In this Yabla review, we put the popular language app through its paces to see if it’s worth the investment. If you need to learn a new language, read on to see if Yabla is the best option for you.
This USA-patented app offers a simple way to acquire six different languages through immersion. You learn using a series of videos by native speakers, flashcards, and exercises.
We went through the Yabla Chinese material because it is one of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers. We discovered much about the site, the features, and the materials during the review. Let’s take a closer look.
Pros & Cons
Learn with Yabla
Pricing Plans
Monthly
Six Months
Annual
$12.95
*less than 43¢ per day
*charged monthly
$54.95
*essentially meaning you get 2 months for free
*charged every 6 months
$99.95
*essentially meaning you get 4 months for free
*charged every 12 months
Features and Materials
Yabla offers more than enough exercises to make learning a new language possible. Will you master it overnight? According to some estimates, it takes between 24 and 44 weeks to become fluent in a new language, so there are no easy solutions.
Where this Yabla review comes down firmly on the company’s side is the wide range of materials. The immersive learning practice entails watching hundreds (if not thousands) of videos.
Not only do you learn how to pronounce words in the “high” language, but you also learn to speak it as spoken. This way, you’ll be ready to talk to users with different accents.
However, it does take some getting used to initially. The instructor speaks at their regular speed throughout the videos, and you must keep up by reading the subtitles. Therefore, it may be helpful to run some vocabulary drills before progressing to the videos to ensure you understand some of the text without reading.
Features
Yabla features many useful add-ons to make learning any language, like Yabla Italian, simple. These include games that increase in difficulty, force you to concentrate on the video, and make you learn through repetition. We especially enjoyed running vocabulary drills and appreciated that they upped the ante by incorporating words that look or sound similar.
Some of these features include:
- Subtitles and Dictionary: This allows you to choose English subtitles for the language you are learning. Moreover, the dictionary feature lets you click on any word in the subtitle to see the meaning, which will appear next to the video.
- Vocabulary Review: This exciting game allows you to review a series of keywords. Many Yabla reviews point to this game as a fun way to learn a language.
- Multiple Choice: Choose the correct word from the selection below the video.
- Fill in the Blank: You must choose the correct word to complete the relevant phrase.
- Flashcards: If you click on any words in the captions, you can add them to your set of personal flashcards later.
Materials
The materials depend on the language you learn. For example, Yabla French, in particular, has blog posts explaining the meanings of words in the close-captioned videos.
Some videos use posters to teach a lesson directly to you, others are in the form of language classes, and some even include cartoons.
As the platform consists of content uploaded by the instructors, you never quite know what type of content you will find. We found this helpful because if you don’t like one instructor, you can quickly move to the next.
Video is the primary mode of class delivery. The addition of the dictionary feature makes it simple to look up words you don’t recognize — the site automatically pauses the video so that you can read the definition.
You are free to pause and replay lessons as you like. Playing with your flashcards after each video can serve as a revision and reinforce the knowledge you acquired.
Yabla Languages
Yabla offers six languages in total, so it doesn’t compare to most language learning platforms regarding selection. However, it’s an excellent option to consider if one of the languages you wish to learn is on its list. You can subscribe to more than one language at a time if you like, but you must pay for each subscription separately.
You can then switch between each of these subscriptions as you please. For most people, however, it’s better to concentrate on one language at a time.
You can learn Yabla:
- Spanish
- German
- Chinese
- English
- French
- Italian
One thing that makes Yabla unique is that you can opt to translate the English translations into several languages. Say, for example, that you currently speak German but want to learn Spanish; you can opt to change the captions and other translations from English to German.
Yabla Alternatives
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone is one of the top language learning programs in the world. It offers an immersive experience similar to Yabla but provides more user-friendly beginner lessons.
A significant advantage Rosetta Stone has over Yabla is a lifetime subscription. Another plus is that you can learn multiple languages for a slightly lower monthly cost. However, Rosetta Stone doesn’t have nearly as many classes or resources to draw on in each language. Read our Rosetta Stone Review to get a clearer image of how the two compare.
Duolingo
Duolingo puts the fun back into learning languages. This free app works as a great pocket guide with fun games and several options to acquire new words and phrases. However, is it the same as Yabla? Is it better or worse?
In this Yabla review section, we thought we’d take an unusual step. Use Duolingo for the free two-week trial and then downgrade to the free account.
Why?
Duolingo users bemoan the fact that the app focuses on vocabulary rather than grammar. On the other hand, Yabla users say they’d like the more straightforward language to accompany the grammar lessons. Are the two a match made in heaven?
Learn more about Duolingo in our Duolingo Review.
Ease of Use
The app itself is easy enough to use. You can opt to watch the videos with:
- or without closed captioning
- English subtitles
- subtitles in the language you are learning
- a combination of the previous two
Features such as the built-in dictionary are helpful for checking words or phrases you don’t understand.
Overall, the interface is reasonably intuitive, and it’s easy to select videos matching your current skill level. Game and exercise instructions are also very clear, making the learning process feel almost effortless.
Yabla Pricing & Plans
Yabla makes things simple by offering monthly, biannual, and annual payment plans. There are no premium plans that provide varying levels of access, so any plan you choose grants you access to all the features the site offers in the language you select.
The costs are reasonable but include only one language per subscription. Should you wish to learn another, you will need a separate subscription.
You earn a Yabla discount by signing a contract for six or 12 months. The costs are as follows:
Monthly: $12.95
For Six Months: $54.95, essentially meaning you get two months for free
For a Year: $99.95, essentially meaning you get four months for free
When setting up your account, do so carefully, as some content is better suited to an adult audience. The site will advise you if this is the case, allowing you to restrict access to such content. This is the only time we’ve seen this with a language site, and we believe it’s a good feature for parents who sign their children up.
Refund Policy
The actual test of a company is how much faith it has in its product. What are its policies like, and does it adhere to them?
Yabla is as good as its word, but you must understand the terms. As our Yabla review found, you have up to seven days from the day your payment goes through to cancel your subscription. If you do so, you get a full refund.
If you try to cancel after this period, the company will only cancel recurring billing. You won’t be eligible for a refund, but you’ll be able to continue using your subscription until it expires.
Online Ratings
Online Yabla reviews are generally promising. At Trustpilot, the platform has a 4.4/5 score out of more than 3,000 reviews. The users who enjoy the format find it the easiest and quickest way to learn. Research bears this out — being immersed in a culture makes it far easier to learn the language.
On the other hand, many users claim the platform is outdated and that the videos in the Yabla app are a little slow to load. Some people also feel they need access to more than one language. However, these are all valid but minor issues that patrons were willing to overlook.
Many beginner users felt that the lessons seemed to require some basic understanding of the language. For example, Yabla Japanese was difficult to follow because you didn’t know the correct pronunciations before beginning the classes. Therefore, users should know some of the target language basics before they start.
Our experience confirmed this while watching a few beginner lessons about conjunctions. We felt a little lost about the importance of conjunctions when we could barely say “Hello” in German. This came up in a Yabla Spanish review we read as well.
Value for Money — Final Verdict
Overall, if you’re heading to any countries on the list, this Yabla review ends positively. A year-long subscription enables unlimited access to thousands of lessons in the language you choose for under $8.35 per month.
An annual subscription also provides you with all the time you need to master a new language. Yabla also offers a range of tools to make the process as simple as possible. You get plenty of guidance, practice, and exercises to drill the lessons home.