Rosetta Stone works for patient beginners who want to absorb basic French by immersion, but it does not get you speaking or understanding real French, and its speech recognition is the most common complaint from people who pay for it.
Checked October 2026 · Rosetta Stone price: €19.99/mo, or €13.25/mo billed €159/yr; lifetime plan priced on the buy page (checked 2026-10-09 (rosettastone.com buy page, shown from Germany))
What it gets right
Immersion builds recognition. After a few weeks of pictures and sentences you know common words without translating them in your head, and the course's slow, repetitive structure makes the basics stick. You can try it free before paying, so you can see whether the method suits you.
The speech-recognition problem
Rosetta Stone asks you to repeat words and sentences and scores your pronunciation. In the 500 most recent App Store reviews we read, the largest group of complaints, 30 of the 141 one- and two-star reviews, was about speaking and listening, and most of those were about the scoring. Reviewers describe correct French marked wrong, lessons that will not move on until the score turns green, and one says a native speaker repeating the sentence was still marked red.
There are settings to make the scoring more or less strict, but several reviewers say they had already lowered it. The result is that some learners end up practising to please the app rather than to sound French.
What it does not do
It does not explain grammar, so adults often understand a sentence without knowing how to build their own. It does not use real-speed French: the audio is clear and recorded for learners. And repeating after a recording is not conversation; nobody asks you a question you did not expect.
15 reviewers also said the course felt too easy or repetitive, and 25 complained about price or cancelling.
If you want to actually speak
Book a tutor. A 30-minute lesson a week on italki or Preply gives you a human ear, which no speech engine replaces, and costs from a few dollars a lesson. If you want an app for speaking out loud, Pimsleur is built around answering, not repeating. See Pimsleur vs Rosetta Stone.
Rosetta Stone costs €19.99 a month, or €159 a year, on the buy page we checked from Germany.
Who it's for
Beginners who like learning by immersion and are patient with slow progress. If the scoring frustrates you in the free trial, it will frustrate you more after you have paid.
Who it's not for
Learners whose main goal is speaking. A speech engine that marks you wrong for correct French is not a speaking teacher; a tutor is. Also not for anyone who wants grammar explained.
How it compares
| App | Price | Levels | Real-speed French | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosetta Stone | €19.99/mo, or €13.25/mo billed €159/yr; lifetime plan priced on the buy pagechecked 2026-10-09 (rosettastone.com buy page, shown from Germany) | A1–B1 | No | Immersion-style basics; slow, and light on explanation. |
| Pimsleur | Premium $19.99/mo; All Access $20.99/mo or $164.99/yr; one-off levels $150 each, 5 levels $575; free first lessonchecked 2026-10-09 (pimsleur.com/learn-french; subscriptions from the US App Store, 2026-10-06) | A1–B1 | No | Best for speaking from day one on a commute; thin on vocabulary. |
| Babbel | From €8.99/mo on the 12-month plan (€107.88 a year; €215.88 at the monthly rate); lifetime €299.99; first lesson freechecked 2026-10-09 (babbel.com/prices, shown from Germany) | A1–C1 | No | The most course-like app; a good spine for A1 to B1, light on real listening. |
| italki | Set by each tutor; italki says $4 to $60 an hour for Frenchchecked 2026-10-09 (italki.com/en/teachers/french) | A1–C2 | Yes | The cheapest way to speak French every week, if you choose the tutor well. |
| French with Amélie | Free weekly lesson; Premium $24/mo or $240/yr | B1–C1 | Yes, with a slow version and a transcript | Real-speed dialogues by email and a private podcast. Not an app. Visit |
Prices as shown on the official site on the date given; they vary by country and change often.
Questions
Is Rosetta Stone's speech recognition accurate?
Many reviewers say not: 30 of the 141 recent one- and two-star App Store reviews we read were about speaking and listening, mostly correct answers being marked wrong.
Can Rosetta Stone make you fluent in French?
No. It covers about A1 to B1 by immersion. Fluency needs real listening and conversation with people.
Is Rosetta Stone better than Duolingo?
It is more immersive and less game-like, but it costs €159 a year where Duolingo is free, and neither gets you speaking for real.
More on Rosetta Stone
The full listing: Rosetta Stone: price, levels and who it suits.