Our Busuu Review 2021

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9.5
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Busuu is an online language learning platform. It is very famous among language learners. The Busuu reviews you would have heard or read are mostly positive and supportive of this platform. The online site has over 100 million active users around the world. and it has been helping new language learners to branch out and explore new languages to learn.

$38.99

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(Last Updated On: August 31, 2022)

What Is Busuu?

For those who aren’t aware, Busuu is an online language learning platform. Their learning services can be accessed by many via two different routes – webpage and app. On smartphones – Android and iOS – you can access the platform by installing the official Busuu app. Busuu is a language learning app that uses a multitude of teaching techniques to enhance your understanding of many languages.

Through progressive learning techniques, Busuu uses phrases paired with pictures to help prompt your memory for certain exercises. In addition to writing assessments and short quizzes, there is a neat review section for students to make the most of. Here, learners can review your ‘weak’ words and reinforce the words and phrases that you already know.

There is also a unique social section on Busuu. Here, students can discover new friends or chat to friends you have already made in the Busuu community. You can help those looking to learn your primary language, benefitting every party’s learning experience. Conversely, there are loads of people on the Busuu site that are there to help everyone’s learning. This is a fantastic function within Busuu.

As you are not limited to the framework of any course, you can write or say any kind of sentence or phrases you wish and someone within the Busuu community will most likely review it and give you their personal, bespoke feedback. After each language lesson, the community gives you feedback on your exercise and helps you improve your command of that language.

Busuu
£/$69.86

Review on The Course Plan and Strategy of Busuu

CEFR Course Plan

First of all, all the courses of Busuu follow the structure of CEFR, short for Common European Framework of Reference. It’s a benefit for Busuu customers, as there’s a clear structure across their platform which each and every course available follows an approved structure.

As Busuu follows the official CEFR, it means that students can learn that language within a more formal progressive format. With a focus and concentration on learning, many will likely benefit and as a result, gain a better understanding of a certain language. It also makes the lessons more organised, meaning that you won’t get lost in the learning journey and will always be able to pick up where you left off.

The lessons in Busuu follow the structure of: A1, A2, B1, B2, and so on. It is just like the CEFR curriculum. It’s extremely easy to follow, and is definitely a help to those newbies learning a language online. With that said, we know you didn’t  sign up in Busuu just to get a regular CEFR language admission – Busuu has much more to offer.

Placement Test

If you have taken any other language course outside of Busuu, and you aren’t sure which lesson on Busuu to begin with, then you can simply take the placement test. After taking this test, Busuu will determine which level you should begin with, as well as filling in the previous lessons as 100% completed. This is a fantastic feature as you won’t waste time going over things you already know, saving time and being much more efficient.

Course Notification

You will also get the liberty to choose how often you want to use Busuu, thanks to their user-friendly site. You can choose days of the week and time to get a notification in the app (read on for more details about the app). There’s also different content for different languages. For example, Busuu’s Japanese learning courses will offer alternative content to Busuu’s Arabic courses. It’s definitely a positive from our Busuu review that Busuu does not copy-paste their lectures in different languages. Different languages have different lessons and content, which is exactly what is needed.

Busuu Arabic

As we said we will give Busuu Japanese review as well as Busuu Arabic review, let us take these two languages as examples. Busuu Arabic courses have two options available for you whereas Busuu Japanese have three learning options. But both of them follow the CEFR curriculum, so no need to worry. Busuu Arabic has Complete Arabic and Arabic for Travel. The Complete Arabic course teaches you everything you need to know in Arabic. You will be taught everything from the beginning to the end. Even if you have zero knowledge about Arabic, Busuu will teach you everything from scratch. Ultimately, you will become a mature Arabic speaker with Busuu’s learning courses.

Arabic for Travel is an alternative course that teaches the essentials you will need while travelling in an Arabic country. Students will be taught how to ask for directions in Arabic, and how to make reservations in Arabic. The purpose of this course is to enhance your holidays in an Arabic country more enjoyable.

Busuu Japanese

In Busuu Japanese, we have Hiragana & Katakana, Complete Japanese, and Japanese for Travel. The principles are the same for each course. Complete Japanese is for those who want to learn Japanese inside-out from the basics. Japanese for Travel is for those who want to learn Japanese for basic navigational words, like asking for directions, or making a reservation when you are travelling in Japan. Hiragana & Katakana, however, is for those who need more time and tutoring in building a foundation in the Japanese alphabet. We know how confusing the Japanese  language can get, so Busuu made this custom course for those who need this extra nurturing in the alphabet.

Busuu
£/$69.86

Exercise Feedback and The Busuu Community

Whether it’s Japanese, Arabic, or any other language course on the Busuu site, there’s exercises at the end of each lesson to be completed. This is where the giant Busuu community shows its true scale. The Busuu community – as we mentioned earlier in our Busuu review – is a very helpful feature to have on the platform, but exercises will judge and assess your exercise results specifically.

There are two types of exercises on the Busuu site: Written and Spoken. The written exercise is like your traditional written submissions. It’s typing – not the traditional pen and paper of course. If you choose to speak, you can record your audio and upload it onto the site. On top of that, both written and spoken exercises don’t have to be done live, meaning resubmissions are possible. Feedback from a language expert on Busuu’s site will be available, meaning you can improve your language learning effectively.

So how does the community come into play here? Well, they are the ones that give a review on your exercise in parts of the Busuu site. Imagine a scenario, where you are a native English speaker and are currently learning Japanese. There are also some native Japanese speakers using Busuu, who are learning English. So, at the end of your Japanese lesson, you take the spoken exercise. You record your Japanese speaking and post it in the community. That native Japanese speaker we mentioned will come across your exercise and examine it. They will then give feedback on your exercise.

In the same manner, that Japanese user just finished one of their English lessons and might take the written exercise. The exercise will be posted in the community and as you come across it as a native English speaker, you can give feedback accordingly.

Honestly, we think it is a great way of making use of this expansive community and let everyone get free feedback on how well they are doing. Also, it is a great way of coming in contact with new people and creating new contacts. We think that Busuu’s course design and strategy of making things work is of high-quality, and many other Busuu reviews agree!

A Review of The Busuu App

The Busuu app is very user-friendly. It is simple and easy to navigate around the site – more simplified than the desktop and web versions and is highly recommended. The app is available for both Android and iOS and it is free to download. After downloading the app, registration to Busuu will be required. Then choose your language, answer a few questions and you are on the home page, ready to go. Here, you’ll find all the lessons available, as well as your progress in any current courses. By tapping on them, you will enter the settings of the lessons and find more information.

The app serves as a great language study companion when you are on the go. Also, we think it’s super easy to use, and if you have the opportunity to download the app, you should. Most of the lessons are flashcard types that adjust to fit on your screen accurately, giving you a much simpler and more beneficial learning experience. There are minimal issues in regards to the app. If you are concerned about app notifications, then don’t worry. Notifications of the app can be turned off in the app settings. Otherwise, you’ll be set to learn some languages!

Busuu Free Version Features

The Busuu app is free to download and you can also take some lessons for free. However, the free version in comparison to the premium & premium plus options is very limited in terms of access. The Busuu community is exclusive to Premium users, and the extensive list of language courses is only available to those premium Busuu customers.

Our Busuu review found that if learning a language will just be a hobby, or an individual is looking to learn the basics, then the free version of Busuu can be utilised. The free lessons involve vocabulary and putting together simple sentences. Other free language apps mostly teach you a bulk amount of vocabulary but do not teach you where and how to use them. Busuu’s free plan may teach fewer words in comparison, but the online platform does teach you much more than just basic vocabulary .

Busuu
£/$69.86

Busuu Premium & Premium Plus

Busuu actually has two premium plans. Busuu premium and Busuu Premium Plus. Busuu Premium gives you full access to the courses of language you are learning and not to mention, full access to the Busuu community. If you are looking to learn one particular language extensively, then the Busuu premium will be an ideal platform for you.

Busuu Premium Plus gives you access to all 12 languages in Busuu’s course collection, and a personalised study plan to monitor your progress. This also states when you will be at a mature level of speaking the language you are learning. With Busuu Premium Plus, you will get an official CEFR certification for completing a language course. There’s a lot of content and additional services available for Busuu Premium & Premium Plus users.

Busuu – Is It Worth It?

Now to the ultimate question: Is Busuu Language App worth your money? We certainly think so. Take a look at the cost of Busuu in the table.

Plan

Busuu Premium Busuu Premium Plus
Per month Total Per month Total
3 month $12.99/month $38.99 $14.23/month $42.69
12 month $7.12/month $85.44 $8.13/month $97.56
24 month $6.60/month $158.4 $7.62/month $182.88

If we take a look at the price per month, then we would say that Busuu’s service is worth all the money. For such a price, you are getting access to a huge community and lessons in the CEFR syllabus at home or on the go. Moreover, you are getting customized language lessons for meeting certain demands. (Reviewed in the Short Busuu Arabic review and Busuu Japanese review part) What else can you ask for at such a price in language learning?

Busuu
£/$69.86
9.5Expert Score
Our Busuu Review 2021 In conclusion, we feel that Busuu is a leading language learning platform. It has a very helpful community to give feedback, and includes a CEFR curriculum course for every 12 languages. The price is also reasonable in comparison, and if you are committed to learning one of the languages, it is definitely value for money. Here at MakeMeSMart, we recommend checking out Busuu if you like what you see. There’s much more to explore on their site – click here to discover everything Busuu has to offer!
PROS
  • Busuu offers terrific value for money on a user-friendly platform. Adding to that the wide range of languages available as well as the Busuu community whereby you can enhance your learning through conversation.
CONS
  • The in-app notifications can be jarring. But these can be simply turned off.

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