Simpler is the popular Russian-built English learning app, with a clean focus on grammar drills, 5,000+ vocabulary words taught with associations, and short detective stories that adapt to your level. The format works for self-paced learners who want bite-sized practice and a clearly defined grammar progression. The friction shows up at three points: speaking practice is light compared to dedicated pronunciation apps, the content top-out for advanced learners is real, and the Premium subscription pricing has crept up over time. These Simpler alternatives sharpen one or two of those weaknesses each.
We compared seven English learning apps that compete with Simpler on Android and iOS. Each one has been on the market for years, has been used by millions, and addresses a specific gap in what Simpler does well.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Subscription | Speaking practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo | Free, broad multi-language gamified | Yes, fully free | Super Duolingo optional | Light |
| Memrise | Native-speaker video clips | Limited free | Pro subscription | Strong (videos) |
| Busuu | Community feedback from natives | Free + paid | Premium | Strong (community) |
| Babbel | Structured lessons by linguists | Limited demo | Subscription | Medium |
| ELSA Speak | AI pronunciation coaching | Free with limits | Pro subscription | Strongest (AI scoring) |
| Drops | Vocabulary in 5-minute games | Yes, capped daily | Premium | Light |
| Lingvist | AI-driven spaced vocabulary | 14-day trial | Subscription | Light |
Why people leave Simpler
The reviews surface the same patterns. Speaking practice is the gap: Simpler nails grammar, vocabulary, and reading, but real spoken English needs a tool that drills pronunciation, and ELSA Speak or Memrise’s video clips do that better. The advanced ceiling is real: once a learner moves past intermediate (B1-B2), Simpler’s content thins. Subscription pricing: the Premium plan has risen over time without a proportional content jump. Russian-only interface: for learners who want to switch to a target language interface (a recognized motivation booster), Simpler is locked to Russian.
A fourth pattern worth noting: Simpler is text-heavy. For learners who absorb language better through audio and video, even with the detective-story content, the bias toward reading-and-grammar exercises can stall progress.
Which Simpler alternative should you pick
- Duolingo for fully free, gamified English plus dozens of other languages.
- Memrise for native-speaker video clips that teach how English actually sounds.
- Busuu for community feedback from native speakers on your written and spoken work.
- Babbel for structured lessons designed by linguists with clear grammar progression.
- ELSA Speak for AI pronunciation coaching with real-time scoring.
- Drops for vocabulary in 5-minute game-style sessions.
- Lingvist for AI-driven spaced repetition that adapts to your retention.
Stay on Simpler if grammar drills and the detective-story format are working for you and you don’t need stronger speaking practice. The case for switching gets stronger when speaking is the actual gap, when you’ve hit the advanced ceiling, or when subscription cost has become a sore point.
1. Duolingo, fully free gamified
Duolingo is the most-downloaded language learning app, with 300+ million learners. The platform is fully free for every language course, including English from Russian. The streaks, leaderboards, and Stories format keep daily practice sticky, and the recent push into AI-driven feedback has tightened the speaking and writing exercises. The free experience includes ads but unlocks every course; Super Duolingo removes ads and adds Unlimited Hearts.
Duolingo vs Simpler: Duolingo is gamified and free across the board. Simpler is more textbook-like, with deeper structured grammar drills.
Where it falls short: the gamification has been criticized for prioritizing daily streaks over retention. The grammar progression is shallower than Simpler’s for serious students.
Pricing:
- Free: every course, with ads.
- Super Duolingo: optional subscription, no ads, Unlimited Hearts, family plan available.
Migrating from Simpler: install, take the placement test, and use Duolingo for daily 15-minute reps alongside whatever else. Pair with a grammar reference for serious work.
Bottom line: the safest free pick if you want a daily-streak engine plus broad language options.
2. Memrise, native-speaker video clips
Memrise stands out by teaching with videos of real native speakers. Every word and phrase comes with multiple short clips of different people saying it, which is closer to the chaotic reality of how English actually sounds than any clean studio recording. 80+ million users, 30+ languages, with English from Russian fully supported. The Pro plan unlocks unlimited videos and speaking practice.
Memrise vs Simpler: Memrise is the better tool for tuning your ear to real English speakers. Simpler is the better tool for grammar foundations.
Where it falls short: the free tier limits videos to 2 per day. The speaking practice is also gated behind Pro.
Pricing:
- Free: limited vocabulary, 2 videos a day, 2 speaking conversations a day.
- Memrise Pro: subscription unlocks unlimited videos, full vocab, unlimited speaking practice.
Migrating from Simpler: install, pick English from Russian, and watch the speaker videos for a week before deciding whether the format helps.
Bottom line: the right pick when listening comprehension and authentic accent exposure are the gap.
3. Busuu, community feedback from natives
Busuu is the language app with a community baked into the lesson flow. After a writing or speaking exercise, you can submit your work for feedback from native speakers, who in turn submit their work in your language for you to correct. The platform covers 14 languages including English-from-Russian, and offers official certification through McGraw-Hill Education. Google Play Editor’s Choice, 50+ million downloads.
Busuu vs Simpler: Busuu has community feedback and certification. Simpler is solo study with no feedback layer.
Where it falls short: the free tier is limited to one course at a time and does not include the feedback feature in full. Premium is a noticeable price jump.
Pricing:
- Free: limited course access.
- Premium and Premium Plus: monthly or annual subscriptions unlocking community feedback, certification, and offline mode.
Migrating from Simpler: install, pick your level, and submit one writing exercise per day for native-speaker feedback. The reciprocal correcting is part of the value.
Bottom line: the right pick when feedback from a real human and a recognized certificate matter.
4. Babbel, lessons by linguists
Babbel is the language app that takes the longest view of structured progression. Lessons are designed by linguists and follow a clear curriculum from beginner through upper-intermediate, with strong attention to grammar, real-life dialogue, and speech recognition. 14 languages including English from Russian, with the courses tuned to common patterns and pitfalls for learners with that source language.
Babbel vs Simpler: Babbel is more structured with linguist-designed lessons. Simpler is also structured but heavier on drills and lighter on dialogue.
Where it falls short: the free experience is essentially a demo. Subscription required for any real progress.
Pricing:
- Demo: a few starter lessons.
- Subscription: monthly, quarterly, or annual.
Migrating from Simpler: install, take the placement, and use Babbel for the dialogue-and-grammar lessons while keeping Simpler for vocabulary drills if you have both.
Bottom line: the right pick when you want a clearly structured course taught by linguists who care about your specific source language.
5. ELSA Speak, AI pronunciation coaching
ELSA Speak is the dedicated AI pronunciation coach. The app records you saying English phrases and scores each phoneme, marking which sounds you nailed and which need work. 8,000+ lessons covering pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and conversation practice, with role-plays for job interviews, presentations, meetings, and exams. Choice of American, British, Australian, or other accent targets.
ELSA Speak vs Simpler: ELSA is the speaking-and-pronunciation specialist. Simpler is grammar-and-reading.
Where it falls short: narrower scope than the broad-curriculum apps. ELSA assumes you already have basic vocabulary and grammar.
Pricing:
- Free: limited daily practice.
- ELSA Pro: subscription unlocks the full lesson library and unlimited assessments.
Migrating from Simpler: install, pick your accent target, and run the assessment. Use ELSA daily as the speaking layer on top of whatever else you study.
Bottom line: the right pick when speaking and pronunciation are the bottleneck and you want measurable progress.
6. Drops, vocabulary in 5-minute games
Drops is the vocabulary app built around the constraint that you only get 5 minutes a day to learn. The free tier enforces that limit, which sounds frustrating but actually keeps the practice sticky. 50+ million users, 55+ languages, with English from Russian fully supported. The illustration-and-game format makes vocabulary memorable, and Drops covers niche topics (cooking, business, travel, sports) more thoroughly than competitors.
Drops vs Simpler: Drops is vocabulary-first with a unique time-cap mechanic. Simpler is broader with grammar focus.
Where it falls short: Drops is vocabulary only. There is no grammar practice, no real conversation, no listening comprehension beyond word audio.
Pricing:
- Free: 5 minutes a day across full vocabulary library.
- Drops Premium: monthly or annual subscription removes the time cap and unlocks all topics.
Migrating from Simpler: install, pick English from Russian, and treat Drops as the daily vocabulary boost. Pair with a grammar app like Simpler or Babbel.
Bottom line: the right pick when vocabulary expansion is the goal and the 5-minute mechanic actually motivates you.
7. Lingvist, AI-driven spaced repetition
Lingvist is the AI-first vocabulary app that uses cognitive-science research to predict which words you are about to forget and resurfaces them at the right moment. Founded by ex-Skype engineers in Estonia, the app is sharper than the gamified competitors at retention. 15 languages including English from Russian, with sentence-context examples drawn from real corpora. 14-day free trial, then subscription.
Lingvist vs Simpler: Lingvist is laser-focused on vocabulary retention through spaced repetition. Simpler is broader with grammar and stories.
Where it falls short: the interface is utilitarian and there is no real game layer to keep you coming back. If you stop opening the app, the AI can’t help.
Pricing:
- 14-day free trial with full access.
- Subscription monthly or annual.
Migrating from Simpler: install, complete the placement, and commit to 10-15 minutes daily for at least the trial period. The retention curves only show up after a couple of weeks.
Bottom line: the right pick when vocabulary retention is the goal and you want science-driven spaced repetition over gamification.
How to choose
Pick Duolingo when free and gamified daily practice matters most. Pick Memrise for real native-speaker video exposure. Pick Busuu for human feedback from native speakers and certification. Pick Babbel for the most structured linguist-designed course. Pick ELSA Speak when pronunciation is the bottleneck. Pick Drops for daily vocabulary in tight 5-minute windows. Pick Lingvist for AI-driven spaced repetition focused on retention.
Stay on Simpler when the grammar drills and detective-story format are actually working. The case for switching is strongest when speaking practice, advanced content, or subscription cost has hit the wall.
FAQ
What is the best free Simpler alternative? Duolingo is fully free for every course. Memrise, Drops, and Busuu have free tiers good enough for daily practice though they cap features. ELSA Speak’s free tier is limited but useful.
Which app is best for English speaking practice? ELSA Speak for AI-scored pronunciation, Memrise for native-speaker video exposure, Busuu for community feedback. Pair one of these with a grammar-focused app.
How is Duolingo different from Simpler? Duolingo is gamified, free, and covers 40+ languages. Simpler is more textbook-like with deeper grammar drills focused on Russian speakers learning English.
Can I learn English faster than Simpler with these alternatives? Faster depends on the gap you fix. ELSA Speak accelerates pronunciation, Memrise accelerates listening, Lingvist accelerates vocabulary retention. Simpler is solid for grammar; the alternatives complement rather than replace.
Are these apps suitable for advanced learners? Memrise’s video content scales well for advanced learners. Busuu offers C1 content. Babbel’s upper levels are usable. Drops and Duolingo top out earlier; Simpler does too.
Do these apps work offline? Babbel, Memrise Pro, Busuu Premium, Drops Premium, and Lingvist all support offline mode. Duolingo and ELSA Speak require connectivity for most features.
