Fluenz Review: A Look at Its Courses, Cost, and Alternatives
Chad Emery
Published on September 22, 2021
A more formal way to study
Overall, Fluenz is great if you want a classroom environment, but it’s not the most effective program out there. It tries to simulate a real classroom by combining video tutorials and interactive activities. The videos are nice to have, but they’re mostly in English. The practice activities are useful and can help you remember what you learn, but sometimes they’re a little too repetitive. The pace of the courses is also generally pretty slow.
PROS
- Simulates a real classroom environment
- A teacher explains topics in depth
- Activities are fun and helpful
- Only pay once
CONS
- A little expensive for what it is
- No speaking practice
- Too repetitive at times
- The pace is a little slow
Languages Available on Fluenz:
Spanish (European and Latin American), French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese Mandarin
Table of Contents
Fluenz Overview
While I was learning Spanish, I researched a lot of different apps to help me study. That’s when I came across Fluenz. I’ve tested a lot of language learning apps over the years, and a lot of them have similar approaches to teaching you a language. That’s not the case with Fluenz though. It has a pretty unique approach, so I decided to take a closer look. Hopefully this Fluenz review will help you decide if it’s a good choice for you!
Fluenz simulates formal language lessons unlike other apps that make language learning into a game, like Duolingo and Drops. Each Fluenz lesson includes practice activities and video tutorials that explain what you’re learning.
Overall, Fluenz does a pretty good job of creating a more formal language learning environment. Its courses aren’t the most comprehensive though, especially when compared to other apps like Rocket Languages.
Fluenz Price
The cost of Fluenz starts at $187 for one level of a course and goes up to $408 for a complete course. The table below shows the exact cost of each level:
Compared to other language apps, Fluenz is on the more expensive side. For comparison, a lifetime subscription to Rosetta Stone costs $299 (or $199 with a discount) and a lifetime subscription Mondly is even cheaper, costing $89.99.
Fluenz Free Trial
Fluenz doesn’t offer a free trial or demo, which is somewhat disappointing. The company does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee if you purchase a course directly through the website though.
Fluenz Discount
Fluenz offers a $40 discount if you sign up for their email list on the Fluenz website. Other apps like Pimsleur and Rocket Spanish frequently offer great discounts throughout the year (up to 60% off!), but it looks like Fluenz stays the same price no matter when you buy it.
Fluenz Review: Features
Fluenz offers a little bit of everything when it comes to features. It seems like it has struggled to keep up with its competitors in some ways though. While its core courses are pretty strong, I would have liked to see more practice activities. In general, these features will help you build a strong foundation in another language. I’m not sure they’ll actually help you become fluent though.
Fluenz Courses
The languages courses are the most important feature of Fluenz. Each course has a mix of video tutorials and practice activities (called “workouts”). The lessons follow a logical order and you always build on what you’ve already learned. This is really helpful for remembering everything from previous lessons.
There are 5 levels in each language (except Mandarin, which has 3 levels), and each level has around 30 different lessons. The video tutorials break down each lesson and help you understand the most difficult aspects of the language you’re learning. I found these really useful because sometimes it’s just best to have someone explain what you’re learning.
Fluenz Workouts
Between the videos in each lesson, you complete several different workouts. These help you practice what you’ve learned. They’re a little repetitive at times, but that’s just part of learning a new language. Sometimes the workouts felt a little too repetitive though.
When you’re learning a new language, it’s important to practice all different forms of communication, from reading and writing to speaking and listening. The Fluenz workouts cover all of these, but the speaking exercises leave a lot to be desired. Apps like italki or Busuu are much better for improving your speaking skills.
Fluenz Flashcards
Fluenz also has flashcards to help you practice new words and phrases from your course. These are pretty straightforward and are similar to any other flashcards you’d find in other apps. You can choose between three ways to practice with flashcards: traditional (one side in English and the other side in your target language), writing, or a mix of both.
One aspect I really like is the writing flashcards. Fluenz makes sure you spell everything correctly and use the correct accent marks. Other apps like Duolingo don’t really require you to use accents, which I think really slows down your progress.
Fluenz Commons
The Fluenz Commons is a forum where all Fluenz users can ask questions about the platform or about the language they’re learning. There are also some more learning tools in the Commons, but they’re not really that great.
Fluenz Immersion
The Fluenz immersion program is something I’ve never seen another language app offer. It’s a 6-day intensive Spanish course you take in person. You can choose between Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Barcelona. The Fluenz Immersion program is definitely geared towards a high-end clientele. It includes in-depth group or one-on-one classes, meals at Michelin-starred restaurants, luxury accommodation, and more.
If you’re serious about learning Spanish and have some extra cash to spare, the Fluenz Immersion program is a unique way to combine travel and language learning.
Fluenz Online Immersion
If you’re interested in keeping your language studies online, you can also take part in the Fluenz Online Immersion program. It’s basically the same concept as the regular immersion program, but you can do everything from your own home.
The online immersion program is more flexible than the regular immersion program, and you can choose how many hours of lessons you want. When you register for the online immersion program, you also receive the complete Fluenz Spanish course (all 5 levels).
Fluenz Homeschool
Fluenz Homeschool is a program specifically designed for parents who are homeschooling their kids. It offers the complete Fluenz program as well as a customized dashboard so parents can easily track their child’s progress. Fluenz is an excellent option for homeschooling because it mimics an actual classroom environment, unlike most other language programs.
Fluenz Languages
Fluenz offers the following languages: Spanish (European and Latin American), French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese (Mandarin with Pinyin). All languages except for Mandarin have 5 levels of 30 lessons. The Fluenz Mandarin program has 3 levels.
Fluenz Spanish Review
The Fluenz Spanish program is pretty comprehensive, but it does progress a little slower than other popular Spanish apps, like Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur. What makes it stand out is the videos included in each lesson. These help break down difficult concepts for English speakers, like the Spanish subjunctive tense.
The Fluenz Spanish program is perfect if you want a classroom atmosphere, but you’ll become conversational in Spanish more quickly by using apps like Babbel. If you really want to become fluent in Spanish, you can sign up to Baselang.
Fluenz Mandarin Review
The Fluenz Mandarin program is pretty limited, especially since it only uses Pinyin. You don’t learn how to write any Chinese characters with Fluenz, but the course does break down some difficult grammar topics. Overall, it’s decent if you want to learn the basics of Mandarin, but it’s price tag is high compared to other Chinese learning apps.
Fluenz Review: Overall Learning Experience
In general, Fluenz is a pretty strong way to learn a language. It definitely focuses more on writing, but it does include practice activities for reading, speaking, and writing too.
The video tutorials are the best part of the program because they clearly explain concepts and topics that are difficult. A lot of other apps don’t have useful explanations like this (If you’re a fan of learning with videos, you may also want to check out FluentU).
If you want to learn a language in a more formal way, Fluenz could be a great option. However, if your main goal is to become conversational quickly, there are much better options out there like Lingoda.
Fluenz Review: Areas of Improvement
I think Fluenz can help you build a strong foundation in another language, but there are definitely some ways the company can improve its courses.
First, there’s no speech recognition technology. This can help you improve your pronunciation without talking to a native speaker. A lot of other popular language apps have this, like Babbel and Busuu.
The pacing of the course is also pretty slow. That’s mainly because the lessons are really thorough. However, if you want to become conversational quickly, it’s just not possible with Fluenz unless you’re willing to study for hours each day.
Along those same lines, the lessons and activities are a bit too repetitive in my opinion. Repetition is really important when you’re learning a language. It helps you remember new words and phrases long-term. I feel like Fluenz takes it a little too far though, and too much repetition can really kill motivation.
The last area of improvement is the price. Fluenz is definitely on the higher end of the spectrum when it comes to price. The one aspect I do like about the cost of Fluenz is that you only pay once for the course. Fluenz doesn’t have a monthly subscription like most other apps. Even so, it’s still pretty expensive.
Fluenz Review: Alternatives & Competitors
Fluenz has courses for some of the most popular languages. Because of that, there are a lot of alternatives to Fluenz you can choose from. Some of the best Fluenz alternatives are Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur, Babbel, Rocket Languages, and Mondly. They all offer comprehensive language courses as well as practice activities to help you remember what you’ve learned.
Fluenz vs Rosetta Stone
Fluenz and Rosetta Stone have two completely different approaches to language learning. Rosetta Stone is more of an immersive app that only uses your target language to teach you. Fluenz, on the other hand, includes thorough explanations in English to help you understand what you learn. Price-wise, Rosetta Stone is quite a bit cheaper than Fluenz. Rosetta Stone also offers a monthly subscription that you can cancel anytime, whereas Fluenz is a one-time payment for lifetime access.
Fluenz vs Pimsleur
While Fluenz tends to focus on grammar and writing, Pimsleur focuses exclusively on speaking. If you want to become conversational fast, Pimsleur is definitely the best option. However, if you’re looking for a classroom feel, Fluenz is your best bet. In terms of price, Pimsleur runs from $14.99 to $20.99 per month and you can get Fluenz for a one-time payment of between $187 to $398. Pimsleur also offers a 7-day free trial.
Fluenz vs Babbel
Fluenz and Babbel both offer in-depth language courses, and choosing between the two comes down to your learning preference. Fluenz has video tutorials that explain what you learn in the lessons while Babbel has short and concise descriptions of what you’re learning. The pace of Babbel is much faster than Fluenz and it also has speech-recognition technology to improve your pronunciation, which Fluenz lacks. The cost of Babbel is also quite a bit cheaper than Fluenz.
Fluenz vs Rocket Languages
Fluenz and Rocket Languages are similar in terms of what they offer, but Rocket Languages offers a lot more languages than Fluenz does. I also found Rocket Languages courses to be more engaging and less repetitive than Fluenz courses. Both programs give you lifetime access after a one-time payment and their pricing isn’t too different.
Fluenz vs Mondly
Mondly is a great choice if you want to learn the basics of a new language quickly. Fluenz is definitely the better option if you want to achieve a higher level of fluency though. The structure of Mondly is set up as more of a game while Fluenz simulates a real classroom environment. If you’re only looking to master the basics and want to learn multiple languages, Mondly is definitely the cheaper option. Fluenz could be useful if you want to take a deeper dive into one language though.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fluenz is worth it if you’re looking for a classroom environment and in-depth explanations. The video tutorials are really helpful and break down difficult concepts that other language apps breeze over. However, if you’re looking to become conversational quickly, there are definitely better options out there for a cheaper price, like Pimsleur.
Fluenz works for people who excel in a more formal learning environment. If you’re looking for fun games and short lessons, Fluenz won’t work for you.
Fluenz costs $187 for one level, $258 for two levels, $318-$320 for three levels, and $398 for a complete course of five levels. The company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of its courses.
Fluenz is definitely better than Duolingo. Fluenz teaches you useful words and phrases and explains grammar in an easy-to-follow format. Duolingo is full of ads that interrupt your lessons and the content isn’t really that useful. However, if you’re only looking to learn the basics of a language for free, Duolingo is the better option.
Fluenz can definitely help you reach a comfortable level in terms of conversations, but you won’t become fluent. This is mostly because Fluenz doesn’t really help you improve your pronunciation or speaking abilities. These are two of the most important factors in determining your fluency.
About This Fluenz Review
The opinions in this Fluenz review are all my own. Fluenz didn’t sponsor this review and I did not receive any compensation for writing it. To write this review, I used Fluenz myself and also read other users’ comments on popular platforms like the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
3 Comments
Richard Apollo says:
Derivations of the days of the week was incorrect. The days do not derive from anything other than our celestial bodies. This is obvious.
lunes-Moon, martes-Mars, miercoles-Mercury, jueves-Jupiter, viernes-Venus, sabado-Saturn, Domingo-Sun.
Liana says:
thanks for info
Susan Humphreys says:
I love Fluenz. Unlike Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone, etc. they give you bite sized lessons in English that explain things. Pimsleur will just have you rotely learn exceptions, Fluenz will explain why it is an exception. Way better than anything else I’ve tried (and I’ve used a LOT of language apps.)