Rocket Russian Review: Features, Price, and Top Alternatives
Kelsey Wetherbee
Published on June 6, 2022
Effective for learning Russian, but expensive
Rocket Russian is an excellent way to begin learning Russian. The lessons are high-quality and easy to understand. Because there are few additional features outside of the lessons, it can become a bit monotonous. And since you have to pay for the entire level, not monthly, it’s a big upfront expense.
PROS
- Detailed and everything is explained well
- Mix of lesson styles
- New Travelogue series to practice listening
CONS
- Expensive
- Too much English used
- Repetitive activities
Table of Contents
Rocket Russian Overview
Rocket Russian is one of the many courses available from Rocket Languages. There are 3 levels that start from the very beginning and, according to Rocket, take you to an upper-intermediate level. There are different types of lessons that focus on all the important skills of learning a language, such as listening, vocabulary, grammar, and writing.
Rocket Russian is an effective course. The lessons can be a little boring, but they’re very thorough and teach Russian in a way that’s easy to understand and remember. Level 1 is an excellent introduction to Russian. Everything is explained in English so it’s easy to follow. But by level 3, there’s still too much English, which isn’t useful for someone at an intermediate or advanced level.
Rocket Russian Price
With the Rocket Language courses, you pay by the level and there is no monthly subscription option. Buying the level gives you lifetime access. Level 1 costs $149.95. Levels 1 & 2 cost $299.90. Levels 1, 2, & 3 cost $449.85. Rocket offers an option to pay in installments over 6 months.
At first glance, the prices seem expensive. The good news is that Rocket always has a discount available, so you never have to pay full price. And because most other apps, like RussianPod101 and Lingodeer, have monthly subscriptions, it’s a good idea to think about how the price compares in months. For example, you can use Rosetta Stone for about 12 months for the same price as 1 level of Rocket. You can use MosaLingua or Mondly for about 15 months for the price of 1 level of Rocket.
Rocket Russian Free Trial
Rocket Russian has a 7-day free trial, but it’s limited. During the trial period, you can access 9 lessons in level 1, but only 2 lessons in levels 2 & 3. There’s also a new Travelogue series, and you can try 2 lessons in this series.
Rocket Russian Discount
There’s always a discount available for Rocket Russian, so you won’t have to pay full price. After I created my account, I was automatically offered a discount. There are particularly good discounts around the holidays, so keep your eyes out for those. I was offered 60% off for Memorial Day.
Rocket Russian Review: How It Can (or Can’t) Help You
Rocket Russian makes it easy to start learning the language. I only had to enter my name and email address to get started. Rocket is a very structured course so it’s easy to see where to start. The lessons are grouped into 7 modules, and one Survival Kit for each level. Each module has 2 types of lessons: Interactive Audio lessons and Language & Culture lessons. Level 1 offers additional Cyrillic lessons because Russian uses a different alphabet than English.
Rocket Russian makes it easy to get started, but learning a new language can be difficult. Let’s look at some common challenges language learners face to see if Rocket Russian can help overcome them.
Challenge #1: Beginning a New Language
Rocket Russian is an excellent choice for people beginning to learn Russian. The lessons start from the very beginning and don’t assume you have any prior knowledge of the language. The first few lessons ease you into the language and how Rocket has structured its course. Because all the explanations are in English, it’s easy to follow along. Rocket also provides translations of all of the new words and phrases presented in the lessons.
Challenge #2: Learning & Remembering New Words
Rocket Russian is a useful resource for learning new vocabulary. The Interactive Audio lessons have a strong focus on learning new words and phrases. Every lesson has 15-40 new words and phrases that are introduced in the dialogue during the lesson. After you listen to the lesson, there are tons of practice activities you can do to memorize the new words. There are flashcards, audio clips, and writing exercises to help reinforce the words.
Challenge #3: Understanding & Speaking to Native Speakers
Rocket Russian does a good job of helping you understand spoken Russian. Every lesson includes a dialogue between 2 native speakers so you can hear a natural conversation. There are also tons of audio clips that can help you learn the correct pronunciation of words.
Practicing speaking with an app is challenging, but Rocket tries to overcome this obstacle. During the lessons, you are prompted to repeat after the teacher to practice speaking and pronunciation. The teacher stresses the importance of speaking aloud and practicing along with the audio. There’s also an interesting dialogue speaking practice where you play as one of the speakers in the dialogue.
Challenge #4: Making Language Learning a Routine
Rocket Russian is a course for serious learners, so they don’t focus on gimmicks that other apps use to get you to return to the app. There are a few features, such as a leaderboard and points, but it’s not a prevalent feature. Rocket Russian does offer tips to help you create, and stick to, your own learning routine.
Rocket Russian Review: Overall Learning Experience & Areas of Improvement
In my opinion, Rocket Russian is a useful way to learn the language. I like that there’s a variety of lesson styles. In the Interactive Audio lessons, I liked listening to the dialogue and being able to practice with it. The Language & Culture lessons were good because they explain a grammar topic, which sometimes isn’t interesting, but they pair it with a more interesting cultural topic. The Cyrillic lessons were effective as an introduction to this different alphabet.
The practice activities included with the lessons are good but can start to feel repetitive. Since I was practicing with the same words and phrases over and over, I started to get bored before I could finish all the activities associated with the lessons.
I did enjoy the Travelogue series, which is a series of lessons that take you on a trip around Russia. Since they are entirely in Russian, it’s an excellent way to practice listening and understanding. As a beginner, I didn’t understand too much, but there’s also an audio transcript in English. These lessons are designed for low-intermediate and higher, so I’ll listen to them again when I have a better understanding.
One of my biggest complaints about the app is that too much is spoken in English, even at the advanced levels. I understand that beginners need a lot of explanation and guidance, but by level 2, and definitely by level 3, there should be more content spoken in Russian so learners can begin to train their ears to understand the language.
One of the biggest deterrents to Rocket Russian is the price. Since the level has to be bought upfront, it seems like a steep price. There are other apps available for a cheaper monthly price, but you also have to consider how long you think you’ll use the app. In the end, paying for the level might be a less expensive option than having a monthly subscription.
Rocket Russian Alternatives and Competitors
If you think Rocket Russian isn’t the right choice for you, there are many other options available. Pimsleur is a similar app that also has you pay by the level. If you want to practice more speaking, a platform that connects you with a teacher, like italki or Preply, might be better. Apps like Duolingo and ClozeMaster offer free content, and some apps have cheap monthly subscriptions like Busuu, Babbel, and Drops. Let’s take a look at how Rocket Russian stacks up against some similar apps.
Rocket Russian vs RussianPod101
Rocket Russian and RussianPod101 are very similar. They both use audio lessons and have a strong focus on culture and how it affects the language. Rocket Russian is a more structured course that shows you exactly what you should do next. RussianPod101 has a lot more content, but it isn’t as well-organized. RussianPod101 has a monthly subscription, which may or may not make it less expensive. Since they are so similar, check out the free trial for both and decide. You can also learn more about RussianPod101 in this review or try it for free by clicking the button below.
Rocket Russian vs Babbel
It’s hard to compare Rocket Russian and Babbel because they are both well-developed courses, but have completely different teaching styles. Rocket Russian uses audio lessons with English explanations, but Babbel has shorter interactive lessons. Babbel offers a monthly subscription, which I prefer as opposed to paying for the entire level like I have to do with Rocket. This is a tough one, but I like Babbel a little more because the lessons fit my learning style. If you’d like to read more about Babbel, you can check out this review or try it for free by clicking the button below.
Rocket Russian vs Duolingo
Duolingo is one of the most famous language learning apps out there. It offers the entire Russian course for free, but they also have monthly subscription to get rid of ads and other limitations. Rocket Russian has very developed lessons that teach all aspects of the language, whereas Duolingo focuses more on direct translations. If you are just starting Russian, I think Duolingo is good to get some basic vocabulary. But if you need to learn Russian for work or an academic reason, Rocket Russian will be more effective. Read more about Duolingo in this review or try it for free by clicking the button below.
Rocket Russian vs Rosetta Stone
Similar to Babbel, Rosetta Stone uses fast and interactive lessons, whereas Rocket Russian uses longer audio lessons that are more detailed. Rosetta Stone has the benefit of having a less expensive monthly subscription. Both courses are excellent so I recommend using the free trial for both to see which one fits your learning style. You can also read more about Rosetta Stone in this review or try it for free by clicking the button below.
Rocket Russian Review FAQ
Rocket Russian is one of the better options available for learning Russian. The lessons are very detailed and feature native speakers having conversations, which is good for practicing listening and understanding. Every concept is explained and there are different lessons to learn vocabulary, grammar, and writing.
With the Rocket Language courses, you pay by the level and there is no monthly subscription option. Level 1 costs $149.95. Levels 1 u0026 2 cost $299.90. Levels 1, 2, u0026 3 cost $449.85. Rocket offers an option to pay in installments over 6 months.
That depends on your learning style. Rocket Russian uses longer audio lessons, and Rosetta Stone has short interactive lessons. If you want to understand all aspects of Russian, Rocket Russian is a better choice. But if you want quick and easy lessons, Rosetta Stone is better.
Rocket Russian offers a free 7-day trial that gives you access to a few lessons, but there is no free content you can access after your trial has expired.
About This Rocket Russian Review
This is an independent Rocket Russian review, and the company has not sponsored this article. To write this review, I signed up for the free trial of the app and used it for a few hours to thoroughly test its content and features. I also found additional information on the Rocket Languages website to verify my findings.
