in-depth business English course to develop your skills further.

Mondly Kids

This is a great bonus for any parents out there: Your Mondly Premium subscription includes free access to Mondly Kids.

This app works in a similar way to the main one, but with colorful visuals that appeal to younger learners.

Mondly Kids mainly teaches vocabulary through repetition, with some basic sentences also taught. It’s enough to give kids a little confidence recognizing words in a new language, but it doesn’t go very in-depth.

Mondly AR and VR

Mondly offers two additional features that are not available on any other language apps: Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) learning.

Mondly AR is a separate app that’s free for Premium subscribers to access. It acts as a virtual language assistant, creating role-plays with an AI chatbot right where you are. The interactive lessons are a good addition for visual learners who might get bored easily with the regular app.

The Mondly VR app must be purchased separately (for a few dollars) on Steam or Oculus Store, and used with a compatible headset. It’s a fun way to practice your conversation skills and put to use what you have learned elsewhere. But it doesn’t function very well as a standalone teaching tool.

Where Mondly falls short

We’ve already mentioned that Mondly is not suitable for advanced levels and becoming fluent in English. If you’re already at level B2, you should consider a different app (see some alternatives below).

Other limitations of Mondly include:

• Limited grammar instruction: It lacks any detailed explanation of English grammar rules and more difficult tenses. You learn how to use tenses in the given phrases, but you never go deeper into why things are a certain way.
• Basic corrections: If you get something wrong, the app will let you try again or will tell you the correct answer, but there is no explanation of why you were incorrect, to help you learn for next time. Gymglish does this much better.
• Unstructured learning: Topics are not structured in any particular order and there is no continuation from one to the next. Daily lessons can be on any topic, including ones you haven’t studied yet.

So, although Mondly is one of the cheapest language learning apps available, it does lack the personalized feedback and structured curriculum that you get with some other apps.

Mondly alternatives

If this Mondly review has left you uncertain whether it’s the right choice for you, here are a few other language apps to consider.

Mondly vs Gymglish

Gymglish offers a more personalized approach to learning English. Its AI technology customizes each lesson for you, based on your learning goals and your previous performance. It also offers very detailed feedback that actually helps you learn from your mistakes.

So, if you want a personal English learning experience in an app, Gymglish could be a better choice.

Each lesson takes 10-15 minutes to complete and centers around several characters. There is a good dose of humor to keep the lessons light-hearted and enjoyable.

Read our full Gymglish review for more details, or try Gymglish free for 1 month.

Mondly vs Rocket Languages

Rocket Languages covers a similar range of English levels to Mondly; there is just one course designed for beginner to intermediate level.

So, the main differences between Mondly and Rocket Languages are in the course content, the technology behind them, and the pricing.

The content is similar, divided into topics which each have vocabulary, conversation, listening, speaking, and writing exercises. But unlike Mondly, where these exercises are all jumbled into one lesson, with Rocket Languages you approach each aspect individually.

Like Gymglish, Rocket Languages uses an algorithm to understand the areas you’re struggling with, so you can repeat them until you improve. This makes it a more personalized English app than Mondly.

Rocket English costs $20/month with a 6-month plan, but you can purchase lifetime access for $99 – and there are often discounts available.

Mondly vs Lingopie

Lingopie opts for an entirely different approach in comparison to Mondly. Lingopie is more video-focused, making the language-learning process more interactive and engaging.

The app lets you learn English while watching your favorite Netflix shows. You can pause any time to check definitions of words using Lingopie’s interactive subtitles, and save them to your vocabulary list in one click.

This is a fun way to learn, especially if you spend hours a day bingeing Netflix shows anyway.

A Lingopie subscription starts from $6/month and there’s also a lifetime option. Read our full review of Lingopie to learn more, or try it free for 7 days now.

So, is Mondly worth it?

Mondly is one of the cheapest apps for learning languages, costing just $4/month with an annual plan. For this price, it’s a decent investment for beginners who want to become more confident understanding and speaking English.

Its unique features like augmented reality and gamification make language learning fun and engaging. It also doesn’t require a huge time investment; you can complete one daily lesson and one topic lesson in about 20 minutes.

However, it does have its limitations. Unlike other language programs, you don’t receive detailed teaching or feedback, which means you only get a basic understanding of the language.

For intermediate and advanced learners, and anyone who wants a more personalized learning experience, Gymglish is a better alternative to Mondly.

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