Rocket Languages vs Rosetta Stone: Which Can Get You Closer To Fluency?
Maria Claudia Alvarado
Published on January 22, 2024
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If you want to understand all the areas of a language, you can use high-quality apps to help you practice all skills. Rosetta Stone and Rocket Languages are two popular language learning platforms that start with the basics and develop your skills from the beginning. However, only one of these apps has a comprehensive approach to help complete beginners advance to the next level. And that’s Rocket Languages.
Editor’s Choice
People compare Rocket Languages and Rosetta Stone because both apps use similar tools to help you understand the language. But there are key differences between these apps that make the learning experience completely different. In this article, we’ll look at each app’s pros and cons so you can pick the best language app for you.
Rocket Languages vs Rosetta Stone: A Quick Breakdown
Rosetta Stone and Rocket Languages both have interactive features to help you study a language from the start. Rocket Languages has podcast-style lessons that introduce you to vocabulary, phrases, and cultural context. With Rosetta Stone, you learn the language without translations and develop your conversational skills. Rocket Languages has cultural notes that expand on the history behind the language while Rosetta has shorter explanations. Rosetta Stone has an advanced voice recognition tool that can develop your pronunciation. But Rocket Languages’ interactive audio lessons teach you to apply your target language as you go.
The table below shows you a direct comparison of Rocket Languages and Rosetta Stone based on the languages they offer, their prices, and free trials:
| Rocket Languages | Rosetta Stone |
|---|---|
| 12 languages | 24 languages |
| $149.95/level | $10.50/month |
| 7-day free trial | 3-day free trial |
 | |
Rosetta Stone vs Rocket Languages: Cost Comparison
Rocket Languages has different prices for each language available on its app. The price ranges from $99.95 to $449.85 depending on how many levels are in your language course. The most popular languages like French, German, and Spanish cost $149.95 for one level, $299.90 for 1-2 levels, and $449.85 for 1-3 levels. The app has a free trial that lets you to try the first few lessons of each language course to see if you like it before you buy it.
A subscription to Rosetta Stone costs $47.97 for 3 months ($15.99 per month) for one language. But, you can also study one language for $126 for 12 months ($10.50 per month). The app also has a Lifetime subscription available for a one-time payment of $199.99. You can try Rosetta Stone’s All Access subscription with a 3-day free trial to see if you like using it.
While Rosetta’s 3-month subscription can initially seem like a cheaper option, you don’t get lifetime access to the language course you buy like you do with Rocket Languages. In my opinion, the best option for you depends on how much use you can get out of the app. If you want to learn the basics and not worry about your subscription coming to an end, I’d say pick Rocket Languages.
If you are not sure these are the right apps for you, there are other alternatives to help you achieve your language goals. Here are some similar language apps:
Rocket Languages and Rosetta Stone: How They Work
Rocket Languages and Rosetta Stone have comprehensive courses and tools to help you perfect your speaking and listening skills. You can use both to increase your vocabulary and grammar knowledge, but the learning experience is different in each app. Rosetta Stone offers an immersive experience that relies on audio and images to help you associate words with their meanings. Rocket Languages has audio lessons as well as extensive grammar and cultural notes to explain how to use the language. You can use Rosetta Stone to improve your pronunciation, speaking, and listening skills. But Rocket Languages can teach you to use words and phrases in different contexts.
Check out the table below to see how other people across the web rated these apps:
| Reviews | Rocket Languages | Rosetta Stone |
|---|---|---|
| Langoly | 4.4 | 4.0 |
| Apple Store | 4.3 | 4.8 |
| Google Play Store | 4.7 | 4.5 |
| Trustpilot | 2.9 | 3.7 |
| Average Score | 4.0 | 4.3 |
How Rocket Languages Works
Rocket Languages has a comprehensive course structure to help you learn the basics of a new language. It builds on what you previously learned, but it also allows you to skip ahead or choose the order of your lessons.
The app has podcast-style, audio lessons that introduce you to vocabulary words and phrases and explains how to use them in real-life scenarios. Depending on the language you are learning, Rocket Languages has written lessons with videos that show you how to write the alphabet letters stroke-by-stroke. Its Language and Culture lessons provide extensive explanations to help you tackle different aspects of the language like pronunciation, grammar, history, and more.
If you want to learn quickly to start using the language as soon as possible, the Survival Kit can give you all you need to know for basic communication. You can also find multiple reinforcement resources like interactive exercises, flashcards, audio, a voice recognition tool, and quizzes to keep you entertained and engaged in the language learning process.
Learn more about the app in this complete Rocket Languages review.
How Rosetta Stone Works
The Rosetta Stone program offers a dynamic approach that fully immerses you in the language you’re learning. Instead of using English translations, you learn a new language the way children do. Its structured but flexible lessons start with the basics and use interactive exercises to develop your vocabulary, grammar, listening, and speaking skills.
Each lesson uses audio voiced by native speakers and images to introduce you to new vocabulary words and phrases. Then, you record yourself using Rosetta’s advanced voice recognition tool and compare your pronunciation to the native speaker’s. The lessons last 10-30 minutes and have a logical progression that expands on what you previously learned.
There are additional resources such as on-demand videos, phrasebooks, stories, and alphabet charts. Rosetta Stone also has live classes with native speakers available on Rosetta Live.
You can learn more about the app in this complete Rosetta Stone review.
Rocket Languages: Pros and Cons
Rocket Languages has audio-focused lessons that teach you vocabulary, grammar, and context. In each lesson, you listen to native speakers hold a conversation. Then, they explain what it’s being said, the scenario, and why the language it’s being used in that manner. You’re asked to repeat after the speaker to practice your pronunciation, which keeps you engaged with the lesson. The speaker also explains the colloquial use and variations of the language, so you won’t be confused if you hear phrases or words used differently.
I think the app’s cultural notes are a great way of learning more about the language you are studying. They are very thorough and explain how society and history have shaped language, which in turn helps you understand how to apply it in the right context. For languages where formality is important, you can also find explanations to help you learn how to address friends, colleagues, officials, etc. In my opinion, this is the best way to study a language because you are not just memorizing and using words without knowing the meaning behind them.
On the other hand, some of its lessons are too text-heavy. I understand Rocket Languages does its best to get all the information across to make sure you understand all aspects, but the way the grammar is introduced makes it feel like you are reading a book. The whole point of using a language learning app is to practice in between breaks or quickly refresh your knowledge. Of course, you could always skip to the interactive exercises and quizzes, but you might miss vital information.
Most apps include visual elements like animations, videos, or photos to engage visual learners. One of the things I first noticed was that Rocket Languages doesn’t include many visual elements in its lessons. Even though the app makes good use of its audio and voice recognition tool to make your study time interesting, the lack of images makes the content feel more heavy even when it’s not. Overall, the app could use more visual features to make the lessons more appealing.
Rosetta Stone: Pros and Cons
Rosetta Stone’s lessons are perfect for students who want to experience immersion from the comfort of their own homes. Instead of relying on English, the app teaches you the new language using images and audio. This way, you learn to think in the language rather than just memorizing words and phrases.
The app has an advanced voice recognition tool that can provide immediate feedback on your pronunciation. Most apps have speech recognition tools these days. But Rosetta stands out because it can tell you exactly what part of a word you are mispronouncing. You can listen to an audio to learn the sound and use the voice recognition tool to practice saying it until you get it right. This way, you won’t have to worry about native speakers not understanding what you are saying.
If you’re studying a different language for the first time, Rosetta Stone might not be the best tool for you. Learning a language from zero is difficult. And the app’s lack of translations can make the experience feel overwhelming for a complete beginner. If the language you are studying very different from yours, not having translations to help you understand the difference between words with similar definitions could lead to embarrassing mistakes and frustration. Rosetta Stone doesn’t have more extensive explanations for language use, so you’re truly on your own.
For an immersive app, it’s disappointing that Rosetta Stone hasn’t added any features that teach you how to write letters for languages with different writing systems. The app does a great job of developing your listening and speaking skills, but you won’t be fluent unless you know how to write the language. So far, Rosetta only has alphabet charts to show you the pronunciation for each letter, but it’d be nice to see them incorporate writing practice in the future.
Rocket Languages vs Rosetta Stone: Which App is Better?
Rosetta Stone and Rocket Languages have similar features like voice recognition tools and audio. In the beginning, they might seem like they do the same, but their focus and approach are completely different. For students of all levels, I’d recommend Rocket Languages.
Even though Rosetta Stone has more interactive features and additional tools, its lack of English translations and more in-depth grammatical explanations can leave new language students confused and frustrated with the app. It does what it promises, which is immersing you in the language head-first. But this is probably not an effective way of learning for complete beginner language learners. If you like more traditional study methods, you probably are better off with Rocket Languages.
Rocket Languages offers podcast-style lessons to tackle everything you need to build a foundation in all language skills. You can increase your vocabulary, but also learn how to apply language in context, which is something many apps overlook. In my opinion, this is the best option if you want to use one app to for your study routine because of its familiar elements like interactive exercises and in-depth lessons. Mostly because of its detailed explanations, I like Rocket Languages more.
Rocket Languages vs Rosetta Stone: FAQ
Rosetta Stone is a great tool for students who want to immerse in a new language. But Rocket Languages can be better for complete beginners. Rocket Languages has thorough audio lessons and notes that explain language use, so you can learn to apply words and phrases in different contexts. It relies on English translations more than some other apps, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing depending on your learning style.
Rocket Languages has comprehensive lessons to help you learn vocabulary, grammar, and context, but it probably won’t make you fluent. The app doesn’t have any writing or reading practice, which are skills you need to develop if you want to become fluent. You also can’t use Rocket Languages to practice speaking with a native speaker. Apps like italki and Preply can help you with that, though.
Rocket Spanish can help you build a solid foundation on the language. But Babbel can be better for you if you are looking for more quick interactive lessons. Both apps have comprehensive courses, but users usually prefer Babbel for its game-like features. You can try both apps with their free trials to see which one you prefer using.
Rosetta Stone has different subscription options, including one that you can use to access all the languages available on the platform. However, it’s important to keep in mind that some languages have fewer units. You can use the app’s free trial to test it and see if it has everything you need.
