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Rosetta Stone Review 2023

8.7
very good
Catherine Miller

In a Nutshell

Rosetta Stone is a longstanding language learning brand offering an immersive learning method that gradually scales your understanding from simple phrases to more complex conversations and stories. Its speech recognition engine also helps you with pronunciation, and its personalized learning plan keeps your study relevant. With a three-day free trial, Rosetta Stone is worth a look for learners who want a one-stop shop.

pros

  • Helps you improve your accent
  • Experience real-world conversations
  • Personalized learning plan

cons

  • Pricier than some other language tools
  • Doesn’t assess your progress

Rosetta Stone Rosetta Stone Visit Site

Rosetta Stone Plans

Rosetta Stone’s pricing varies according to how long you want to subscribe and how many languages you want to study. If you’re studying a single language, you can purchase a specific, one-subject subscription for either 3 or 12 months. If you’re learning more than one language, you’ll need the unlimited languages option, which is also a lifetime purchase. While that’s the most expensive option, if you’re a keen language learner, it could provide the best value over time.

Plan
3 months
12 months
Unlimited
Best for
Trying out a new language
Making progress in one language
Learning multiple languages over time
Cost
$11.99/mo
$7.99/mo
$179 one-off
One language only



24 languages



Rosetta Stone software with award-winning learning method



Mobile and desktop software



Personalized learning plan



Speech recognition engine



How much does Rosetta Stone cost?

How much Rosetta Stone costs you will depend on how many languages you want to include and how long you want to use the product for. Running a monthly subscription for several years may work out to be quite expensive, so it may be more cost effective to purchase a lifetime package. 

In addition to your Rosetta Stone subscription, you can choose to connect with a tutor once you’ve completed several lessons on the software. Your first session with a tutor is free, and after that will cost $14-19 per session in addition to your subscription plan or one-off lifetime license fee. 

Rosetta Stone currently has a free trial that gives you 3 days of full access to its software for 1 language of your choice. 

How does Rosetta Stone work?

Rosetta Stone has been providing language learning solutions since the early 1990s and has since moved into offering cloud-based software. Its method gradually scales from words and phrases to more complex conversations. These come with audio and visual cues to cement what you’re learning, and you can refer to the included phrasebook as you go. 

Grammar and vocabulary are embedded into example conversations, so you won’t need to learn tables or complete drills. The idea is to train you to see the patterns in the language over time. Idioms are also woven into the lessons so you will sound more like a native speaker. 

Something that makes Rosetta Stone stand out is the inclusion of pronunciation and accent practice. The speech recognition engine will compare your speaking to native examples to show where you can make improvements. You can also work on your listening on the go with audio lessons you can download and take with you. 

You also have the option of connecting with a tutor (for an extra cost) for live one-to-one lessons that can help you make further progress in speaking and listening.

Is Rosetta Stone reliable and safe?

Rosetta Stone has mixed reviews on Trustpilot, with 39% giving a rating of “Excellent,” 25% “Great,” 11% “Average,” 8% “Poor,” and 17% “Bad.” Users note that the language tools are fun and easy, and for some learners the Rosetta Stone method really works. On the other hand, some people mention issues with payments and accessing the software. 

Rosetta Stone has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), although it is not accredited. There are 74 customer complaints logged by the BBB. Some customers have felt unhappy that the unlimited lifetime package was only made available recently.  

What’s special about Rosetta Stone?

Rosetta Stone’s method breaks down language learning into bite-size chunks that make it easier to digest. It’s designed to mimic a more natural form of language learning by helping you engage with real conversations and stories that become more complex as your studies go on. 

Rather than presenting a one size fits all approach, Rosetta Stone will ask why you’re studying (e.g. work or travel) and will produce a personalized study plan that curates the learning content to make sure it’s relevant for you. 

Usefully, Rosetta Stone is available on multiple devices, and you can shift your study from your computer to your mobile or tablet without losing your progress. 

Help and Support

If you need support from Rosetta Stone, there is a dedicated support site with a knowledge base covering a range of useful topics. You can also seek support by email. Details of chat and phone support are more difficult to find on the site, but they are available. Phone and chat support can be reached Monday-Friday, 9am-10pm ET, or weekends 11am-8pm ET.  

Rosetta Stone Rosetta Stone Visit Site

Bottom Line

Rosetta Stone offers a fairly comprehensive language learning tool that builds your skills in a new language in a gradual, naturalistic way. Rather than presenting you with tables and lists, you will learn vocabulary and grammar through immersion into conversations. Audio-visual cues will support the formation of long-term memory. For many people, this will be an easier and more motivating way to learn than using a traditional textbook. 

Additionally, Rosetta Stone offers two innovative ways to improve speaking and listening skills as well as reading and writing. Connecting with a tutor one on one is a great feature that can get your speaking skills sparkling in no time. You can also polish your pronunciation with the voice recognition feature. 

Although it is one of the pricier options out there, if the learning style suits you, Rosetta Stone could be worth the investment to make quick progress in your target language.  

FAQs

Can you become fluent with Rosetta Stone?

Rosetta Stone provides a great deal of language learning content (around 40-50 hours per level). However, it’s not guaranteed to bring you to fluency. Instead, it should give you a good foundation on which to build your language skills. 

Is Rosetta Stone worth it?

If you’re looking for a solid all-in-one solution, Rosetta Stone could be worth the investment. Its software includes tools for improving reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and you can also connect with a tutor. However, if you’re on a budget you may be able to replicate lots of the features with a range of lower-priced or even free tools. 

How long does it take to become fluent with Rosetta Stone?

Although it’s not guaranteed to reach fluency with Rosetta Stone, there’s enough in the software to keep you going for a long time. Each language option has multiple levels to work through, so you can make rapid progress in your target language.  

Catherine Miller is a lead member of personal finance and pension innovator Maji, where’s she’s responsible for content creation and running Maji’s personal finance masterclass, among others. Miller also holds degrees in English and education, and worked as a teacher before moving into writing about finance for Top10. Today, she combines aspects of education and personal finance to help readers make better decisions in finance and beyond.

Rosetta Stone customer reviews

Based on 28 reviews

Ease of use

Brand satisfaction

Value for money

Service quality

Top Reviews

Ease of use

Brand satisfaction

Value for money

Service quality

9 months ago

It was a lot of fun learning on and I regret letting my subscription lapse. I will sign up again because I really want to learn Spanish!

9 months ago

It helps explain how to pronounce something so you can understand it. It also sounds out the word for you which makes learning easier and faster.

9 months ago

What makes Rosetta Stone one of the best language learning apps is that it's easy to set up and it actually helps by teaching you in depth the language you choose to learn.

9 months ago

Most of my family knows Spanish and I took it in school, but was never able to communicate beyond basic words the books teach. Rosetta Stone has been teaching me the correct way to communicate in Spanish. I didn't think I could learn and had given up until I was introduced to Rosetta Stone.

10 months ago

It is easy to use, for one thing. It's also a reliable, well known and well established company.

10 months ago

I like the way it displays the order and direction of strokes for Chinese and Japanese characters. Also, clear demonstrations of tone (Chinese) and pitch (Japanese).

10 months ago

Rosetta Stone is easy to use, and starts with simple terms for you to get a feel for the language. I like how you can learn more than one language at a time as well.

10 months ago

I love this language learning app so much. It teaches you the new language in the easiest way possible. It made learning a new language so fun, and everyone can do it.

a year ago

Rosetta Stone makes it easy and simple for me to learn a new language without the rush of a classroom. I can learn on my own time and at my own pace.

a year ago

A suitable format and easy to learn. A good value for the service. It has been very effective.

a year ago

Anyone with a computer can use it. Love the fact that it responds with correct pronunciation. Sequence of words introduced is adequate. Games played to enhance word pronunciation and awareness is adequate

a year ago

Loved it. It was very helpful in helping me become fluent in Spanish, and it was definitely was worth the money.

a year ago

Learning different languages, especially for the jobs that we have, has always been a top priority for me and my husband. Rosetta Stone makes it ease to learn any language and it's very affordable.

9 months ago

Overall it is good and it is easy to use, but I used Rosetta Stone a while ago and have 2 full box sets including 1. Spanish Castilian and 2. French. They were rather expensive CD's. They are now digital and for what I initially paid, I would have like to receive a digital swap for each language.

10 months ago

Rosetta Stone is good overall. As a bonus or promotional tool, they could include a coupon with the purchase of their app for a restaurant in your area that would give you a flavor of the country whose language you are learning.

a year ago

Rosetta Stone teaches languages pretty well using photos. But, there is no social learning aspect to it.

a year ago

The product is very easy to use and it's easy to track your progress. They were higher priced than most of their competitors, but they do offer a more robust learning program.

a year ago

I think the app is good overall and useful, but it is not as easy to learn a language as I expected it to be. They should make using the app easier.

a year ago

In using the Rosetta Stone Japanese language software, I found some of the sections to be impossible to complete because they seemed out of order in terms of difficulty. I found their product good overall and they have excellent customer service.

a year ago

It was very simple and easy to use. It used many learning styles to help anyone and was easy to progress through. It could improve the layout of the program and make it more interesting visually. It has a sort of boring atmosphere that doesn't capture the users attention.

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