Pimsleur vs Assimil

Pimsleur vs Assimil: Which Language Learning App Can Help You?

Maria Claudia Alvarado Published on February 6, 2024
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Pimsleur vs Assimil

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Choosing the best tools to study a new language can make the process much easier, but finding the right resources can be time-consuming. If you’ve been looking for apps, you may have heard about Pimsleur and Assimil. These are well-known apps that can both teach you a language. But if you want precision and convenience, Pimsleur is the clear winner. 

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Pimsleur Overview
Pimsleur is a language-learning app with podcast-style lessons to improve your listening and speaking skills. In each audio lesson, you listen to two native speakers have a conversation, and repeat after each sound, word, and phrase to develop your listening and speaking skills. 
pimsleur logo
Price $14.95/month
Free trial 7 days
Try Pimsleur

The Pimsleur and Assimil language programs are often compared because both use audio lessons and aim to help you speak a new language accurately. Yet, there are key elements that make the learning experience in these apps very different from one another. In this article, I’ll compare Pimsleur and Assimil’s pros and cons to help you decide which is the best app for you.

Pimsleur vs Assimil: A Quick Breakdown

Pimsleur and Assimil’s goal is to develop your conversational and listening skills as soon as possible. Both apps use audio to introduce you to new vocabulary, but each has a different focus. Pimsleur is completely audio-based and has native speakers voice all its content. Assimil shows you new words, their spelling, and their English translation. Assimil primarily teaches you your target language through translation, while Pimsleur is more immersive.

The table below shows you a direct comparison of Pimsleur and Assimil based on the languages they offer, their price, and their free trials available.

PimsleurAssimil
51 languages35 languages
$14.95 per month$41.99 per course
7-day free trial1 free lesson
Try NowTry Now

Assimil vs Pimsleur: Cost Comparison

Assimil gives you access to the first lesson of each language course for free, but if you want to unlock all the features and tools available, you need to purchase the full version. An Assimil language course sells for $41.99. The app has no monthly subscription, and you must buy each level for each language separately.

You can get a Pimsleur monthly subscription for $19.95 per month to study one language. If you want to learn multiple languages, Pimsleur’s All Access subscription costs $20.95 per month and gives you access to all the language courses on the app. With Pimsleur, you can buy one or multiple levels in bundles. One level sells for $150, two for $300, and five for $575. You can try Pimsleur for free with a 7-day trial for its All-Access subscription, so you can try all its features. 

Buying a language course you can keep can be tempting, but it might not provide you with the best value. While Assimil gives you lifetime access to all the content to buy in its store, it sells each level for each language course individually. But, you shouldn’t have use for the previous levels once you move on to the next one. Pimsleur offers a monthly subscription that is much more convenient if you plan to use the app for a while. You can choose which plan fits your needs and stop and continue whenever you want. In general, I prefer Pimsleur’s monthly subscriptions. 

If you want to see more options before you commit to an app, we have plenty of useful recommendations for you. Here are some similar alternatives.