In-Depth LingoDeer Review for 2024: Engaging and Well-Structured, Yet Missing Real-World Media

LingoDeer claims to offer a full learning experience for numerous languages. I tested the app for a week to determine if a complete beginner in Japanese could achieve any level of proficiency with it.

My findings confirmed that I began grasping Japanese rapidly with LingoDeer. I appreciated the native speaker audio, the thoughtfully designed curriculum, and the clear grammar notes. However, I also noticed some shortcomings, like the absence of real-world media and conversational practice.

What is LingoDeer?

LingoDeer is an all-inclusive platform for language learning.

It started as an application focused on teaching Asian languages but has since expanded. You can now use it on your smartphone or computer to study up to 12 languages: Korean, Japanese, English, Chinese, Spanish (Castilian and Latin American), French, German, Thai, Portuguese, Russian, Italian and Vietnamese.

You can also select the language used for instructions. For instance, if your native tongue is Spanish and you wish to learn Japanese, you can set the app accordingly.

I selected the Japanese course with English as the teaching language.

What is the Cost of LingoDeer?

LingoDeer provides the following features at no cost:

• The alphabet section
• The initial few lessons
• A phrasebook
• A feature for reviewing learned material
• For certain languages, a section to enhance conversational abilities and a section for practicing character writing.

To unlock all available content (and all languages), a Premium plan is required.

Plans begin at $14.99 per month, or you can choose a one-time payment of $159.99 for lifetime access. Here is a link to Lingodeer’s pricing page .

What to Anticipate: Key Features of LingoDeer

LingoDeer offers a wide array of features. Let's examine its primary components.

Availability on App and Browser

As noted earlier, LingoDeer can be used via a phone app (for both iOS and Android) or as a web-based learning tool .

A premium plan allows you to use it on all your devices and synchronize your progress.

Well-organized Curriculum

The courses on LingoDeer are meticulously structured by language educators and are very logically arranged.

Being a language teacher, I understand the importance of course structure.

LingoDeer appears to excel in this area.

The courses are separated into different proficiency levels. Every level addresses several common topics, with each topic containing a number of lessons.

The courses are built around a grammar framework, reinforced by vocabulary, exercises, explanations, sample sentences, and audio, among other elements (as detailed below).

Every language has lessons that cover material up to the intermediate level.

Native Speaker Audio

Hearing native speakers is one of the most effective methods for acquiring good pronunciation and honing listening and speaking skills.

LingoDeer provides high-definition native audio for all its languages, from the first character to the final sentence.

Learn Tab

This section houses a significant portion of the material for each language.

Upon accessing it, you'll observe several elements, some more apparent than others:

Alphabet

The alphabet section is invariably my first stop when beginning a new language.

With no prior knowledge of Japanese writing, I found it extremely helpful to have a dedicated area to learn all hiragana and katakana characters along with their romaji equivalents.

I also received a very practical alphabet chart.

All languages in the app include a comprehensive alphabet section with explanations, examples, and native audio. If you're starting a new language, this should be your first destination.

Lessons

Each course level includes several practical topics. The initial topics for Japanese are Nationalities, Profession, and People, while the Spanish course begins with Greetings, Introductions, and Family, and the Russian course with Fruit, Occupations, and Questions.

Essentially, all languages cover similar topics, though the order and naming might differ, but the lesson structure remains consistent.

For every topic, there are two main parts: “Learn by doing” and “Practice makes perfect.”

The “Learn by doing” section contains the actual lessons.

Each topic includes two or three lessons, and every lesson introduces approximately five to seven new words and phrases.

Utilizing audio, engaging animations and images, sample sentences, and diverse exercise types, you will have comfortably memorized the lesson content by its completion.

The exercises within each lesson are quite varied. They include:

• Fill-in-the-blanks
• Multiple choice questions
• Matching the correct image
• Translation tasks
• Listening comprehension exercises
• Sentence rearrangement
• Typing practice

Depending on the language, you may encounter other exercise types, such as selecting the correct character, tapping incorrect words, or placing words in the right position within a sentence.

Two features I particularly valued in the lessons were the adjustable audio speed (very useful for full sentences) and the microphone/ear buttons (ideal for recording and listening back to your pronunciation).

Similar to many competing apps, each lesson takes about five minutes to finish, making it suitable for quick study sessions or micro-learning.

The “Practice makes perfect” section offers additional reading, listening, and speaking practice (often through dialogues, stories, and full sentences you must listen to and record yourself), plus a tips subsection.

Learning Tips

This is where you can find detailed information about the lesson's topic, explicit grammar rules, and essential knowledge for mastering the new language.

Grammar is explained in a very accessible manner, enabling learners to comprehend it independently. The included examples and thorough explanations make grammatical concepts easy to digest and understand.

This section also contains vocabulary notes, pronunciation guides (with audio), usage information, and even cultural insights that are beneficial for travelers to countries where the language is spoken.

Test Out Feature

After every few lessons, there is a test to ensure you have grasped the material covered so far.

Passing this test is necessary to unlock the next set of lessons.

The interesting aspect of the “Test Out” feature is that you can attempt these tests even without completing the preceding lessons.

This is excellent for those who have prior knowledge of the language and wish to skip over familiar topics.

The drawback is that you must pass all tests up to the lesson you want to start from.

For example, I wanted to preview the final lesson group in the Japanese course to see the end goal, but to do so, I had to complete the 10 tests in the intermediate level.

Nonetheless, the Learn tab overall is LingoDeer's most robust feature.

It is well-organized, thorough, and packed with content and practice opportunities for learners.

I was highly impressed by how much Japanese I learned in just a few lessons. Within a couple of days, I had learned the entire alphabet chart, and by the third day, I was already forming my first short Japanese sentences!

Review Tab

I was also very fond of LingoDeer's review system.

Clicking or tapping on this tab opens a new area divided into different sections.

Depending on the language, you will see two (Vocabulary and Grammar) or three categories (Characters, Vocabulary and Grammar).

The Characters section is for reviewing writing systems in languages like Japanese or Chinese.

Vocabulary is where you can revisit all words learned so far, and Grammar contains the rules covered in the lessons.

There is also a section for a 5-minute quiz that quickly identifies any words or grammar rules needing further study.

This tab also includes Knowledge Cards, which provide concise summaries of each lesson's content.

Fluent Feature

Currently available only for Japanese, French, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese, the “Fluent” feature is designed to enhance your conversational skills.

It includes audio dialogues, along with speaking and writing exercises. A subsection named Key Points offers explanations, grammar notes, and sample sentences with translations.

Free users can access only a couple of “Fluent” topics; the remainder are reserved for premium subscribers.

Travel Phrasebook

The travel phrasebook is one of the complimentary resources LingoDeer provides.

Containing hundreds of words, expressions, and full sentences on themes like introductions, food & drink, health, shopping, and dating, among others, this phrasebook is useful for trip preparation or communication with locals during travel.

It is a quite comprehensive and handy free resource, though some languages, such as Japanese and Chinese, include more detailed information than others.

Character Drill Feature

Exclusive to Japanese and Chinese, this feature is excellent for learners wanting to master the art of writing Japanese and Chinese characters.

The Japanese course teaches how to write 100 commonly used Kanji characters, while the Chinese course covers 1,000 essential characters.

The Advantages of LingoDeer

I genuinely liked using LingoDeer, and as mentioned, I was speaking complete (though simple) Japanese sentences by the end of my first week. I consider that a success. Here are other aspects I particularly enjoyed about LingoDeer:

• Native speaker audio in all courses
• Practice for writing Japanese and Chinese characters
• Logically structured lessons
• Outstanding grammar explanations
• Option to learn offline
• Superb system for reviewing material
• Free travel phrasebook

The Disadvantages of LingoDeer

Despite my overall positive experience with LingoDeer, I believe there are areas that could be improved. The main drawbacks I found were:

• Feature availability varies between language courses
• No video or real-world media content
• No material for advanced learners
• Limited speaking practice for languages outside Asia
• Access to subsequent lessons requires passing all prior “Test Out” quizzes

LingoDeer Compared to Other Language Learning Programs

Since LingoDeer is designed as a comprehensive language learning solution, it is intended to be used independently to achieve fluency. I decided to compare it with three other popular language learning programs.

LingoDeer vs. Lingflix

Given that I missed video and authentic materials while using LingoDeer, I wanted to start this comparison with Lingflix , a program centered around video content.

I know many individuals who have learned English by watching films and television. I've heard this so frequently that I am convinced of its effectiveness. I also prefer using this method.

Lingflix suits me well because I enjoy watching TV, movies, music videos, news, and vlogs on YouTube. It feels like a sustainable and enjoyable way to learn and review a language, and it has proven effective for me.

I can spend hours on Lingflix while remaining engaged, whereas a 10-minute session on LingoDeer and similar apps can sometimes feel tedious.

Overall, I believe Lingflix and LingoDeer would work well together , and the combined cost would remain quite reasonable.

LingoDeer vs. Duolingo

When comparing LingoDeer to Duolingo, note that Duolingo offers some less common languages, including Finnish, Hawaiian, Navajo, Ukrainian, and Hebrew.

I find Duolingo to be more gamified and entertaining, with its encouraging (some might say persistent) mascot. However, particularly for students of Asian languages, LingoDeer might be more suitable due to its practice in writing Japanese and Chinese characters.

Here’s our full review of Duolingo .

LingoDeer vs. Ling

Ling , which is based in Thailand, shares the same objective as LingoDeer: to teach the words, phrases, and sentences most needed in a language. Like LingoDeer, Ling uses spaced repetition, and both programs have their roots in Asia.

Ling offers many less common languages such as Nepali, Mongolian, Lao, Bosnian, Latvian, and more, totaling 60 languages currently available.

However, I found some of Ling's example sentences and word choices confusing and often questioned their practicality. They frequently seemed too formal or not particularly useful.

Additionally, Ling does not teach the writing systems for languages that use them. If you cannot read Thai, for instance, you will be at a significant disadvantage as a beginner, and there is no practice for writing Japanese and Chinese characters as found in LingoDeer.

Final Conclusion

Can LingoDeer help you learn a language? Absolutely!

The course structure enables students to progress to the B2 level. The lessons are created by experts, and all supplementary practice integrates effectively with the core content to form a cohesive learning experience.

Is LingoDeer worth the price? Definitely, but…

Having two main apps (three if you include the children's English learning app) and requiring separate premium subscriptions for each is somewhat excessive.

If a single premium subscription granted unlimited access to both adult-focused learning apps, LingoDeer would be nearly unmatched.

Does LingoDeer provide everything needed to achieve fluency in a language? Regrettably, it does not.

There are some elements missing from the app.

The most significant shortcoming is the lack of authentic content and video material. Additionally, advanced learners can disregard this app entirely, as there is no content tailored to their level.

Fortunately, other language learning platforms like Lingflix offer a wealth of resources addressing these key aspects. Lingflix uses real-world videos—such as music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks—and transforms them into personalized language lessons. With Lingflix, you experience languages in authentic contexts—the way native speakers genuinely use them. A brief overview reveals the diverse range of Lingflix videos available: Lingflix simplifies language learning by providing only engaging, effective, and efficient content. It pre-selects the best videos and categorizes them by level and topic. You simply choose a video that interests you to begin! Every word in the interactive captions includes a definition, audio, image, example sentences, and more. A full interactive transcript for each video is available under the Dialogue tab, and you can easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab. Lingflix's unique adaptive quizzes help you learn vocabulary and phrases from the video through enjoyable questions and exercises. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you're studying. The program also tracks your learning progress and reminds you when it's time for review, offering a fully personalized experience. Use the Lingflix website on your computer or tablet, or download the Lingflix app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

In summary, my final assessment is: LingoDeer is a robust application that is certainly worth experimenting with.

Stay curious, my friends, and as always, enjoy your learning journey!