Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team
Drops vs Innovative Language
Where Drops and Innovative Language differ
| Compare |  Drops | Innovative Language ReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5 | $4Lower |
| Price per month | $11 | $10Lower |
| Money-back period | 14 days | 60 daysHigher |
| 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 | Afrikaans, Arabic, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Mongolian, Nepali, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese |
| Price per year | $69.99 | Not confirmed |
| Lifetime price | $150 | Not confirmed |
| Number of languages | Not confirmed | 34 |
| Lesson length (minutes) | 5 | Not confirmed |
| Offline use | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Kids version | Yes | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Free tier (Yes), Free trial length (7 days).
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Key differences
- Innovative Language scores higher overall: 9.3 vs 9.2.
- Price from is lower at Innovative Language: $4 vs $5.
- Price per month is lower at Innovative Language: $10 vs $11.
- Money-back period is higher at Innovative Language: 60 days vs 14 days.
- Languages: only Drops offers Ainu, American English, Basque.
- Languages: only Innovative Language offers Afrikaans, Bulgarian, Chinese.
- Learning method: only Innovative Language offers Audio, Live 1to1.
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.
Innovative Language
Innovative Language suits learners who want audio and app lessons across 34 languages and a long window to change their mind. Its entry price of $4 and a money-back period of 60 days keep the risk of trying it low, and the free tier lets anyone start without paying.
Score breakdown
| Area | Drops | Innovative Language |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.4Entry at $5, a yearly plan at $69.99 and a lifetime payment of $150 keep both horizons affordable. | 9.5HigherEntry at $4 and a monthly rate of $10 are mid-field, so the low entry figure carries the cost score. |
| Offer | 8.9A free tier leads into a 7 day trial, with a 14 day money-back window on the paid plans. | 9.1HigherA free tier, a 7 days trial and a 60 days money-back period cover entry, a short look and a long safety net. |
How the counts compare
| Fact | Drops | Innovative Language |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5 | $4 |
| Price per month | $11 | $10 |
| Free trial length | 7 days | 7 days |
| Money-back period | 14 days | 60 days |
What we checked
Drops
- languagedrops.com: 15 facts, checked September 30, 2026
Innovative Language
- japanesepod101.com: 6 facts, checked September 30, 2026
- innovativelanguage.com: 4 facts, checked September 30, 2026
How they place
| Ranking | Drops | Innovative Language |
|---|---|---|
| Language learning apps | 12 of 46 | 10 of 46 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Drops | Innovative Language |
|---|---|---|
| Learning method | App | App, Audio, Live 1to1Covers more |
| Legal entity | PlanB Labs OÜ | Innovative Language Learning USA, LLC |
| Headquarters | Estonia | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Email, Help centre | Email, Help centre |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Drops | Innovative Language | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5below the median | $4lowest quarter | $13.49 |
| Price per month | $11below the median | $10below the median | $13.24 |
| Price per year | $69.99lowest quarter | Not confirmed | $95.99 |
| Free trial length | 7 daysat the median | 7 daysat the median | 7 days |
| Money-back period | 14 daysbelow the median | 60 dayshighest quarter | 30 days |
| Number of languages | Not confirmed | 34below the median | 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.
Innovative Language
Pros
- A free tier lets a learner open the service and study before paying anything.
- A 7 days trial and a 60 days money-back period mean a paid plan can be bought, used and still refunded.
- Coverage runs to 34 languages, from Afrikaans to Vietnamese, with delivery through app, audio and live 1to1.
Cons
- The recurring rate of $10 is what a learner pays once the $4 entry price sits behind them, so a long study is priced at the higher figure.
- Support runs on email and help centre only, with no voice line for anyone who prefers to talk.
- A 7 days trial is short next to the 60-day longest free trial on the site.
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.
Innovative Language
Who it suits
- Learners who want a genuine free start and a 60 days window to change their mind before the $10 monthly rate adds up.
- People studying a language outside the most taught few, since the catalogue covers 34 of them.
- Self-study learners who want audio and app lessons in a single subscription, delivered through app, audio and live 1to1.
Who should look elsewhere
- Not for learners set on paying nothing: Bunpro lists entry at $0 and the structured-review option at €0.
- Not for anyone planning a long study on a single budget line: the recurring rate is $10 a month and the trial runs 7 days.
- Not for people who want to talk to a person by voice: support runs on email and help centre only.
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.
Innovative Language
What does Innovative Language cost, and which price do I keep paying?+
The service lists an entry price of $4 and a standard monthly rate of $10. The entry figure is what a new account opens at; the monthly rate is what the subscription settles into. Anyone planning to study across many months should treat $10 as the figure that matters, and lean on the money-back period as the hedge.
Is there a free version, and how long is the free trial?+
A free tier is included, so the lessons can be opened without paying. The paid side comes with a free trial of 7 days, short enough to check the material but not to run a full study cycle on. Learners who only need listening and app practice can stay on the free tier and skip the trial altogether.