Pimsleur vs Drops
Overview
Pimsleur is one of the most established names in language learning with 5+ decades of experience behind it. The scientifically backed Pimsleur Method helps you absorb new vocabulary and phrases and commit them to memory efficiently and fast. There’s a big emphasis on learning by listening and repeating. Games, quizzes and speech recognition technology add variety to what is a very systematic approach to learning a new language.
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
- Scientifically proven “Pimsleur Method” structured to help you learn fast and retain information
- Speech recognition technology with feedback to hone pronunciation
- Flexible learning across all devices, with hands free for on the go learning
- Easy to use with fun review activities including match quizzes, voice coach, and speed rounds
- Strong focus on core vocabulary and structures in practical, real-life conversations
- 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
- Basic subscription is audio only
- Core lessons can seem monotonous and repetitive
- No placement test
- Not ideal for teaching grammar and writing
- 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: Beginners and those with limited knowledge of a language who want to get talking straight away. Especially suited to those who learn by listening who enjoy a structured approach to their learning. Also great for people who want to brush up on basic “survival skills” -- those key phrases you’ll need on vacation or travelling.
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 $14.99 per month
From $7.50 per month
Number of users
n/a
40 million downloads
Overall
Overall: A structured and efficient way to learn a new language that gets you speaking more intuitively and understanding quickly in a way that really sticks.
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
Albanian, Arabic (Eastern, Egyptian, Modern Standard), Armenian (Eastern and Western), Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dari Persian, Dutch, Farsi Persian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean Lithuanian, Norwegian, Ojibwe, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese (Brazillian and European), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Spanish (Latin American and Spain-Castilan), Swahili, Swedish, Swiss German, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Twi, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, English (ESL)
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
Pimsleur is named after American linguist, Dr Paul Pimsleur. After years of researching the most effective way to commit a new language to memory, Dr Pimsleur developed the Pimsleur method.
This method was first used by the Pimsleur company to produce reel to reel taped language courses which was then transferred to CD.
In the mid 2000s, Pimsleur began to offer digital learning courses before developing their app in 2018. You can also use Pimsleur on your lap or desktop.
There are now millions of users of Pimsleur products.
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
Pimsleur is a subscription service with a number of options to fit your budget and needs.
Each language contains a variety of levels ranging from 1 (beginner) to 5 (expert). Some languages only have 3 or 4. Each level contains 30 half hour lessons which should be taken daily.
Whatever language or level you’re on, Pimsleur teaches you using “The Pimsleur Method.” What is this? Well, Dr Paul Pimsleur’s years of research in the field of applied linguistics led him to conclude that effective language teaching course needed to combine the following key elements:
Graduated interval recall
Dr Pimsleur discovered that when words and phrases are presented at gradually increasing intervals, students’ memories improve each time. He then figured out the best spacing sequence to move new learning from short to long-term memory. This spaced repetition method is at the heart of all Pimsleur’s programs.
The principle of anticipation
Our brains are hard-wired to predict, or anticipate, correct responses. So, if you’re given a chance to predict an answer, it enters your memory even before the lesson presents it. If it’s correct and then reinforced, new connections are made in the brain.
Core Vocabulary
Learning a little at a time with a chance to internalize it speeds up the learning process. So, since you can communicate in any language with relatively few words and structures, Pimsleur focuses on this core. This, in turn, provides a framework to keep adding new words and phrases to.
Organic Learning
To help your brain pick up tone, rhythm and pronunciation, all new vocabulary and phrasing is introduced in a conversational context.
With all this in mind, Pimsleur lessons and review activities:
- Introduce you to core words and phrases at gradually decreasing intervals
Require you to participate by giving you time to recall and respond in a meaningful exchange
So though there is a strong focus on aural learning, you’re not listening passively. You are actively involved in what you’re listening to and required to respond, just as you would in real life situations.
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 1 lessons all begin with listening to a conversation. Pimsleur then deconstructs this conversation and teaches you to say the elements out loud.
To help make it easier for you to fully grasp new words, Pimsleur breaks them down syllable by syllable. Interestingly, it starts with the last syllable and works backwards when teaching a new word.
Words and phrases are spoken frequently and slowly. This means you’ll be able to fully grasp what to say and how to say it.
However, as the course progresses, the repetition speeds up; you’ll be surprised at how quickly you won't need the time or repetitions you did at first!
In Pimsleur German 1, I learned and increased my German vocabulary and conversation skills by:
Listening to dialogues
Repeating words and phrases aloud
Using the Voice coach voice recognition software to correct my pronunciation
Using flashcards to revise new vocabulary
Completing quick match quizzes and speed rounds
Reviewing learnt words or expressions until I was confident using them
During my week completing the course, I noticed a considerable improvement in both my pronunciation and understanding of German. In fact, I could sometimes predict the meanings of conversations even before Pimsleur began to break them down.
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 Pimsleur method would suit anyone who’s:
- Looking to learn a new language from scratch
- Keen to start talking straight away and hold a conversation in 30 days
- Has some grasp of a language and wants to improve
- Learns best through a structured repetitive method
- Wants to improve their listening skills
- Wants to learn flexibly across all devices
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
- 50+ languages
- Hands free learning
- Speech recognition with feedback
- Review quizzes, flashcards and speed rounds
- Cultural differences reflected in course material
- Mobile and web based
- Gamification
- Science backed methodology
- 45 Languages
- Review tools
- Game based approach
- Gamification and challenges
- Supplementary Apps
Is it worth it?
Yes, as long as you are clear about what Pimsleur is good for, and how it works.
You need to take on board that Pimsleur is highly structured and systematic, and that it’s this approach that makes it work. But it may not be to everyone’s taste.
Also, if you’re an analytical learner or a grammar nerd, Pimsleur is unlikely to suit your style.
But if you’re a beginner, or want to brush up your conversational skills for travel purposes, Pimsleur is definitely worth considering. Especially if you learn best by listening, don’t have time in your day to ‘sit and click’ and want to learn hands free and on the move.
The Pimsleur method cements new vocabulary and phrases into your memory in a way that helps you speak almost intuitively without thinking, and the Voice Coach (voice recognition and feedback system) develops great pronunciation.
Pimsluer’s emphasis on recall and repetition will have your conversational and listening skills up to a great standard in no time!
A seven day free trial will give you more than enough time to decide if the Pimsleur Method is right for you. If not, you just cancel within that time and no payment will be taken.
So what have you got 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.