Mondly Review: A good resource for language learners?

We’ll also discuss whether or not Mondly actually teaches you a foreign language, highlight the main pros and cons, (some of which are more obvious than others) and show you how to make the most of this app.

First, see below a quick summary of the Mondly inclusions:

👍 A Custom Daily Lesson, fun quizzes speech recognition technology
👍 Access to 41 different language courses, a total of 1320 language combinations
👍 50+ real & simulated conversations between native speakers

Mondly Review: Overview

Mondly claims to help you “learn a language more quickly & more effectively than anywhere else.”

Whilst this could never be true for every single language learner – (we all learn differently) – there’s no doubt that the Mondly app is set up to make the process of learning a language fast, effective and fun.

The language app and its tools currently support 41 languages. Each language course is divided into different lessons that allow the user to learn and practice vocabulary, words and phrases, pronunciation, conversation skills and grammar.

All in all, the tool is most suitable for beginners and pre-intermediate learners. This is due to the fact that intermediate and advanced language learners may prefer face to face interaction with a real human.

The Mondly app uses a combination of course materials, augmented reality (AR), and chatbots to help you master a new language.

What is Mondly?

Mondly is a language learning app developed by ATi Studios, an EdTech company with the goal of “making technology-based learning easier.”

The app uses a combination of course materials, augmented reality (AR) and chatbots in its lessons to help learners master a new language.

As mentioned, the app currently supports learning in 41 languages. A special feature which makes Mondly unique is that these can be used in any combination. So, if English is not your first language then this is not a problem.

Recent additions include Bengali, Catalan, Latin, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovak, Tagalog, and Urdu. At the time of writing.

In 2021, the Mondly app has over 40 million users and the team behind the app continues to grow, developing lessons and content in an interactive way for anybody with an account.

How we did this review 

Mondly Free vs Premium: What’s The Difference?

As with most effective language resources, there is a cost associated with Mondly’s premium version.

The free plan for Mondly includes:

👍 200 vocabulary words
👍 103 phrases
👍 100+ pronunciations with audio.

Whilst this is more generous than the free plans of most language learning apps of this type, it’s really just a taster of what to expect from the main service. You won’t learn much from the Mondly Free version, given that the learning experience is highly limited.

Within the Mondly Premium package, users will have access to speech recognition technology, 36 vocabulary builders, conjugation tables, learning progress features, grammar features and many more resources.

The Mondly App: Main Features

In this section, we’ll go through the main features within the Mondly Premium app, discussing user experience, daily lessons and the virtual reality features within the app.

Easy to Use

Mondly is one of the easiest apps on the market to navigate, with a simple interface and clearly-labeled menu options. This is the case on both desktop and mobile.

Daily Lessons

Mondly has a ‘Daily Lessons’ feature that prompts you to look at the app and teaches you new vocabulary and sentences in your chosen language.

At the end of this daily lesson, everything you’ve been taught is recapped to help cement it into your memory further.

And, if you don’t get 100% of the answer correct, you’ve also got the ability to go back and review things a little later.

Whether it’s speech recognition, vocabulary or grammar lessons that require more of your time, you can customize your lessons to incorporate this.

This is a great way to structure a language lesson because it ensures genuine progression from its users.

Reminders

Mondly reminders can be customized in order to show up at a time that’s convenient for you. So, if you know you’ve got a little time spare in the evening, you can program your reminder to flash up at this time.

The reminder doesn’t only prompt you to take your daily lessons, it also gives you a statistic on how well you are maintaining your study routine.

This is a great way of motivating you to study a little harder if need be, or to congratulate yourself on smashing a full week of studying.

L1 to Target Language Translations

One of the ways that Mondly teaches new languages is by translating between your native language (known as L1) and the language you want to learn (the target language).

It does this by getting you to type, speak, and select certain words from a list.

Sounds like most other language apps, right? Well, the difference with Mondly is that by doing this you’re reading and writing skills become enhanced, as well as your speaking skills.

This makes it easier for you to use the language you’re learning in real-life situations.

Chatbot

Once you’ve picked up some vocabulary and feel as though you may be able to hold a conversation, you can use the Mondly chatbot and speech recognition software to put it into practice.

This is a virtual speaker that allows you to respond to conversational prompts, such as greetings or restaurant role-play.

One of the reasons this is so appealing, especially to those learning the very basics of a new language, is that it totally removes the risk of embarrassment.

While some other apps and courses will set up a face-to-face conversation with a native speaker, being able to converse with a chatbot allows you to practice your conversation skills without feeling as though you’re under a lot of pressure.

Particularly for a beginner, this is an amazing way to familiarize yourself with words and phrases, vocabulary, new content and verb conjugations.

Quizzes & Monthly Challenges

Mondly features quizzes for its users to go through at the end of each learning section or block of lessons.

Learners can also take part in monthly challenges with other users.

An Overview of Mondly Virtual Reality

The main purpose of Mondly’s Virtual Reality feature is to provide the ability to practice conversation. Indeed, this is the main feature of the app.

It’s a pretty unique and novel language learning technique and, personally, we absolutely love it.

Just like with the chatbot, in each scenario, you’ll have a conversation with the AI character, developing your knowledge of key words and topics that you will have covered in previous lessons.

The vocabulary section of the app is not available for every language yet, and the Conversation Vocabulary Multiplayer requires active participation from other students in order to be available for use online. More from this shortly.

There are several languages to choose from here, and every language has the almost same content. This is also quite limited since you’ll need to stick with their pre-written responses to have it marked as correct.

A Closer Look at Mondly Virtual Reality

Given the fact that this language learning app is pretty unique, we felt it required a little more of an in-depth investigation! Indeed, any Mondly review would be incomplete without a thorough investigation of the virtual reality feature.

Just like all of Mondly’s other language learning options, Mondly VR is available in all 41 languages.

However, you can choose to learn in three different ways using Mondly VR:

👍 Conversation
👍 Vocabulary
👍 Multiplayer

Conversation in Lessons

The ‘Conversation’ option is similar to the Chatbot feature. However, instead of talking to a Chatbot, you’ll be having a conversation with an animated person.

Vocabulary

The ‘Vocabulary’ option works in the same way, except you’ll be listening and repeating words and phrases in a non-conversational manner.

Multiplayer

The ‘Multiplayer’ option will allow you to interact with students learning other other languages from around the world, not just those speaking American English.

However, since Mondly VR is a relatively new addition, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to take full advantage of it for a while.

Mondly VR Review: Our Honest Opinion

One of the questions you might be asking yourself about Mondly’s virtual reality is whether or not it’s all a fad.

The short answer is no. However, in all honesty, this type of language learning really comes down to personal preference.

Being able to converse with an animated image is something that some people may find appealing, particularly those who enjoy advanced technology.

However, older learners may prefer to learn a language through more traditional means, offered by competitor apps such as Rosetta Stone and Babbel. More on this comparison shortly.

One thing that’s for certain is that Mondly’s virtual reality feature makes it a unique app for users in a market which has become saturated with language learning apps.

For this reason, we believe it offers a pretty special, refreshing language learning experience that is worth trialing.

Other Mondly Versions

In addition to Mondly Free and Mondly Premium, the app provides users with

Mondly WORKS

This was developed for businesses and features a dashboard that allows employers to see how their employees are progressing with new languages.

It’s a good choice if you’re looking to open customer support lines to other countries without wanting to outsource.

Mondly KIDS

If you’ve got children who have expressed an interest in learning a second language, then Mondly Kids is a great choice.

It’s very similar to Mondly Premium, but it uses kid-friendly animations to learn in a fun way.

Mondly AR (Augmented Reality)

This particular feature is something that really sets Mondly apart from most other language apps.

This technology allows you to scan the room you’re in, and uses AR (Augmented Reality) to show a virtual teacher the words you are learning.

It’s similar to any other AR gaming equipment and you need to interact with animations and walk around while you learn in a fully-immersive environment.

Is Mondly lifetime worth the money?

In order to answer a question like this, it’s important to take into account value for money.

Mondly Lifetime offers a comprehensive course, with over 30 languages available to learn and hundreds of unique lessons.

The amount of content is extensive and covers speaking, reading and writing skills from English, or any other language, to your preferred target language.

All lessons cater for beginner level through to intermediate and advanced proficiency.

Included in Mondly lessons are grammar explanations, vocabulary lists for you to review, exercises for listening comprehension and other features you’d expect to find in a language learning app.

Mondly Lifetime is the best offer on the market for anybody who wants to cover the areas of language learning listed above.

Is Mondly the best app for language learning?

Mondly is the best language learning app on the market for those seeking interactive lesson plans and a holistic approach to language learning.

Every feature on the Mondly app is created and adapted to help you progress in the language you’re learning. The interactive chatbot and integrated voice recognition technology ensure that your pronunciation is on point, whilst the quizzes and vocabulary building exercises ensure you are learning new content all the time.

The conversational modes are great particularly for beginners, who can practice speaking with confidence without the potential embarrassment caused through human interaction.

When you take these factors into account, it’s hard to find an app on the Google Play or Apple app store that competes with Mondly.

Is Mondly better than Rosetta Stone?

Rosetta Stone language courses teach users a new language by adopting the methods we use to learn a language at childhood.

It does this through associating words — both written and spoken — with objects, actions and ideas that convey meaning.

Each Rosetta Stone language course relies heavily on pictures to establish the meaning of words and phrases. There is no direct translation provided. This means that as a language learner, you start to learn new languages without the use of your native English.

As an app created primary for English speakers, it differs greatly from Mondly in its approach to language learning.

Mondly, on the other hand, does not use pictures as a primary source, but instead implements the range of techniques listed throughout this review.

For the variation and modern technology, as well as the confidence the app gives to any beginner learner, Mondly is a superior app.

Is Mondly better than Babbel?

Babbel is a popular language learning app and one of Mondly’s strongest competitors.

Babbel has a focus on teaching practical language skills, such as key vocabulary centred around popular topics, through traditional language learning methods such as flashcards and spaced repetition.

Babbel does not facilitate a particularly interactive process of learning new languages. However, it gives its users the ability to practice speaking with native speakers. This is something Mondly does not offer currently.

Like Mondly, the app is available for iOS, Android and Mac OS X. However, the best experience is usually via desktop.

You can read our Babbel review here.

Is Mondly better than duolingo?

As the most popular language learning app in the world, Duolingo is a great option for those who want to learn another language with no commitment required (except quizzes and monthly challenges). Importantly, Duolingo is completely free too.

Mondly, on the other hand, has some excellent features that set it apart from this platform. If we compare app for app, there’s very little comparison to be made. Mondly is ahead in every single aspect.

It does, of course, require a paid subscription in order to utilise all of its features, though, unlike Duolingo.

Mondly Review: What Could Be Better?

The Free Version

The free account of Mondly is fairly limited and you are often prompted to upgrade to the Premium edition.

Free daily lessons help you get a sense of the languages, though Premium topics give the best experience overall. This means that you are never able to test premium before you commit to it. Mondly, change this!

Within the free access, there are few opportunities to interact with the lesson content. In fact, the free lessons are not anything special. In order to experiences the joy of learning languages with Mondly you’ll need a premium account.

Furthermore, Mondly Free doesn’t teach grammar, which makes it more challenging to answer phrases correctly when you are not given context or examples.

The Audio within the Lesson Exercises

If you have the audio on, however, many of the exercises are too easy because you hear the correct answer before you are required to do the exercise.

This means you don’t need to know the answer to complete the exercises correctly. This only happens with the sentence exercises, however.

When you’re tested on single vocabulary words in the multiple-choice interaction, you don’t hear the audio until you select an answer. But you do in the spelling interaction.

Either way, because of this, I ended up turning off the volume so that I could answer based on what I knew. But because I did that, I lost valuable listening practice because I couldn’t the audio to know how everything should be correctly pronounced.

I also had to turn the volume back up for listening comprehension exercises and then turn it back down which didn’t do much for the experience of using the app.

I also found that the lesson order didn’t make a lot of sense. Many of the basics like introductions, colors, and numbers are towards the end of the learning path they designed whereas topics like romance are closer to the beginning.

You can, however, complete the topics in your own order rather than the suggested order, so that’s exactly what I did.

Mondly Review: Conclusion

We hope that this Mondly review has provided you with a comprehensive understanding of the Mondly app, the way it helps you to learn languages and whether or not it’s worth your time and money.

Beginner, intermediate and advanced learners alike can benefit greatly from the Mondly app, but there’s no question that beginners and lower intermediate level learners will benefit most from the lessons.

This is due, mostly, to Mondly AR and VR technology, as well as the lesson resources and help these provide to anybody with a premium account.

The Mondly app is engaging, enjoyable to use and built in a way which keeps you motivated thanks to features like weekly quizzes and monthly tests. Of course, this is important when learning a language.

In addition, the lessons are quick, so you can always fit them in – no matter how busy you are.

As with any app, there are certain features which could do with improvement. We’d like to see a better free account of Mondly with reality AR incorporated.

Adding a real tutor option would enable users to speak with real people in their language lessons too. This would be a great additional feature.

All in all, we were impressed with Mondly, as you’ll see from our ratings below. We hope this Mondly review has answered the questions you need and given you a push to sign up for your first language lessons!

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Author bio:

James is the founder of travel-lingual.com, this online travel, and language blog. He is a tutor of English, Spanish and French. Furthermore, he has visited 35 countries and has tried dozens of language courses to date.

He has worked as a language teacher in France, Spain, Argentina, and Costa Rica. His love of languages led him to create this blog, to share best practices in language learning and inspire others to learn!
4.5 out of 5.0 stars4.5