Review Insights · App Store
Pimsleur | Language Learning
Simon & Schuster · 26,709 ratings · ★ 4.7
4.7
★★★★★
26,709 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 11 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"language"
4 negative reviews mention this · 36% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Languages great, app sucks. They will routinely knock you off the app, and sometimes when you can’t get a good signal, so even if you downloaded a language you are learning and paid for, it won’t work." - Darcy77
2
"wrong"
3 negative reviews mention this · 27% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Accent is perfect! But AI is absolutely awful. So there is absolutely no “I” in this particular AI. It’s programmed to hear one specific sentence structure, if you say anything else even 100% correct it will be marked as wrong. At first I thought it was may, I wasn’t pronouncing correct…" - !AA!
3
"thought"
3 negative reviews mention this · 27% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Accent is perfect! But AI is absolutely awful. So there is absolutely no “I” in this particular AI. It’s programmed to hear one specific sentence structure, if you say anything else even 100% correct it will be marked as wrong. At first I thought it was may, I wasn’t pronouncing correct…" - !AA!
4
"short"
3 negative reviews mention this · 27% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Accent is perfect! But AI is absolutely awful. So there is absolutely no “I” in this particular AI. It’s programmed to hear one specific sentence structure, if you say anything else even 100% correct it will be marked as wrong. At first I thought it was may, I wasn’t pronouncing correct…" - !AA!
5
"learning"
3 negative reviews mention this · 27% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Accent is perfect! But AI is absolutely awful. So there is absolutely no “I” in this particular AI. It’s programmed to hear one specific sentence structure, if you say anything else even 100% correct it will be marked as wrong. At first I thought it was may, I wasn’t pronouncing correct…" - !AA!
6
"learn"
3 negative reviews mention this · 27% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Accent is perfect! But AI is absolutely awful. So there is absolutely no “I” in this particular AI. It’s programmed to hear one specific sentence structure, if you say anything else even 100% correct it will be marked as wrong. At first I thought it was may, I wasn’t pronouncing correct…" - !AA!
📋 All 11 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
Worst app ever
Already thought i knew Vietnamese
Languages great, app sucks
They will routinely knock you off the app, and sometimes when you can’t get a good signal, so even if you downloaded a language you are learning and paid for, it won’t work.
Misleading Billing
I downloaded this app back in September of 2025 and now it’s May 2026. I started looking closely at my checking account and I didn’t know what the charges were for. I contacted my bank and found out it was this. This does NOT place it into your subscriptions on your iPhone for review. I literally used it once and probably spent what?? $180 to $200 for it. They won’t reimburse nor provide you information to submit a complaint with the Better business bureau. I do not recommend this app. It sucks. I recommend Busuu to learn a different language. I asked for a call back and I highly doubt that happens either!
They signed me out and will not let me sign in
I adored this for several years for several languages but today for no reason I’ve been signed-out and cannot sign back in. There is no support
Thought it was good
I guess I was wrong. I AM ABSOLUTELY NOT GOING TO PAY JUST TO LEARN A LANGUAGE. NO THANK YOU. GOODBYE.
Low fruit
Lots of potential but some absurd short fallings.
For starters, no speed control for audio. I listen while driving and can only process at around 80-90% speed, vs if I’m just sitting there focused on it. Crazy they don’t have this.
Secondly, the app doesn’t have a iOS dark icon. This rendering language has been out over a year and still hasn’t received basic support.
Also, if you accidentally click the wrong user when signing in, you aren’t able to change users until you’ve selected a language and filled out the form selecting why you want to learn that language. It is the worst user flow I have ever seen and looks like it was developed by a child.
For starters, no speed control for audio. I listen while driving and can only process at around 80-90% speed, vs if I’m just sitting there focused on it. Crazy they don’t have this.
Secondly, the app doesn’t have a iOS dark icon. This rendering language has been out over a year and still hasn’t received basic support.
Also, if you accidentally click the wrong user when signing in, you aren’t able to change users until you’ve selected a language and filled out the form selecting why you want to learn that language. It is the worst user flow I have ever seen and looks like it was developed by a child.
Where’s the discount?
Okay, I have used Pimsleur for over 25 years.
It is one of the best learning methods when you are teaching yourself.
BUT, this app is terrible!!!
It needs more micro lessons about more than just drinking and dating.
AND, Pimsleur needs to honor the ads they keep sending me …
It is one of the best learning methods when you are teaching yourself.
BUT, this app is terrible!!!
It needs more micro lessons about more than just drinking and dating.
AND, Pimsleur needs to honor the ads they keep sending me …
Great app, predatory subscription practices
Do not give this company money outside of the App Store.
Accent is perfect! But AI is absolutely awful
So there is absolutely no “I” in this particular AI. It’s programmed to hear one specific sentence structure, if you say anything else even 100% correct it will be marked as wrong. At first I thought it was may, I wasn’t pronouncing correctly but now I’m going back to revise earlier lessons and it much more obvious that it’s not me. I had my native French (born and raised in Paris, with a graduate degree in Literature) and she got graded as 60% with all her answers marked as incorrect because she would say “quelle heure est-il” and not “il-est quelle heure” or “c’est ou” and not “il est ou”. So in short utterly useless in actuality telling you if you’re learning anything.
That said, the accents of the speakers are perfect, so if you just want to listen to perfect accents to try and imitate, this will work. If you think this is actually AI driven and will coach you to speak and correct you - it’s technically not capable, it will actually hurt by telling you things that are 100% correct are wrong.
That said, the accents of the speakers are perfect, so if you just want to listen to perfect accents to try and imitate, this will work. If you think this is actually AI driven and will coach you to speak and correct you - it’s technically not capable, it will actually hurt by telling you things that are 100% correct are wrong.
Too expensive
I can understand a one time purchase of $21. Monthly, though? That’s ridiculous. The extremely expensive subscription model is not fair, nor sustainable. I’m also so tired of apps pushing AI bots on me. Just stop!!!
Not worth it in the long run
I have basic knowledge of korean already and this helps as one of the study materials. Definitely won’t be your main tool either. It teaches you some vocabularies and grammar in short phrases . My main issue is the vast amount of time WASTED on irrelevant and useless words . It teaches you English borrowed words like “ SMALL” and so many others that are very clear in their meaning. Then it also has many words & phrases that you are not going to care to know or use !! For example “ paternal mother /father “ or “ we lose by one run difference “ or “ andong mass dance festival ?! Or “ mud “ ? When am I EVER going to use these ? lol . It fails to teach you EVERY DAY and common words .Not worth the $20 every month . Use LINGORY instead
Sentiment summary
95%
Positive (4-5★)
2%
Neutral (3★)
3%
Negative (1-2★)