MosaLingua vs Duolingo
Overview
MosaLingua is a language learning program offering courses based on the MosaLearning® method. This is scientifically proven to help with language learning and to commit new knowledge to long term memory. It has features such as 24/7 access to a virtual tutor that learns your needs and interests, and Hands-Free learning which make it possible to practice whenever and wherever suits you.
Duolingo is the world’s most popular language learning app. You can use it for free to learn as many languages as you want with only a few limitations over the paid version. Duolingo combines bite sized activities with gamification to make education fun and to help you set up a daily learning habit. It also uses an algorithm that adapts to your learning and provides material at just the right difficulty level along with content you need to revisit.
Pros
- Uses MosaLearning®, a scientifically researched method that optimizes memory
- Comes with a lot of course content and incorporates all of the elements of language such as vocabulary, speaking, listening, grammar, reading
- MosaChat AI gives you 24/7 access to a personal language eTutor
- You can target your weaknesses and add materials to your flashcards to help you memorize that content
- Connects you to their active team of native speaking teachers
- Web and app based so you can learn on the go
- Lessons cover useful and relevant topics and content is regularly updated
- It’s free with only a few limitations and there’s no limit on how many languages you can learn at the same time
- Gamification keeps you engaged and motivated
- Uses an algorithm that adapts to your level and learning style and provides personal recommendations to level up your skills
- A Practice Hub for reviewing mistakes, correcting pronunciation (Super Duolingo only)
- Fun to use with well structured exercises that target listening, reading and writing
- You can skip lessons and levels that are too easy
Cons
- Only 9 languages available (though this isn’t a problem if the language you’re interested in is offered)
- Navigation is not as intuitive as I’d like it to be
- Weak focus on speaking activities
- Pronunciation of single words is quite robotic
- Quantity and range of material varies by language
- Not brilliant for grammar or gaining cultural insights
Best for
Best for: Anyone who wants to learn a new language from scratch or wants to improve their existing skills. It’s great for those with busy schedules looking for a flexible, self-directed language learning resource packed with high-quality content.
Best for: Though it’s designed to have a universal appeal, Duolingo is best suited to those wanting to learn a new language from scratch. That said, it could serve as a good refresher for those with some existing knowledge as you can skip lessons and levels that are too easy. Would especially suit those who enjoy a competitive approach to their learning.
Price
From $4.99 per month
From $6.99 per month
Number of users
12 million
5 milion active users
Overall
Overall: The MosaLarning® system is backed by scientific research and the platform focuses on all the elements you need to master a language. The Hands-Free element and the massive library of content make it worth the investment for me. And, of course, the introduction of MosaChat AI gives you 24/7 access to real-time feedback from a personal ‘tutor’ that constantly adjusts to your level and learns about your needs and interests. As long as the language(s) you want to learn are offered by MosaLingua, I would recommend taking the 15 day free trial to see if it suits you.
To providerOverall: Duolingo is great fun and can definitely help you develop a secure level of knowledge in a variety of languages. It’s also habit forming, thanks to gamification, so it really motivates you to build a daily learning habit and make incremental progress. But, if you want to become fluent, or just hold more than very basic conversations, you’ll likely need to strengthen your understanding of grammar and your speaking skills elsewhere - or at least sample the paid for version which provides more support in these areas.
To providerSupported languages
Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and English
Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Esperanto, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Navajo, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Russian, Scottish Gaelic, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Welsh, Yiddish, Zulu as well as Esparanto, High Valyrian and Klingon.
About
MosaLingua is a language learning platform founded in 2009.
Its team consists of language experts and teachers from 15 different countries. They’re available for email support and keep site content and learning tools up to date and relevant.
It offers lots of different options for language learning. But basically, languages are taught using a system based on 5 cognitive science and psychology concepts:
- Spaced Repetition System -- correctly spaced out review sessions to commit information to long-term memory
- Active Recall -- techniques that help you extract information easily from your memory, without assistance or a clue
- Metacognition -- Opportunities to reflect on your learning
- Pareto Principle – Focussing on the most frequently used words to make fast progress
- Learner Motivation and Psychology -- in-person support via email to personalize your learning method
Together, these 5 concepts form the MosaLearning® method (Motivating Optimized System for Adaptive Learning).
By joining MosaLingua, you will connect with over 12 million users and native speakers of your target language. You will also have access to constantly updated advice, resources and techniques from the Mosa team to help you learn and master foreign languages.
Duolingo was founded in 2011 with a mission to make language learning accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world.
It’s now the most popular way to learn languages with 5 million people using it actively everyday and the mobile app having 500+ million downloads.
Duolingo combines bite sized activities with gamification to make education motivating, easy and fun. You earn rewards (such as gems and badges) for achieving different objectives and gain points to help you scale the rankings on a leaderboard of other randomly selected users. It also uses an algorithm that adapts to your learning and provides material at just the right difficulty level, as well as resurfacing content you need to revisit.
How it works
There are several different ways to learn a language on MosaLingua. They are designed to suit different goals and learners of different levels. The levels are set according to the Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR). These are:
- A1 - A2 beginners
- B1 - B2 Intermediate
- C1 - C2 Advanced
| Present level(s) | Aim | Best program | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1-C2 | Learn new vocabulary quickly and in authentic contexts | MosaLingua Premium subscription | All |
| A1-B1 | Improve your listening comprehension | MosaSeries subscription | French, German, Spanish, Italian |
| A2-B2 | Improve your spoken English | MosaSpeak English one off purchase | English |
| A2-B2 | Improve your spoken language skills | MosaSpeak one off purchase | French, German, Spanish, Italian |
| A1-B2 | Teach yourself a language quickly and efficiently, with helpful tips from polyglots | MosaTraining one off purchase | All |
Overall, MosaLingua works with a set of flashcards, dialogues, and audiobooks.
For this review I trialled MosaLingua Premium and used it to learn Spanish.
The Spanish course consists of 19 levels. Each with a set of flashcards, dialogues and audiobooks. The number of flashcards varies. For example, Level 0 (basic) has 25 flashcards, whereas Level 9 (medium) has 897!
Using the flashcards you exercise your auditory and visual memory while you record yourself repeating the word or phrase. There are no quizzes or exams for each level.
The MosaLearning® Method is used each time you start to learn a set of flashcards and you'll be alerted when you to stop to avoid memory saturation.
Duolingo offers a freemium model and a subscription (Super Duolingo) which provides additional features and does not show ads.
To get started, you simply select the language you want to learn, answer a few questions about your goals, then sign up for a free account using Google, Facebook or an email account.
Duolingo then presents you with a learning path divided into units such as:
- Greeting people and Introducing yourself
- Using the present tense and talking about activities
- Days of the week
Saying what you want, etc.
Each unit contains a series of ‘stepping stones’ that hold a series of fun bite sized lessons and challenges designed to meet the unit objective.
Some languages have a placement test meaning that you can skip the easier units. But you always have the choice to start at the beginning, skip ahead or redo units you’ve already taken.
Units follow a curriculum based on an international standard and activities are designed to make sure that new learning gets embedded in long term memory.
As you progress Duolingo’s algorithm will adjust to your learning and vary the level of challenge. To make sure learning ‘sticks’ you will revisit earlier learning at optimum times. New words are highlighted and you often need to figure out intuitively what these might mean.
You can review what you've learned by clicking on the dumbbell icon which provides a practice test.
What a lesson is like
A typical Spanish lesson (and I assume other languages are the same) will start with some flashcards. It uses an approach based on visual, auditory, and written memory.
You first look at the flashcard which will have an image and accompanying audio with Spanish pronunciation.
Then, you have to record yourself repeating the word (you can record and repeat as many times as you need).
Once you have finalized your flashcards, MosaLingua generates learning statistics which give an idea of your learning speed.
You’re then invited to use the Dialogues and the Hands-Free section for practice.
There is a free section with a great selection of audiobooks, videos, and music in Spanish. These are divided according to your level and interests and some can only be unlocked once you have learned specific flashcards.
You can also navigate through the additional resources tab, which will guide you through an extensive variety of free newspapers, magazines, music, and cinema.
During my experience, I was able to practice the vocabulary I learned on the flashcards, my reading comprehension, and my pronunciation. After a week, I was able to track my progress, the number of flashcards that I had memorized, and new reading and listening material had been unlocked.
Lessons are short and sharp - usually only about 3-5 minutes long. They mainly focus on translating - either from your native into your target language or vice versa.
To do this you might:
- Match spoken or written words with their meanings
- Type words and phrases using the keyboard/keypad
- Place words from a selection in the correct order
- Tap or type what you hear
- Provide missing words
Identify the correct spelling of a word from a choice of four
You will also use flashcards to learn new vocabulary, take quizzes, review content and be given the option to make things harder or easier.
For some languages there are stories with comprehension activities as well as podcasts. In the podcasts, native speakers tell stories but with simplified vocabulary and grammar and at a slower, clearer speed. These are supported with some assistance with unusual words or context.
There’s not a strong focus on speaking activities. Where they are available, AI voice recognition grades your pronunciation. During my two weeks using Duolingo, I came across a few speaking activities in French but none in Welsh, despite completing several units.
Who is it good for?
The MosaLingua learning style would suit anyone who:
- Wants to learn a new language from scratch
- Has some grasp of a language and wants to improve
- Has a busy schedule and needs to fit lessons around their life
- Is looking for a flexible, self-directed language learning resource packed with high-quality content
- Wants a focus on developing conversational language
Duolingo is an appealing, fun language learning platform that would best suit the following learners:
Anyone who’s:
- Learning a new language from scratch
- Wants to refresh or level up existing basic skills
- Appreciates short, sharp bite sized lessons
- Is strongly motivated by gamified features such as leaderboards, streaks, rewards etc
- Needing to learn flexibly on any device
Features
- MosaLearning® method based on scientific principles
- MosaLingua chat AI
- Flexible learning
- Hands-Free section
- Ability to connect to their team of native speaking teachers for advice and support
- Multiple curated resources
- Gamification
- Personalized approach
- Practice Hub for reinforcing learned content
- Podcast series to aide language immersion
- Flexible learning with offline mode
- Speech recognition technology for pronunciation practice
Is it worth it?
In a word: yes.
MosaLingua is best suited for independent learners that like to learn at their own pace.
The platform and its content are continuously updated and the MosaLarning® system is backed by scientific research and the platform focuses on all the elements you need to master a language.
The Hands-Free element and the massive library of content make it worth the investment for me. And, of course, the introduction of MosaChat AI gives you 24/7 access to real-time feedback from a personal ‘tutor’ that constantly adjusts to your level and learns about your needs and interests.
And as mentioned, since there is a 15 day free trial of MosaLingua, as well as a refund policy, you have little to lose by trying it out.
As long as the language(s) you want to learn are offered by MosaLingua, why not give it a go and see how far you can get? Just remember to stick with it, be disciplined, and keep in mind why you want to learn a language in the first place!
Well, it depends on your goals.
If you want to develop a solid foundation in a language and enjoy an element of competition in your learning, Duolingo is likely to suit your purposes. It’s super fun and its extensive use of gamification makes it very habit forming - which is great for making steady progress in a language. What’s more, its algorithm learns what works for you and calibrates lessons appropriately.
I found I had committed a good range of words and phrases to memory during my trial of Duolingo and certainly got as far as being able to introduce myself and ask and respond to simple questions like, how are you? What is your name? Etc.
But if you want to become fluent or hold more complex conversations, I don’t think Duolingo will help you achieve that. At least not the free version. Speaking activities are not available in all languages. And even where they are, they do not feature prominently. The Practice Hub in Super Duolingo provides more in the way of speaking opportunities. But if you are willing to commit to a subscription you may find that other apps like Babbel or Mondly are better value.
My advice is to try the free version. If you love it, there is a 14 day free trial for Super Duolingo which gives you a decent amount of time to find out if it’s the right learning platform for you.