I’ve spent the past few months exploring Busuu to see how well it works for learning English grammar and improving overall language skills. I’ve tested its lessons, grammar tools, speaking practice, and premium features, and while I found a lot to like, there are a few areas where Busuu falls short.
Here’s my detailed, balanced review of Busuu in 2025.
First Impressions
Busuu has been around for a while, but in 2025 it has evolved into a much more modern and adaptive platform. The onboarding experience is smooth: you start with a quick placement test, set your goals, and get a personalized learning path. From there, Busuu organizes lessons based on your level and preferred pace, which makes it very beginner-friendly and structured.
At first glance, the interface feels clean and intuitive. I like that lessons are short and focused, designed to fit easily into daily routines. It avoids the overwhelming feel of a traditional grammar book while still giving enough content to make progress.
What I Liked About Busuu
1. AI-Powered Grammar Review
One of the most useful features Busuu offers is its Grammar Review tool. This dashboard tracks every grammar topic you’ve encountered in your lessons and groups them into four categories: Needs Practice, Improving, Strong, and Mastered.
I really appreciate how visual and simple this feature is. Instead of guessing which areas I’m weak in, I can clearly see which grammar topics need more work. The tool also suggests targeted review sessions based on my performance, which makes practicing much more efficient. For someone serious about improving grammar, this is one of Busuu’s best additions.
2. Built-In Grammar Tips
Grammar isn’t treated as a separate topic; it’s integrated naturally into lessons. Instead of giving you long, heavy explanations, Busuu introduces grammar concepts in small, digestible chunks. You learn a rule briefly, see it used in context, and immediately apply it through exercises.
This approach works really well for beginners and lower-intermediate learners who might feel overwhelmed by dense explanations. It’s efficient and practical, which I found refreshing compared to apps that drown you in technical details upfront.
3. Variety in Lesson Formats
The lessons are more dynamic than I expected. Busuu mixes listening, reading, writing, and speaking activities within the same unit. There are fill-in-the-blank questions, matching exercises, phrase ordering tasks, and short quizzes.
I especially like the video clips of native speakers that are included in some lessons. Seeing real people use the language naturally makes learning feel more immersive and authentic.
4. Community Feedback from Native Speakers
One of Busuu’s standout features is the ability to get feedback from native speakers. Whenever you complete a writing or speaking exercise, you can submit your answer to the community. Other learners and native speakers can review your response and provide corrections or tips.
While the feedback can sometimes be brief, I still find it valuable. Having a real person confirm or adjust what you’ve written feels more engaging than only relying on automated systems.
5. Personalized Study Plans
Busuu lets you create a customized learning plan where you set your weekly study goals, and the platform calculates how long it’ll take to reach them. If you fall behind, it automatically adjusts the schedule.
I find this especially useful for keeping myself accountable. It’s a simple feature, but it helps turn vague goals into a clear path.
6. Affordable Premium Plan
Compared to other language-learning apps, Busuu’s Premium subscription is reasonably priced and unlocks a lot of features:
- Access to all lessons and courses
- Grammar Review dashboard
- Offline mode
- Native speaker feedback
- Personalized study plans
If you want to get the most out of Busuu, Premium is definitely worth considering.
Where Busuu Falls Short
1. Free Plan Is Very Limited
Busuu’s free version is more like a demo than a complete learning tool. You only get a handful of lessons, and most of the best features, like Grammar Review, native speaker feedback, and personalized study plans, are locked behind Premium.
If you’re serious about grammar, you’ll need to pay.
2. Speaking Practice Needs Improvement
Busuu includes speaking prompts, but the speech recognition system still feels unreliable. Sometimes it marks correct pronunciations as wrong or accepts unclear responses.
I like that the app includes speaking exercises, but without consistent feedback, it doesn’t feel as helpful as it could be.
3. Uneven Depth Across Levels
At beginner levels, the lessons are clear and well-paced, with enough grammar support to build a solid foundation. But as you move into intermediate and advanced levels, the explanations become less detailed.
I noticed that advanced units rely more on repetition than on in-depth explanations, which can feel frustrating if you’re trying to master complex grammar.
4. Community Feedback Quality Varies
While I enjoy receiving corrections from other learners and native speakers, the quality of feedback isn’t always consistent. Some users give detailed explanations, but others just leave a quick thumbs-up or one-word response.
It would be great if Busuu encouraged more structured corrections.
5. Limited Language Support for Grammar Tools
Busuu supports around 14 languages, but not all languages have the same grammar features. For example, the Grammar Review tool isn’t fully available in every course yet.
This won’t affect you if you’re focused on English, but it’s worth noting if you want to learn multiple languages.
Lesson Experience
A typical Busuu lesson is short and structured to focus on one or two skills at a time. Here’s what I usually experienced:
- Warm-up: Learn a few new words or phrases.
- Grammar tip: A short rule explained in context.
- Practice: Exercises mixing listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
- Review: A quick quiz or community feedback opportunity.
I like this structure because it breaks learning into manageable steps while still tying everything together in a meaningful way.
Busuu for Grammar Learners
If your main goal is improving grammar, Busuu’s Grammar Review dashboard and integrated grammar tips make it a strong contender. It’s not as deep as a full grammar textbook, but it’s much more approachable and interactive.
I’d recommend Busuu for:
- Beginners who want structured introductions to grammar
- Learners who benefit from visual progress tracking
- People who like short, focused lessons instead of long lectures
- Anyone who wants feedback from native speakers
However, if you’re looking for highly advanced grammar drills or intensive explanations, you might want to supplement Busuu with other resources.
Summary Table
| Strengths | Areas for Improvement |
|---|---|
| AI-powered Grammar Review dashboard | Free plan is very limited |
| Integrated grammar tips in lessons | Speech recognition is inconsistent |
| Variety of activities keeps lessons fresh | Advanced lessons lack depth |
| Native speaker feedback available | Feedback quality varies |
| Personalized study plans and tracking | Grammar tools not fully rolled out for all languages |
| Affordable Premium with useful features | Not ideal for advanced grammar mastery |
Final Verdict
Busuu in 2025 strikes a good balance between structured grammar learning and practical language practice. The Grammar Review tool, built-in grammar tips, and variety of exercises make it one of the better platforms for beginners and intermediate learners who want a clear, guided approach.
It’s not perfect—speaking practice could be improved, advanced lessons feel lighter, and the free version is limited—but overall, Busuu provides an accessible, interactive way to build grammar skills and confidence.
If you’re looking for a platform that blends grammar, vocabulary, listening, and writing into short, manageable lessons while keeping track of your progress, Busuu is definitely worth trying.