Drops App Review: A Useful Free Tool, But Not a Path to Fluency

Drops is a distinctive language learning application that avoids overwhelming users by providing gamified lessons capped at five minutes. However, this very time restriction makes it challenging to learn a language using only this app. It's a worthwhile free download for enjoyable, short vocabulary exercises during a busy day, but it's most effective when combined with a more comprehensive language program.

For this article, I thoroughly explored Drops by testing its beginner Japanese course to identify the application's advantages and limitations.

You can also view our video review here:

What is Drops?

Drops is a language learning application that employs five-minute, game-style sessions and imagery to introduce new vocabulary.

Since its launch in 2015, Drops has built a largely favorable reputation as a learning tool.

The app's download numbers and user reviews are a testament to its popularity and the regard it is held in.

Drops has also been featured positively in various media publications and was included in the business magazine Fast Company’s 2019 roster of the 50 “Most Innovative Companies.”

Features

Drops provides lessons for 45 different languages.

This includes widely spoken languages like German, Chinese, and Spanish.

It also offers less common languages, such as Ainu and Igbo.

The free version allows for daily five-minute learning sessions.

During each session, you learn new words through micro-games. These games are quick and come in various formats, including mini-crossword puzzles, word building, matching text to images, and others.

Some languages include additional, unique learning content.

For instance, because I'm studying Japanese, I have access to a "Foundation" section that helps me learn parts of the Japanese alphabet and kanji characters!

How It Works

After installing the Drops app, you are promptly asked to select the language you wish to learn.

You can change this selection at any time later on.

Using repetition and mnemonic techniques, Drops aims to help you memorize vocabulary quickly.

Within a specific category—which functions as a lesson—you will see words repeatedly in textual, visual, and audio forms.

During activities, you can also select which words you believe you have mastered, and the app will test you less frequently on them.

Once your session concludes, you must wait 10 hours before you can learn again.

Pricing

You can download and use Drops for free indefinitely.

The free version does come with some expected restrictions, such as the daily five-minute limit and the presence of advertisements.

You also cannot move on to a new vocabulary category until you complete your current one.

Drops also offers a reasonably priced premium version with monthly ($8.49/mo), yearly ($5/mo), or lifetime ($149) subscription plans.

Drops Premium provides unlimited learning time, a "Tough Word Dojo" for difficult vocabulary, new learning features, extra tests, and no advertisements.

Overall, the free version offers much of what the premium version does, albeit with some limitations. However, the upgrade is available at a fair cost.

Drops’ Companion Apps

Drops has companion apps that are also educational but aimed at different audiences.

Droplets is designed for children approximately eight to 17 years old.

This app is very similar to the main Drops app—including the five-minute daily limit—but it is notably simpler and more vibrant.

The vocabulary topics are also more fundamental, covering basics like the alphabet, food, drinks, and family.

Scripts is another app that concentrates on language writing systems.

You learn a language's alphabet by drawing characters on your screen, building muscle memory. At present, only seven languages are supported.

Pros of Drops

There is much to appreciate about Drops, but these are the aspects I consider its most significant strengths.

Attractive, Clean Design

Drops' interface is modern and uncluttered. The crisp white text and images against dark backgrounds produce a soothing yet engaging visual experience.

It was easy on the eyes and kept my attention focused.

While using the app for your few daily minutes, there are no visual interruptions. Apart from the ads, Drops avoids other distracting elements like large text bubbles that clutter the screen.

The simplicity extends beyond aesthetics, however.

From the start, Drops gives very few instructions for the exercises, usually just a short phrase.

Nevertheless, the layout is intuitive enough for anyone to quickly understand what to do. Once you learn how to navigate the exercises, there's nothing else to figure out.

I often find the introductory tutorials in learning apps unnecessary, so I was happy to see that Drops was straightforward enough to require only minimal guidance.

Steady Vocabulary Learning Through Repetition

Learning vocabulary through repetition seems straightforward, but executing it effectively can be challenging.

Simply looking at the same word repeatedly is often insufficient—the timing and manner of each encounter are crucial for effective memorization.

Drops quizzes you on the same group of words within a session at varying times.

The words are well spaced, so they don't feel overly repetitive or bunched together. I never felt I encountered a word too frequently or too quickly.

There is also a dedicated "Review Dojo" that becomes available after you learn 50 words.

The activities in the Dojo are the same micro-games you play in the free version.

However, the Dojo uses a sophisticated spaced repetition system to intensify your practice with the words you find most challenging.

Additionally, the Dojo feature monitors your progress.

After you consistently answer correctly, Drops will eventually indicate that there are no words left for you to practice.

Option to Bypass Known Words

Some words will naturally stick in your memory faster than others.

While occasional review is wise, sometimes you prefer to concentrate on the words you truly need to memorize.

Staying true to its minimalist style, Drops offers this option directly within the exercises.

You can drag a word to the top of the screen to "discard" it or to the bottom to keep it in your session.

I used this feature several times during my trial and found it worked very well.

Once I discarded a word I was confident I knew, it didn't reappear, allowing me to focus on the vocabulary I genuinely wanted to practice.

Wide Range of Subjects

Drops' extensive vocabulary is organized into numerous topics. These include everyday basics like food, travel, greetings, and business.

However, there are also categories—such as gardening, cosmetics, and even prison—that are not typically found in other language learning apps.

This means the words you learn with Drops are diverse and interesting. The upcoming categories can also serve as motivation to maintain your daily study habit.

With the free version of Drops, you can only access new vocabulary lists after finishing your current ones. The premium version allows you to jump between topics.

Personally, I like having a set learning order because it provides a sense of structure, similar to a formal language course.

I often feel overwhelmed when I can skip around freely.

Other learners who are short on time or only interested in specific vocabulary might find the premium version better suits their needs.

Helpful Learner Accommodations

Since I'm learning Japanese with Drops, I have access to some extra features that beginners, in particular, would find useful.

Drops' "beginner Japanese" level mainly concentrates on the hiragana alphabet, the most fundamental Japanese script. However, I can also learn the other two writing systems, katakana and kanji.

For both, Drops lets you practice writing characters by drawing them on the screen!

It provides numbered guides based on the correct stroke order. There are also supplementary exercises to help you remember a character's pronunciation and/or meaning.

Similar to standard word sessions, you are limited to five minutes for character learning sessions.

The same rules apply: if you don't want to practice a character you already know, you can swipe it away and proceed.

Additionally, I had the option to enable romaji transliterations for all Japanese words.

This can be excellent for learning correct pronunciation. Conversely, I could disable romaji to improve my reading skills.

It's beneficial either way!

Cons of Drops

While Drops does many things well, it also has some notable drawbacks that are important to mention.

The Daily Five-minute Limit Is…Restrictive

The five-minute limit is presented as an advantage.

It fits perfectly into the small breaks busy learners might have. It also suits language enthusiasts or travelers who don't intend to dedicate much time to language study.

However, for dedicated learners, five minutes may feel insufficient.

After using Drops for several days with this limit, I did learn some Japanese words. But the sessions felt like a rapid vocabulary blast that ended too soon.

I consistently felt somewhat unsatisfied and wished for at least another five minutes of practice.

It seemed empty once my time was up, knowing I had to wait almost a full day for the next session.

I suspect many other learners—who prefer longer study periods—might share this feeling.

Of course, you could pay for the premium version for unlimited time. But I will share my thoughts on Drops Premium shortly.

Focuses Exclusively on Vocabulary

If your goal is to learn words in isolation or to review vocabulary, then Drops could be ideal.

However, learners seeking a well-rounded education will likely find the app insufficient.

You won't find grammar lessons, guidance on constructing sentences, or tips for improving your accent.

You also won't get context for the words you learn, making the knowledge gained from Drops somewhat like a dictionary list.

I appreciate that Drops isn't overwhelming, but the exclusive focus on individual words can sometimes make the lessons feel brief and lacking in depth.

Including a few key sentences or phrases—or even brief explanations of specific word usage—could significantly enhance the learning experience.

Limited Audio and No Speaking Practice

Drops only offers spoken pronunciations for the vocabulary you learn.

This means you cannot practice having an actual conversation in your target language.

You can learn how to pronounce single words, but you won't learn how to speak fluently. In fact, the vocabulary I learned included very few verbs.

This is a significant drawback that potential users should be aware of.

I imagine users relying solely on Drops might be able to identify and name objects but would be completely unprepared for a real conversation with native speakers.

This issue could be mitigated by adding narrated example sentences that demonstrate word usage.

This would allow learners to see the language in action and assemble the individual words they've memorized into something meaningful and practical for real-life situations.

Paid Version Offers Little Additional Material

Drops' premium subscription does include a few extra features.

The most significant, in my view, is the removal of the time limit. The second most useful is the ability to jump to different categories.

However, the paid version doesn't provide much else that I find compelling.

A major incentive for upgrading in many apps is the removal of ads.

Drops Premium does this, but rather than eliminating ads, I would prefer to tolerate them if it meant receiving a substantial amount of extra learning content.

If the premium version were less expensive for its current offerings, it might be more attractive. Otherwise, I would hope for more meaningful bonuses.

These shortcomings in Drops can be significant disadvantages for serious language learners.

This is why I believe Drops is most effective as a supplement to a more thorough learning resource that can provide what is missing.

Alternatives to the Drops App

Lingflix

Lingflix helps you learn a language naturally via immersion. It's currently offered in 10 languages, including Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, and Portuguese.

Duolingo

Duolingo is similar to Drops in that it presents language learning in a game-like format.

It also offers a wide selection of languages and teaches through short translation, matching, and listening exercises.

Unlike Drops, there's no fixed time limit on usage, but you have a limited number of hearts (which decrease with mistakes). The Premium option removes ads and the heart limit.

You can read our full Duolingo review here .

LingoDeer

LingoDeer offers 13 languages, including French, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Unlike Drops, LingoDeer places a greater focus on grammar. The curriculum is designed by professional teachers and teaches grammar in context through immersive lessons that include engaging stories and audio from native speakers.

To learn more about LingoDeer, I recommend reading our in-depth review here .

Clozemaster

Like Drops, Clozemaster's primary goal is to expand your vocabulary.

Clozemaster provides a fast method to learn new, essential words for daily use. It presents sentences where you must fill in the blank with a new vocabulary word.

This helps you learn the word in a natural context. Plus, you can select from many decks, including the most common 1,000, 2,000, or even 5,000 words.

Final Thoughts

Over several days, I genuinely liked speeding through the beautifully designed exercises and learning various Japanese words. The app's design makes for a comfortable and enjoyable user experience.

However, Drops is not sufficient as a primary language learning tool.

Therefore, Drops is most effective as an additional resource used alongside more substantial and comprehensive ones, and it is worth getting for free.