MosaLingua vs Mondly
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.
Mondly is a language learning platform with 80 million learners. It offers 42 languages and enables you to learn anywhere on any device. It targets all aspects of communication: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. Mondly provides you with a gamified, interactive learning experience via memory exercises, a very intuitive interface and cutting edge augmented reality (AR) and chatbot technology.
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
- Effective and comprehensive covering speaking, listening, reading and writing
- You can tailor your learning according to your goals and interests
- Engaging and fun - short sharp lessons and gamification to make learning fun and motivating
- Learn anywhere, anytime on any device
- Great user experience with a user friendly, polished interface
- Augmented reality and Interactive chatbot conversations provide an immersive way to practice your skills
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
- Less to offer more advanced learners or those wanting a strong conversational focus
- You always have to start at the basic level
- Bite-sized lessons may be too short for those preferring a more in-depth approach
- Free version is limited
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: Anyone who is looking to learn a brand new language or has a limited grasp of one and wants to improve. Those who love fun, gamified, interactive apps and are intrigued by AR and like to engage with new technological experiences. Overall, Mondly is for those of you who consider themselves to be self-guided learners and would benefit from daily, weekly, and monthly lessons and goals
Price
From $4.99 per month
From $4.99 per month
Number of users
12 million
500,000 active subscribers
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: Mondly is an incredibly popular platform that has over 80 million users. Having used the platform for the past couple of weeks it's easy to see why. Lessons are comprehensive and immensely fun and I found it a really effective way to learn a new language. I was very impressed by how easy it was to use and how fast I was able to introduce myself in a new language.
To providerSupported languages
Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and English
English (UK), English, (US), Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Hebrew, Catalan, Latin, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Greek, Romanian, Afrikaans, Croatian, Czech, Bulgarian, Polish, Slovak, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Hindi, Bengali, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai
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.
Mondly is a language e-learning service founded in 2014 designed to meet one aim: to get adults and children speaking a new language - fast..
It’s consistently ranked as one of the highest-rated education apps in the app store and has 80+ million learners.
Mondly is a gamified language learning application that provides you with a guided yet interactive learning experience via memory exercises and a very intuitive interface. It offers learning in 42 languages via desktop and app, using virtual and augmented reality products.
It was acquired in 2022 by Pearson, the world’s leading education company, to boost its existing portfolio of state of the art learning tools and provide a way for students to study languages independently online. For Pearson to select Mondly, out of all the language platforms available is testimony to its effectiveness.
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.
To get started on Mondly you simply select the language you want to learn and click ‘Start Learning’. Mondly works the same way regardless of the language you choose.
You’ll see the Mondly dashboard containing lots of topic icons such as weather, travel, food, etc. You can choose a topic or select ‘daily lesson’ and Mondly will guide you through in a recommended order.
For each topic (or within the daily lesson) you’ll take bite-sized lessons which cover the following:
- Vocabulary (Interactive flashcards)
- Listening (Audio to written and spoken exercises)
- Speaking (Hands-free conversational lessons and thematic lessons)
- Reading and writing (image association and phrase creation)
Conversation (chatbot conversations)
Lessons are self-paced and you complete them in your own time. You can view them on the go, on your computer, mobile, or tablet. Plus, you can track your progress with statistics and leaderboards and compare your score with other learners. Weekly quizzes, and monthly challenges are created according to your progress.
On top of this there are additional resources to optimize your learning, such as the Mondly Augmented Reality (AR) app. The AR app uses a virtual teacher to help you learn new words by showing you interactive worlds and activities.
As an experience, Mondly very much has the feel of a board game, where your objectives, achievements, and progress are visible as you go along a ‘learning path’.
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.
Mondly’s lessons are grouped around topics such as weather, food, travel, etc.
The structure is very straightforward. This means that you know exactly how many words and phrases you will learn, the estimated time it will take you to complete the lesson and your overall rating.
For each topic there are:
- 6 vocabulary activities (all are interactive and use different methods to target memory retention)
- 1 conversation exercise (where you practice what you’ve learned with the chatbot function and voice recognition software)
1 vocabulary review in which you swipe the correct translation
You can match your lessons with an intelligent calendar that helps you organize your learning objectives and provides you with a visual record of how your learning progresses over time.
Overall, you can view your progress by navigating through Mondly’s map and using the calendar function and the statistics view.
If you want to extend your learning, it is possible to click on parts of phrases and sentences to get additional information or grammatical explanations. Such as this screen below which conjugated the verb ‘to be’ after I had clicked on ‘is’.
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
The Mondly learning style would suit anyone who:
- Wants to learn a new language from scratch or has a limited grasp and wants to improve
- Has a busy schedule and needs to fit lessons around their life
- Loves fun, interactive apps
- Likes the flexibility of learning on mobile and desktop
Is intrigued by AR and likes to engage with technological experiences
Overall, Mondly is for those of you who consider themselves to be self-guided learners and would therefore benefit from daily, weekly, and monthly lessons and goals.
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
- Fun, interactive lessons that touch all learning styles
- Flexible learning
- Chatbot function
- Augmented reality
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!
I found Mondly easy to use, and thought the lessons were well structured, engaging, effective and ‘sticky’.
Together with gamification through points, streaks and leaderboards it makes for a fun learning experience that motivates you to come back for more.
Mondly’s stand out feature is its use of technology such as chatbots and AR that provide a novel and more immersive way to practice your new skills. It’s also comprehensive, helping you to improve all aspects of communication: speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
That said, there’s always room for improvement. Whilst it is comprehensive it has a fairly narrow focus on grammar. Its approach to this is more intuitive - with constant practice of phrases and sentences you’ll learn the rules without realizing.
Also, if you really want a laser-like focus on conversational skills, you may find the chatbot a bit limited and prefer a platform that offers live lessons with native speaking teachers.
However, if you value a fun yet structured approach that really helps new learning stick then Mondly is definitely worth considering.
You can use the free version to get a flavor of the platform or subscribe and make use of the 7 day free trial to make up your mind. Just remember to cancel before the 7 days is up to avoid payment. The pricing point is very competitive and there are frequent discounts available making it even better value.