Rosetta Stone
Because of its intensive approach to learning and user-friendly design, this is our top-ranked language platform. Language learners are thrown into the deep end, with all English references removed, forcing you to carefully read the Spanish text to grasp each job. And review units gently encourage learners to practice the areas of the course that they found difficult.
The majority of courses are based on word and visual association, which is quite common for learning apps. We liked how the photos were carefully chosen to showcase the platform's broad user base.
If a lesson leaves you wanting more, you can use the 'extended learning' resource. These sections provide information about Spanish-speaking countries' social and cultural features. We also appreciated how these sections were frequently narrated by different speakers, so you could get used to hearing somewhat different accents.
Rosetta Stone also provides coaching and live one-on-one courses. However, these are now only included in the somewhat more expensive Lifetime Premium subscription option, which is generally priced approximately $299.
However, there are regular deals for this, bringing the price down by $50 or more. Most users will be well served by the 12-month bundle, which often costs less than $100 and provides access to unlimited languages for a whole year.
Specifications
- Formats: Windows PC, Mac, iOS, Android
- Free trial: 3 days
- Offline lessons: Yes
Website: www.rosettastone.com
Reasons to buy
- Easy to use
- Great companion mobile app
- Business and educator subscription options
Reasons to avoid
- Live tutoring costs extra
- Problems with voice recognition
