Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team
Drops vs HelloTalk
What sets them apart
| Compare |  Drops |  HelloTalk |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5Lower | $12.99 |
| Price per month | $11Lower | $12.99 |
| Price per year | $69.99Lower | $79.99 |
| Languages | Ainu, American English, Arabic, Basque, Bosnian, Brazilian Portuguese, British English, Cantonese, Castilian Spanish, Catalan, Chti, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, Egyptian Arabic, Esperanto, Estonian, European Portuguese, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Greenlandic, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Igbo, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Maori, Mexican Spanish, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Sanskrit for Yoga, Serbian, Swahili, Swedish, Swiss German, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Welsh, Yoruba | English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, French, Chinese, Portuguese, German, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Turkish, Hindi, Thai, Vietnamese |
| Lifetime price | $150 | Not confirmed |
| Free trial length | 7 days | Not confirmed |
| Money-back period | 14 days | Not confirmed |
| Number of languages | Not confirmed | 260 |
| Lesson length (minutes) | 5 | Not confirmed |
| AI conversation practice | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Offline use | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Kids version | Yes | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Free tier (Yes).
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings.
Key differences
- Price from is lower at Drops: $5 vs $12.99.
- Price per month is lower at Drops: $11 vs $12.99.
- Price per year is lower at Drops: $69.99 vs $79.99.
- Languages: only Drops offers Ainu, American English, Basque.
- Languages: only HelloTalk offers English, Spanish, Chinese.
- Learning method: only HelloTalk offers Live group.
Our verdict on each
Drops
Drops suits self directed learners who want the same app for a whole household, with lessons of 5 minutes and a free starting point. It scores 9.2 overall, and readers who need a phone line or a long refund window will find a narrower offer here.
HelloTalk
HelloTalk suits learners who want speaking practice with native speakers across 260 languages and can start on the free tier. It ranks well on yearly price at 6 of 18, so the cost of staying is easier to plan than the monthly cycle.
Score breakdown
| Area | Drops | HelloTalk |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.4HigherEntry at $5, a yearly plan at $69.99 and a lifetime payment of $150 keep both horizons affordable. | 9.1Free tier with fees of $12.99, $12.99 and $79.99 puts entry low against £6.99. |
| Offer | 8.9A free tier leads into a 7 day trial, with a 14 day money-back window on the paid plans. | 9.3Higher260 languages, app and live group and AI conversation on a free tier. |
| Trust | Not confirmed | 9.32012 founding, HK base and HelloTalk, Inc. behind the app. |
Licences and countries
| Country | Drops | HelloTalk |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Estonia | Hong Kong |
A third option
Bunpro has price from at $0, against $5 for Drops and $12.99 for HelloTalk.
Bunpro reviewHow they place
| Ranking | Drops | HelloTalk |
|---|---|---|
| Language learning apps | 12 of 46 | 14 of 46 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Drops | HelloTalk |
|---|---|---|
| Learning method | App | App, Live groupCovers more |
| Legal entity | PlanB Labs OÜ | HelloTalk, Inc. |
| Headquarters | Estonia | Hong Kong |
| Founded | Not confirmed | 2012 |
| Support channels | Email, Help centre | Email, Help centre |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Drops | HelloTalk | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5below the median | $12.99below the median | $13.49 |
| Price per month | $11below the median | $12.99below the median | $13.24 |
| Price per year | $69.99lowest quarter | $79.99lowest quarter | $95.99 |
| Free trial length | 7 daysat the median | Not confirmed | 7 days |
| Money-back period | 14 daysbelow the median | Not confirmed | 30 days |
| Number of languages | Not confirmed | 260highest quarter | 41 |
Median across 33 listed providers.
Pros and cons
Drops
Pros
- The catalogue runs to Ainu, American English and Arabic, spanning regional variants and smaller languages alongside the major ones.
- Offline downloads are part of the service, so practice works on a flight or a commute.
- A kids version sits in the same app, and family profiles are the most common arrangement on the comparison, at 100% of the brands listed.
Cons
- The introductory price of $5 is a low entry point, but renewal lands on the monthly plan at $11 or the yearly plan at $69.99.
- The trial is short at 7 days against a 7 day median for language apps, and Drops places 8 of 21 brands on trial length.
- The money-back window of 14 days falls short of the 29 day median, and Drops sits 20 of 29 brands on that measure.
HelloTalk
Pros
- Free tier lets learners test the app before paying, which most language apps also offer
- 260 languages covered, a wider list than most apps in the ranking
- AI conversation adds a practice partner when no native speaker is free
Cons
- Support runs on email and help centre, so a billing or account question goes to email or the help centre with no faster channel
- Monthly billing of $12.99 costs more than the yearly price of $79.99 if you pay monthly
- Entry price of $12.99 is higher than the free entry at €0 and $0
Who each suits
Drops
Who it suits
- Learners who want to try a language at no cost before choosing a paid plan.
- Households with children, since a kids version runs in the same app.
- People who would rather pay once, at $150, than keep a subscription alive.
Who should look elsewhere
- Not for readers chasing a free entry price: one of the compared alternatives lists its entry price at €0.
- Not for buyers who want a long refund window, since the money-back period runs 14 days and the trial lasts 7 days.
- Not for cautious triallers who need longer to decide: the trial runs 7 days, shorter than the 7 day median for language apps.
HelloTalk
Who it suits
- Learners who want conversation with native speakers rather than a syllabus
- People who can commit to a yearly plan to cut the cost of the monthly cycle
- Anyone starting out who wants to try a language app without paying
Who should look elsewhere
- Learners who want live tutoring by appointment, where Reading Eggs is the better fit
- People who need phone or chat support, since HelloTalk runs on email and help centre only
- Learners on a strict budget who would start free at Phase-6 or Bunpro instead
Questions about each
Drops
What does Drops cost at the start and at renewal?+
The entry price is $5, an introductory figure. From there the monthly plan runs $11 and the yearly plan $69.99. A lifetime option at $150 replaces both with a single payment, and the money-back window of 14 days covers a change of mind.
Is there a free plan, and how long is the trial?+
A free tier is available, so the opening stretch of a course costs nothing. The paid trial that follows runs 7 days, which is shorter than the 7 day median across language apps. Anyone who upgrades has the money-back window of 14 days as a fallback.
HelloTalk
What does HelloTalk cost to start?+
Entry is priced at $12.99, and there is also a free tier so you can try the app first. The monthly plan is $12.99, which is the same figure as entry, so a single month is not cheaper than joining. Bunpro and Phase-6 both offer free entry.
Is the monthly plan worth it or should I pay yearly?+
The monthly plan is $12.99 and the yearly plan is $79.99. Paid yearly plans rank at 6 of 18, which is a stronger showing than the 14 of 25 recorded for monthly billing. If you already know you will stick with it, yearly is the cheaper route.