Lingoda vs Drops
Overview
Lingoda connects you with approved native speaking teachers to help you get fluent fast. Live online lessons are available 24/7. Class sizes are between 3-5 students so the learning experience is very immersive and with plenty of individual real-time feedback. Though there is a strong focus on speaking and listening, grammar, reading and writing are covered.
Drops is a slick, game based vocabulary app. It introduces new words and phrases with audio recordings and images and then helps you commit them to memory through game play. Games involve matching, sorting and true/false challenges. Drops also lets you track your progress, provides extra practice for words you’re struggling with and earn badges for various achievements.
Pros
- Live teaching from qualified native speaking teachers to help you get fluent fast
- Covers speaking, listening, reading and writing with a proven track record for developing fluency
- Lessons contain puzzles and games and downloadable materials to help cement learning
- 24/7 lessons you can fit around your busy life
- More immersive than conventional apps due to small class size and live teaching
- Different levels are available and the option for 1-1 tuition enable you to personalize lessons 100% to your needs
- Lessons cover useful and relevant topics and content is regularly updated
- Certification for each Common European Framework (CEFR) level you complete
- Cashback opportunities with Sprint or Super Sprint
- Effective at teaching vocabulary in a fun way that really sticks
- Clean and easy to navigate interface
- Review activities including Review Quiz and Review dojo
- Adaptable with ability to skip learned content
- Wide range of topics covered
Cons
- Potential lack of consistency due to rotation of instructors
- Someone struggling can put the whole class behind
- Only four languages available
- Free version has a daily 5 minute limit
- Does not teach sentences or grammar - but does have a travel talk category for phrases
- No voice recognition software for pronunciation practice
- Desktop version can be a little glitchy
Best for
Best for: Anyone who prefers live, face to face learning and is from beginner to more advanced ability in the target language. And if you’re not sure of your level, you can take Lingoda’s placement test. Lingoda is also suitable for those who have busy lives as you can fit classes around your own schedule.
Best for: Those who want to learn another language from scratch and would like a head start by mastering some basic vocabulary. Also anyone who wants to supplement another more comprehensive method of learning with a reliable and effective vocabulary app. Especially suitable for people who learn through game play
Price
From $10 per lesson
From $7.50 per month
Number of users
120,000
40 million downloads
Overall
Overall: A great and authentic way to learn a new language (or pick one up where you left off) that gets you speaking and reading in no time at all. I found Lingoda to be very effective and started learning, speaking and understanding from the very first lesson.
To providerOverall: Drops is great at what it claims to do. That is, teach vocabulary through game play in short daily sessions. It’s upfront about not teaching grammar and sentences and as long as you understand what it is and isn’t for, it represents good value. The free version gives you a good feel for what the app is like so you have nothing to lose by trying it out.
To providerSupported languages
German, Spanish, French, English and English for business
Ainu, Arabic, ASL, Bosnian, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Croatian, Danish, Dutch, English (American and British), Esperanto, Estonian, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Igbo, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian and European), Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Sanskrit, Serbian, Spanish (Castilan and Mexican), Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Te Reo Maori, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese and Yoruba.
About
Lingoda was founded in 2013 by Felix and Fabian Wunderlich. Initially it offered 1-1 German tuition over Skype. It now teaches 4 languages, has 120k+ learners, 1.9k certified native speaking teachers and teaches over 562k classes every year.
All Lingoda courses are based on levels set by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This provides an approved standard for identifying language proficiency. Each level contains several lessons which target writing, reading, listening and speaking. The levels cover A1.1 (beginner) to C1 (advanced). Lingoda has a team of in-house experts on linguistics who have put together all of the course material with the aim to get you speaking fluently faster.
Also, the 24/7 availability of a real life tutor is a game changer when it comes to language learning. 97% of users say they found Lingoda better than other language learning providers.
Drops was founded in Estonia in 2015 by Daniel Farkas and Mark Szulyovszky. Its mission was to make a game out of language learning. And it paid off.
By 2020 it had 25 million users and that number has now exceeded the 40 million mark.
Drops is now the fastest growing language app in the world and adds around seven languages a year to its offering. It spans mobile and web-based programs.
Though Drops does use gamification, its designers insist it is a gaming, not just a gamified, app. The difference being that gamification uses rewards to give you external motivation. Whereas being immersed in a game is an internally rewarding experience.
And though it’s fun, years of research have gone into what makes language learning effective and easy.
In November 2020, Drops was acquired by Kahoot!, the world's leading game-based learning platform. Testimony both to the fun and effectiveness of the Drops’ game based approach.
As part of Kahoot!, Drops continues to evolve and find more enjoyable and effective ways to learn new languages. It now has two companion apps: Scripts, which teaches learners how to read and write new alphabet/character-based writing systems, and Droplets, for children.
Drops also has a commitment to protecting culturally endangered languages, such as Hawaiian, Samoan, and Maori and they have worked with UNESCO to support this aim.
How it works
To get started with Lingoda, you just click ‘Start Free Trial’ and answer a few questions about why you want to learn your target language, what you hope to achieve and how much time you can commit to.
You then choose the plan that most suits you, go ahead and book some lessons and start learning! You take each class with up to four other learners over Zoom. Your tutor will not only be a native speaker of your chosen language, but also a qualified teacher. The idea is that live classes taught by native speakers are more immersive and will make you more fluent and accurate.
Tutors often introduce a topic, or ask you direct questions, in the target language. While this may seem hard to begin with, it gets you thinking in that language and you’ll be surprised how quickly this becomes easy!
This will improve your fluency and accuracy because your brain is actively engaging with the language rather than passively taking it in.
Drops is a games based app designed to make language learning a fun part of your daily routine.
You download the app by pointing your phone camera at the QR code, or by using Google Play or the Apple app store, or from your desktop. Then you can use it for free for a limit of 5 minutes a day or subscribe to Premium with a free 7 day trial.
Once you’ve downloaded Drops, you just choose the language you want to learn.
Then you adapt Drops to your needs by answering questions about your goals for learning, your age, your existing knowledge, when and for how long you want to spend learning each day and your personal interests. Drops then designs a program based on your responses. You can change language any time after you’ve started your learning.
Sessions are around 5 minutes long. Each one introduces words from a topic relevant to your interests and reasons for learning. The words will be spoken and written out with a matching visual and you’ll play various games to help you memorize them. You can indicate which words you feel you’ve mastered so the app won’t test you on them as often.
During your session you will be given point scores and encouragement to keep you motivated and, at the end, a summary of your progress so far. If you’re in free mode, you’ll need to wait 10 hours before you can take another session.
What a lesson is like
Level A1.1 lessons (aimed at beginners) all begin with a link to Zoom where everyone introduces themselves.
You don’t need to show your face if you’re not comfortable doing that. You just need your microphone on to speak.Class sizes are small (3-5) so your turn to actively take part will come round quickly.
The tutor will take you through that lesson’s worksheet (which you can download prior to the lesson). But lessons are mostly interactive with opportunities to:
- Speak and read phrases aloud with feedback to help pronunciation
- Translate phrases
- Engage in conversation with the help of help of flashcards, scripted dialogue, etc
- Learn from questions asked by the group
- Pick up new vocabulary with picture clues and real life examples
- Complete puzzles and play games to reinforce understanding
And always get instant feedback
Lessons last for one hour. This might seem like a long time, but in my experience they fly by and the interactive nature of the course keeps you engaged.
Lessons consist of introducing new words and phrases using audio and a matching image.
After 3 or 4 new words or phrases have been introduced, you play a variety of games delivered in quick succession requiring you to:
- Carry out different sorts of matching activities
- Spell out words and phrases by selecting letters or combinations of letters
Indicating whether what the app is displaying is correct or incorrect
Words you already know will be repeated and revisited to help commit them to long term memory. You can choose which words you feel you don’t have to review, and the app won’t test you on them as frequently.
There are also a number of review tools such as quiz mode that you can engage with to strengthen your knowledge.
Lessons last 5 minutes and there is a countdown to keep you motivated and engaged.
Who is it good for?
The Lingoda learning style would suit anyone who’s:
- Looking to learn a new language from scratch
- Has some grasp of a language and wants to improve
- Learns best either 1 to 1 or in a class setting
Wants to improve their conversational skills
While Lingoda would be ideal for anyone who’s always wanted to start learning a new language it will also suit those who are proficient but want to improve.
Right away Lingoda will have you speaking, reading aloud and improving your conversational capabilities in your chosen language.
Bearing in mind that Drops is a vocabulary learning app, I would say it would suit anyone who:
- Wants to learn another language from scratch and would like a head start by mastering some basic vocabulary
- Wants to supplement another more comprehensive method of learning with a reliable and effective vocabulary app
- Enjoys learning through game play
Features
- Personalized live learning
- Direct contact with native speakers
- Immersion
- Fun, interactive lessons that touch all learning styles
- Flexible learning
- 1-1 tuition
- Super intense programs to get fluent fast
- 45 Languages
- Review tools
- Game based approach
- Gamification and challenges
- Supplementary Apps
Is it worth it?
In a word: Yes.
If you’ve been wanting to learn (or improve your knowledge of) one of the four languages available on Lingoda, then it is absolutely worth considering.
Live teaching from certified tutors who are native speakers can really help you get results. Lingoda’s emphasis on in person learning -- something that sets them apart from other providers -- will have your conversational, listening and grammar skills up to a better standard in no time!
And if you have a busy lifestyle or no consistency in your schedule, the fact you can book lessons to suit your needs is so handy.
On top of this, you can book one to one classes or go for the Lingoda Sprint or Super Sprint program if you want to try and get fluent in 2 months. If you follow the Sprint guidelines carefully, Lingoda provides the opportunity to get some or even all of your money back.
I personally benefited hugely from Lingoda. It really helped me to bring my French back up to a passable standard. I haven’t felt this confident in speaking/reading French since school!
In terms of its price, I think Lingoda is worth it. If your goal is to reach a conversational level, you’ll only need a few months with Lingoda to achieve that.
Lingoda offers a free 7 day trial and I would strongly suggest you see what it’s like for yourself as you have nothing to lose!
If you’re looking to learn a ton of vocabulary in a super fun way that really sticks then yes.
I found the app to be very compelling, it really holds your attention. I really enjoyed all the games and found I was learning tons without even noticing. And it’s not just fun, but visually appealing with a clean, easy to use interface.
But if you’re looking to learn a language in the round, with sentences, conversation, spoken exercises and cultural sensitivity, Drops is not for you.
I would say Drops is best for someone wanting to get into pole position in a new language by learning key vocab. Or those needing a fast and fun recap in a language prior to travel. It would also sit well alongside another more comprehensive language learning resource.
That said, the freemium version is available to you for five minutes a day. And if you love it, you can trial the app for 7 days before commiting to a subscription. So there’s nothing to lose by giving it a try.