Photo by Bagus Hernawan on Unsplash
By Federica Lupis, https://www.federicalupis.com/
Author of "Fluent On The First Try" and "Why You're Not Fluent and How To Fix It"
Language trainer, interpreter and translator.
One Sunday morning, I was making breakfast while my kittens purred and rubbed against my legs. All of a sudden, I heard a female voice in the distance saying ‘Ciao come stai? (Hello, how are you?)’ and a man replying, ‘Bene grazie e tu? (I’m fine, thanks and you?)’
Intrigued by the presence of Italian speakers in my neighbourhood, I headed towards the front of the house to see if I could take a sneak peek.
‘Ho fame (I’m hungry)’, the man said as I tiptoed across the hallway so as not to wake up Ash.
‘Cibo spazzatura (Junk food)’ the woman replied.
‘She doesn’t mince her words!’, I thought as I covered my mouth with my hands not to burst out laughing. What were they talking about? Was she suggesting they get delicious greasy fries and chicken, or was she against it; but above all, why was she so blunt?
From the blurred windowpanes next to the front door, I couldn’t see anything. The bedroom windows would have been a much better lookout, and while I didn’t want to wake up Ash, my curiosity had to be satisfied.
I slowly opened the door, thinking I would find Ash slumped on the bed in the middle of a dream. Instead, I found him wide awake, talking to the ‘Italian woman’!
‘Buongiorno!’ ‘Ciao gattini! (Hi kittens!)’, Ash said confidently as Cosmo and Killua jumped onto the bed to greet him.
‘Chi è questa? Che vuole? (Who is this? What does she want?)’ I said, pretending to be jealous.
‘This is Drops! My new language app. It’s great! You should try it!’
As a strong supporter of Duolingo, I didn’t think I could find anything better, but in the end, Ash convinced me to give it a try.
If you want to find out about my experience with the blunt Italian woman, read on. Today, I’ll compare the Duolingo App to the Drops App.
Enjoy!
1. Free vs paid version
Duolingo is one of the most popular language-learning apps. It was initially launched in 2011 and currently offers 41 languages, including High Valyrian, the fictional language of the city Valyria on the TV show Game of Thrones.
Drops was released a little later, in 2015, and in recent years it has become increasingly popular among language learners. It offers over 45 languages, and like Duolingo, this includes endangered ones.
Both apps have free and paid versions.
The Duolingo premium app offers:
No ads.
Unlimited Hearts. In the free version, if you make more than 5 mistakes (represented by hearts), you will have to take a break until your hearts refill (5 hours for 1 heart, 25 hours for 5 hearts) or use the gems you have earned by using the app to pay for them. With the app’s premium version, you will have access to unlimited hearts, so mistakes won’t slow you down.
The Drops Premium subscription offers:
An ad-free experience.
Unlimited time within the app. The free version allows 5 minutes of gameplay every 10 hours.
The ability to select any topic at any time. In the free version, access is limited, and it is necessary to complete a unit, before you can access the next one.
As you can see, the main difference between Duolingo and Drops is that:
With the free Duolingo app, you can continue learning as long as you have at least one heart. With the free Drops app, you can practice for 5 minutes every 10 hours.
No matter what version you use, Duolingo allows you to advance to the next topic only after completing the previous one. Alternatively, you can take a skill test to jump to the next level. With the premium Drops app, you can navigate between topics without being restricted.
In my case, the free apps limit (5 minutes/hearts) is irrelevant because I usually spend 5 minutes on Drops, and 5 hearts on Duolingo are enough to complete a lesson. However, if I had to choose between the premium versions, I would probably opt for Drops (sorry, Duolingo, I have betrayed you!) because it lets you select any topic without having to take a test.
Some people get excited at the idea of taking a test and proving their skills. Me? I run the other way!
So, it comes down to personal preference: do you prefer a time or a mistake limit? Do you want to be able to access any topic at any time? Would you mind taking a test?
My score for this section:
Duolingo 4.5/5
Drops 5/5
2. Gaming experience vs visual learners.
It is no coincidence that Duolingo has become one of the most popular language-learning apps. The interface is beautifully designed with animated characters cheering for you while you do your best not to lose a single heart.
When you reach the end of the lesson, you get points that determine your position on the leader board, where you compete with other language learners to be promoted to the next league.
If you have a competitive spirit, Duolingo can give you a good adrenaline rush and motivate you not only to practise but also to do well.
Drops design is minimalist yet surprisingly effective.
While Duolingo focuses on translation and sentence building, Drops is based on association. Every word comes with a picture, and you’ll learn it by going through various exercises, such as multiple-choice, spelling games and match-ups.
I didn’t think I was a visual learner, but after just one session, I could recall Japanese words I hadn’t used before.
If you are a visual learner and like keeping things simple, Drops is definitively the way to go!
My score for this session (because I think Duolingo motivates you a bit more):
Duolingo 5/5
Drops 4.5/5
3. The verdict
By now, I can see Ash popping a bottle of champagne. Drops and Duolingo are both sitting at 9.5/10, which means that his app is as good as mine, but… I haven’t discussed my last point yet:
What is the best app for learning a foreign language?
I am more of a traditional learner, and for me learning a language means understanding its structure. I may remember thousands of words, but do I know how to put them together?
To me, Duolingo is a master at this. It helps you learn vocabulary and shows you how to use it in a sentence.
Duolingo gets 5/5, and it’s now ahead!
I usually discard apps like Drops that focus on vocabulary or short sentences. I don’t see the point of learning a language this way. So, I score Drops 0/5.
No, wait! That was before I tried it!
Drops honestly blew my mind. I thought this app would make me repeat some random words that I would forget the next day. Instead, weeks later, I can still remember the Japanese words I learned.
The guys who designed this app obviously put a lot of thought into the learning process and managed to create a product that really makes a difference. That’s why I score Drops… 5/5!
So there you have it. After years of loyalty to Duolingo, I found another language app that is just as good. I now use them together: Duolingo for language structure and Drops for vocabulary building.
These apps complement each other and will be an invaluable asset on your path to learning a language.
~ ~ ~
To sum up:
The free Duolingo and Drops apps are a good option, but if you want an ad-free experience and no limit on the number of mistakes you can make or the amount of time you can spend on them, premium subscriptions are worth a try.
Duolingo encourages language learning by offering a gaming experience to its users, while Drops delivers a flawless experience for visual learners.
Duolingo is best to learn language structure while Drops for vocabulary building. Use them together for the best results!
And with this short overview, we’re done for today!
Thanks for reading!
I’ll catch you all next time.
If you enjoyed my article, you can discover my tried and tested language learning strategies in my books:
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