When it comes to learning a foreign language, many people turn to either Duolingo or Memrise for help.
But which is better Duolingo or Memrise?
In this article, we’ll compare the two platforms and discuss their key features and comparisons.
What Exactly Is Duolingo?
Duolingo is an excellent way to learn a target language online.
Its platform design uses the gaming element to keep you engaged and motivated throughout the process.
It starts off simple, with bite-sized lessons consisting of one or more tests followed by a final test at the end of each lesson.
This allows for a gentle introduction to the spoken language and increased confidence as you progress. (Check out ‘Who Has The Longest Duolingo Streak?‘)
The tests are also carefully designed so that even if you don’t know all the new words in the test, it does not impede your score or mean that you will fail.
In order to get familiar with words, Duolingo provides visual cues alongside them by means of pictures to help augment understanding.
Beyond that, sentences and expressions are also used, as well as a sentence structure explanation, which provides further context and helps solidify comprehension.
What Is Memrise?
Memrise is an amazing study aid for anyone who wishes to learn a new language or memorize information from any other subject.
It is a general language learning site and has a great user interface allowing its users to navigate through various language courses that can help you in a wide range of languages.
Memrise works by having the user complete lessons, and each lesson remains locked until the end of the current one. (See also ‘Is Memrise Worth It? detailed review 2023‘)
The lessons are designed to challenge, test and enhance your understanding of new words, signs, and expressions in a fun and achievable way.
The platform offers endless possibilities with its wide selection of courses which range from beginner level to intermediate level as well as advanced level learning opportunities.
Every language course created on this platform is searchable using keywords and can easily be shared with family and friends who also have an account on Memrise, so they can enjoy it too.
Furthermore, its simple yet helpful reminders ensure that users review their progress regularly, so they don’t forget what they have studied earlier.
Which Is Better Duolingo Or Memrise?
Languages
Duolingo offers an extensive range of language options for language learners, depending on their starting language.
For English speakers, there are a whopping 38 different languages to learn, including some of the most popular such as Spanish, French, Japanese, and German.
Additionally, Duolingo also has niche languages that allow users to explore fictional worlds, like Klingon.
By comparison, Memrise’s offering is much more limited, with only 23 languages currently available, all real – no fiction-based languages.
Nevertheless, this may still provide enough of a selection for people looking to try out a new language or brush up on one they had previously learned in the past.
No matter what your starting point is in terms of learning experience and pre-existing knowledge, chances are both platforms will offer you something catered to what you’re looking for.
Learning Structures
Duolingo is known for its intuitive interface, which makes it easy to use both as a website and a language learning app.
The layout is simple to navigate, allowing you to quickly access the different lessons and resources that Duolingo provides.
Additionally, Duolingo’s visuals are more fun and interactive than other language learning programs and platforms – from the playful fonts to the cartoon-like images, there are plenty of graphical elements that can keep you engaged in the learning process.
Memrise is an effective tool for learning new words and phrases.
It utilizes a flashcard-style curriculum to help break apart the language into more manageable pieces.
After you start a course, you’ll see lists of words and phrases that become increasingly more advanced as you make your way through the course material.
To gain a better understanding of each word or phrase, Memrise offers to Teach me buttons for individual words and phrases, as well as videos with native speakers reciting them aloud.
These audiovisual aids assist in not only being able to pronounce the word correctly but also creating associations or memories from the word’s corresponding image or action.
Online Communities
When it comes to online forums, Memrise definitely has the upper hand.
Memrise boasts an extensive user forum that covers a variety of topics.
From learning questions, grammar and sentence structures, advice, and tips for better language acquisition, users can find answers to almost any question they may ask.
Duolingo used to offer many helpful features available through their active language forums as well.
However, on March 22nd of 2022, these detailed language resources were taken away and left with only aspects related to community building like the ability for users to add friends and participate in weekly leagues.
Unofficial communities still exist that aren’t directly managed by the Duolingo team which is why it’s important for other platforms like Memrise that provide this aspect besides the core learning ones to be appreciated and recognized.
Prices
Pricing is one of the most important factors to consider when selecting a language learning platform.
The popular language learning platform Duolingo offers several pricing options that cater to both casual and serious users.
Their monthly plan costs $12.99 and provides access to all their lessons with no ads or restrictions, plus unlimited progress quizzes.
For an even better deal, their yearly plan costs just $79.99, or slightly less than $7 per month, a great discount if you’re looking for long-term value.
They also have a Family Plan option which is suitable for 2 – 6 users and comes in at only $119.99 a year, making it a great choice for larger groups who need multiple accounts.
If you are on a tighter budget and seeking out more affordable alternatives, look no further than Memrise Pro which provides access to 30,000 native speaker video clips and offline content downloads for far less than Duolingo Plus’s pricing plans at roughly $8.99 a month.
Which Is Best?
Learning a language can be an intimidating endeavor, but Duolingo and Memrise make it much more accessible for even the casual language learner.
Both Memrise VS Duolingo offer a wealth of content to help guide you along your journey toward fluency.
While different in a lot of ways, both are effective tools for developing the speaking and listening skills necessary to become proficient in a foreign language.
Duolingo is great for those who prefer to learn by doing. By harnessing gaming-style elements and using interactive exercises, the platform allows learners to really dive into and comprehend new words and phrases with minimal effort.
On the other hand, Memrise is great at helping learners build vocabulary with its unique content emphasizing memorization techniques.
Both of these platforms recognize that learning languages can take quite a bit of time and attempt to simplify various steps in order to make them more manageable for the regular student.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, both Duolingo and Memrise are great language-learning apps.
Both have their own strengths and weaknesses, so it really comes down to the individual’s needs and preferences in their language-learning journey.
Those who prefer a more game-based approach may find Duolingo more to their liking, while those looking for more comprehensive memorization techniques may find Memrise better suited to their needs.
