Mondly is an online language education platform that uses gamification to make language learning fun and engaging. The app claims to play your way of improving your writing, speaking, reading, and listening skills.
But is Mondly any good for learning a language? Is it worth your time, effort, and money? What languages are available to learn? How effective is this app?
If you aim to use this app to learn a foreign language, it may be worth checking whether it works.
I have all the answers to your questions. Here are all the details you need to make the right decision, including features, how it works, pricing, benefits, and drawbacks.
Let’s discover everything in this honest 2024 Mondly review.
I provided as much detail as possible. As a result, this is a comprehensive review of Mondly. Using the table of contents, you can jump directly to the sections that interest you most.
So let’s begin!
Table of Contents
All About the Mondly Language Platform
Check out this Mondly review to learn everything you need about this language learning app.
What is Mondly?
Mondly is an online language-learning platform established in Romania. Alexandru Iliescu and Tudor Iliescu, graduates from the Transilvania University of Brașov, founded the company in 2013.
This EdTech has developed many freemium language learning courses. It has 33 languages as a beginner’s free service with paid options later.
In May 2014, the company launched its first app on iTunes and then on Google Play in 2015. Later, they also created MondlyVR, MondlyAR, and MondlyKids to add more features and expand the user base.
Mondly operates from Brasov, Romania. Today, with over 75 million users, it is one of the world’s most downloaded language-learning apps.
In April 2022, Pearson acquired Mondly; thus, Pearson owns and controls the company.
What languages can you learn on Mondly?
You can pick and learn 41 languages. This includes well-known names like Arabic, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and Portuguese.
You can choose one of the many less-taught tongues. For instance, Latin, Afrikaans, Romanian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Latvian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Slovak, etc.
You can study 3 famous Scandinavian languages: Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish. Also, South and East Asia Hindi, Bengali, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Thai.
Regardless of your choice of language and combination, you have plenty of choices.
All courses have the same topics. So changing language doesn’t entirely change the learning approach. For example, looking for a taxi, going on vacation, ordering food in a restaurant, etc.
Who is Mondly For?
Taking a language course is like riding a roller coaster. A sense of triumph and excitement awaits at the end. But it can be challenging, despite its many benefits. If you have the same problem, you are not alone.
Most learners cannot devote enough time to language study because of a lack of time. And if you are learning it by yourself, you will be confused about correct usage, sentence formation, and pronunciation.
That is why market players like Mondly have developed language apps. With this, you can still establish a solid basis for language study, even with a reduced time commitment.
Anyone with a smartphone, tablet, or laptop may use it, and it does not require enrolling in a language school. It is also less costly than lessons taught by a teacher. Of course, it is not as effective as the traditional method, but at least it will get you started.
This program assists anyone who wishes to study and improve a new language through self-study. According to the company, everyone will benefit from it.
Mondly mixes various innovative ideas to help you study and improve your target language faster and easier.
The content helps you learn unfamiliar words, sentences, and grammar rules. Besides, the app combines speech recognition and bite-sized lessons to help you enhance your conversation skills.
You may like to read → (i) Is Duolingo plus worth it? (ii) Is Memrise good? (iii) HelloTalk app review (iv) Is Lingopie worth it? (v) Review of MosaLingua (vi) Is Lingopie effective? (vii) Is Babbel any good? (viii) Is Busuu worth the money? (ix) Is Pimsleur worth it? (x) Does Rosetta Stone work?
How does it work?
It’s built around daily lessons centered on games and language translations, a chatbot, and unique augmented reality capabilities.
According to its website, the software may let you “play your way to a new language” and speak “faster than anybody else.” It was created by merging neurological concepts with cutting-edge technology.
Mondly allows you to decide your own speed based on your schedule and learning habits. You have complete control over when and how much you study. It has brief sessions you may easily fit into your timetable.
It’s a fantastic opportunity to immerse oneself in settings and dialogue and incorporate speaking exercises far more effective than learning to speak on your own.
You do not require to create an account right off the bat. Instead, the app’s tutorial takes you through the basics of the application. Then you get a preview of the learning methods.
This initial learning sequence is brief, meant to give you a taste of what it’s like to learn on Mondly. First, you get points for your learning session and display your statistics. Then, after seeing for yourself, you click “Continue” to continue studying.
After that, however, your options are restricted to a free account. They offer this in seven classes in the “Hello” theme and a daily lesson for the trial.
Every twelve hours, the daily lessons open, and completing an entire week of everyday lessons unlocks a more extended weekly test. However, if you skip a day, you cannot take the weekly test.
You also unlock a monthly challenge if you finish each weekly question. Access to additional study materials is a fantastic motivator to return each day and continue your studies.
You can access the remaining classes by signing up for a premium account. The categories or topics are diverse, from basics like greeting and hotel reservations to specifics like sports or entertainment.
What makes Mondly unique?
Besides Mondly, the company’s top language learning app, they offer a lot of variations. It caters to multiple requirements at length and with specific focus areas.
They offer Oxford Assessments based on the Oxford 3000 and Oxford Practice Grammar examinations.
It follows the CEFR principles in these practice exams and lectures. Thus, it helps the specific needs of those who want to take up CEFR-based exams like DELF, DALF, CILS, CAPLE, DELE, SIELE, TCF Quebec, Telc, etc.
1. MondlyWORKS
This is a business-focused version of Mondly that includes dashboards and bulk subscriptions. It assists companies in tracking their workers’ learning progress.
Mondly has a language-learning chatbot set up to mimic a conversation. This enables you the opportunity to practice the language you’re learning.
It has a virtual interlocutor. It also asks you to reply to conversational hints. For instance, a general hello or a role-play at a restaurant. It then proposes specific responses, but it will accept other valid ones.
2. MondlyVR
This is Mondly’s virtual reality application. It is like the Mondly app’s Chatbot, except it uses virtual reality to place you in a simulated setting.
VR places you at a restaurant with a server if you’re practicing the “Restaurant” dialogue. If you’re having the “Hotel” conversation, you’re at a reception desk.
3. MondlyAR
It uses augmented reality (AR) technology to scan your room and display a tutor and animations for the words you’re learning.
It’s comparable to a lecture in a classroom, except you don’t have to sit at a desk. Instead, you may interact with the animations by touching them on your iPhone or standing up to get a 360-degree perspective.
The VR and AR variations are prevalent and unique to Mondly, which has helped them jump up the charts and become a widely used app.
4. MondlyKIDS
Further, the images used in MondlyKIDS are more kid-friendly and enjoyable than in the main app.
The MondlyKIDS uses gamified lessons to keep the children engaged during the learning process. It covers studies on everyday topics like family, sports, food, animals, etc. Plus, the questions are multiple-choice and include audio by native speakers.
5. MondlyWORKS
Using innovative and modern technology, MondlyWORKS teaches 33 languages and helps improve business communication. As an outcome, businesses will benefit from this software in the future.
Primary features
They have over 1000 combinations. So this helps you learn your native language.
There are 50 topics to prepare you for the most common situations, 36 vocabulary builders to install words quickly, and 41 lifelike conversations to give you fluency. Then there are grammar features & conjugation tables to speed up your progress and quick Daily Lessons to keep you on track.
They presently support 41 languages, which may be mixed and matched in any order. This implies that you are not required to study English.
Instead, you may learn Russian by studying French, Thai by studying Spanish, or any other combination that best matches your needs. The most recent additions are Bengali, Catalan, Latin, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovak, Tagalog, and Urdu.
When you first start a class, you’ll see six to eight different activities that you may complete in the correct order. You may use speech recognition software to improve your pronunciation.
You record yourself repeating a sentence after reading it and hearing it said, allowing you to measure your pronunciation development.
You can only designate a lesson as complete after you’ve completed all the activities without making too many mistakes. If you reach the finish but make many mistakes, it may require you to repeat the course before moving on.
Mondly allows you to open and finish the tasks in any sequence. Thus, there are no time limits.
Mondly’s “Statistics” feature keeps track of your progress as you complete the daily lectures and activities, giving a score that defines your current level.
It maintains track of the number of words and phrases you know. It helps you track your progress toward completing each course level. It also displays recent vocabulary words and phrases you’ve gained suggested for review.
Pros & Cons of Mondly
As with any good language app and software, Mondly has its own unique benefits and drawbacks.
Advantages of Mondly
Here are some apparent benefits linked to this language education program.
- Mondly provides you with a wealth of helpful terminology and phrases. The content you study comprises words and phrases you’ll use in real-life situations. You will also learn several valuable sentences that may be used in various conditions.
- The augmented and virtual reality capabilities have a particular “wow” aspect. It is an added plus that they function in any language—while the chat tool and good speech-to-text software provide you with a diverse and fascinating experience.
- The audio quality is likewise excellent. It also records the audio with genuine voice actors. So that you may improve listening comprehension with genuine speakers rather than a computer-generated voice.
- Mondly rewards you with points for finishing classes. You’ll also be supplied with precise statistics as part of a gorgeous and interactive display. These support maintaining motivation and, as a result, help you learn more quickly.
Disadvantages of Mondly
There are some rational incentives connected with the Mondly approach. Still, it has many shortcomings you should weigh before diving deep into them.
Here are the apparent drawbacks.
- Mondly’s biggest flaw is its focus on the lower tiers. As a result, lower and higher-level students attend the same classes and use the same materials. It may be a fantastic approach to learning at a new level. Still, it’s not great for individuals trying to improve their knowledge and use of a language they already know.
- The app focuses heavily on vocabulary and does not help much with grammar and language structure. Also, it doesn’t provide any context or examples when you see new terms in the tasks. So it might be tricky to answer them correctly.
- The course gets repetitive at one point. All language courses appear to follow the same pattern or line of thought. This makes learning multiple languages boring and pointless.
- Mondly does not teach scripts that well. For example, learning to write characters for Asian languages that follow different scripts. E.g., Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, Hindi, Vietnamese, etc. In that case, you’ll need separate language software and tools.
How much does Mondly cost?
The free and paid features of Mondly are vastly different. For example, you can only finish one daily lesson. Also, the first unit of any language course (six lessons), one chatbot discussion, and one vocabulary part are in Mondly’s free edition.
You have no control over the themes, the level of difficulty, or the words you learn. These are available only in the paid version.
A monthly subscription costs USD 9.99 and USD 47.99 for 1 language. They also priced the annual subscription for all 33 languages at $47.99. This can help you unlock all features and content and get unique daily lessons.
Mondly costs less in the long term if you subscribe for a long duration. It also provides frequent discounts, which vary based on the time. You can check out their website to see if any discounts are running.
As of today, you can also access all 41 languages for a lifetime at US $89. This is pretty reasonable if you really wish to purchase the Mondly subscription.
If you’re unsure if the Mondly app is right for you, you may test it out for seven days for free. You get access to all premium features during the trial period. You may still attempt daily free courses if you don’t want to provide any credit card information to get a trial.
Is it worth it?
Mondly is a superb place to start if you’re new to language learning. It has many great and helpful vocabulary and phrases for beginner or even lower intermediate language students.
It’s interesting, fun to use, and has several features to keep you motivated to study. And it’s a terrific resource to use if it keeps you studying and spending time with your language.
Sessions are brief, so you can always fit them in — no matter how hectic your schedule is. You can also spend more time on the basics of every language. This is an intelligent approach to solidifying your linguistic foundation.
Mondly also has a few flaws that need to be solved to improve.
Mondly makes some innovative strides in language learning. Yet, it’s difficult not to understand that they rehashed the excellent portions from previous platforms. The sections where they’ve tried to innovate still require development.
It’s worth downloading the free version and then paying for the premium membership if the features appeal to you. But it still has a long way to go before catching up to some industry leaders at such a price.
Mondly is reasonably priced and competitively priced, and there’s nothing exactly like it on the market.
There are a few drawbacks. For instance, fewer features, limited free version, unsuited for speaking, lacks grammar explanation, and not great for intermediate learners.
My Mondly Review: Average 3.0/5
Mondly is a quick, short, easy-to-understand language education app. It is helpful in many ways for learners. Although it is good what it does. Many language apps do the same with more features and language choices.
To sum up, Mondly isn’t essential and makes a significant difference in the list of language learning apps.
They limited this language platform to certain parts of languages, like vocabulary and introductory conversation skills. So if your intent is more in-depth and comprehensive, it won’t help much.
If you have limited expectations, are new to language learning, and want to cover beginners and practice. Well, Mondly may be valuable in 2024.
Mondly Review
Summary
Mondly is a popular language learning platform covering 41 languages. If you wish to practice basic vocabulary, phrases, and conversations, the app is ok. Mondly is also pretty affordable. But it does not offer anything unique, lacks many features and grammar explanations, and is unsuitable for improving speaking and listening skills. So, weighing everything, I’m giving a rating of 3/5, i.e., “Average.”
What’s the best language learning app that you have come across and like to recommend?
None of the all-in-one apps aren’t that great and leave much to be desired. So go with apps with special focuses. So, it depends on specific needs. For example, I found Lingopie good for improving language skills through Videos. Also, Pimsleur is effective in enhancing listening and speaking skills.