A man studying with his ipad

In the sea of language learning apps, have you come across DW and Readle? Were you wondering which of those might help you learn German more efficiently?

You don’t need to spend much time checking them out – just take a little of your time reading this review about Deutsche Welle vs. Readle.

Both Deutsche Welle – Learn German and Readle – Learn German are content learning-based apps that wish to make your language learning experience more pleasant through entertaining videos and stories. Thanks to this approach, your brain will actually enjoy learning on your personal level and will therefore remember words and expressions much easier.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s each of these platforms can offer and where they might need improvement.

Readle – Learn German

Readle focuses on the best learning experience possible, both in learning new words and grammar rules as well as practicing what you’ve already learned. You can see the translation of every single word by clicking on it and listen to the full story recorded by a native speaker with proper pronunciation. To make sure you have some fun and pay attention at the same time, you can try out the quiz after each story.

A picture of the app

You’ll find global, mostly unpolitical news about science, nature, technology, new inventions, foods, or everyday stories from around the world, as well as learn more about interesting events from the past or exciting travel destinations. You’ll get a minimum of one story every day according to your current level (categorized by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – A1, A2, B1, B2, or C1).

You can get three stories for free every week, and f you want to access the rest, you can buy a premium account.

The best way to learn a new language and reinforce the knowledge is by practicing. And that’s never been easier and more entertaining than with Readle.

There are many learning sources online, but they often cover the same content, which is conversations in everyday situations. That is obviously extremely important, and those apps are very helpful. However, Readle concentrates on all the other things that take place in our lives – which many other apps might not include.

A picture of Germany

Readle Advantage – Disadvantage Summary

Pros:

  • 3 stories for free every week
  • keywords
  • adjustment of audio-speed
  • quizzes
  • context-based translation of each word
  • keywords
  • content adjusted to your level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
  • grammar points
  • having your favorite stories
  • great and fast support

Cons:

  • Not entirely for free
  • No everyday conversations
  • No option to pay by watching ads
  • No exercises except for quizzes

DW – Deutsche Welle Learn German

Deutsche Welle (literally meaning “German wave”) was originally a German TV channel founded in 1953 that could be watched in most places all over the world. It’s mainly created for native German speakers who live abroad.

Picture of the app

Today, they also have an app for English speakers to learn German. You can read conversations and stories, listen to songs, and use other common language learning tools. The app is completely free, but according to the users, it has some issues.

Moreover, they have a website that might be useful for learning German as well. There, they have Deutsche Welle special TV programs, German courses, German XXL for the advanced learners, Community D, and a teaching platform. The website is probably available in your language as it supports 30 languages, and courses are also available at different levels.

DW App Rating And Reviews

The app has a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars. It’s a good learning tool, and many users are very happy with it. However, there are some issues that need to be fixed.

There are great and easy A1-beginners conversations with real people in real circumstances. They have simple conversations in basic German. Naturally, Germans themselves won’t communicate in real life on such a basic level, but that’s not the point for an A1 level when you’re just starting to learn German.

DW app is great as an addition to your classes, but you can’t easily boost your skills if you stick only to that app.

The biggest problem for beginners is that the conversations have German subtitles but no English translation. At the same time, people in the clips talk quite fast.

A pile of textbooks

So, yes, the language that’s being used is simple, but for someone who actually is on an A1 level, it might not be easy to understand quite yet. You’d have a hard time learning new sentences and vocabulary because you just don’t know the words that are used (if you haven’t learned them).

What you can do is set back the video’s play-bar to read and listen to it again and again, but that can be rather inconvenient.

But considering that the app is free, it can be a great way to put your knowledge of German into practice. Thanks to it, you won’t just stare at a blank page of a vocabulary or books.

User Feedback

Here are some things that DW app users said:

  • Most of the questions and instructions are in German, which I can’t read yet;
  • It just feels like figuring out how to answer a question is a gamble;
  • The app does not let you cut/copy text;
  • I think the app is a great start from a programmers’ perspective in learning how to write apps;
  • I am critical of this app because it is only a web frontend to their website;
  • Best App to learn Deutsch! I actually feel annoyed for having paid for a terrible app with the other guys;
  • You learn more naturally;
  • The downside, however, is that it won’t allow me to sign in to my account and doesn’t remember previous work without signing in.

DW Advantage – Disadvantage Summary

Pros:

  • conversations in video lessons are read out loud by native Germans;
  • easy language;
  • visuals/storyline that makes memorizing the content easier;
  • great for practicing what you’ve already learned.

Cons:

  • no English translations;
  • speed is too fast (no slow down button);
  • only german subtitles;
  • app is an inconvenient copy of their web version;
  • no copy/paste function for translation purposes;
  • no individual learning progress feature.

Conclusion

Both apps have free everyday experience-based content, which makes it easier for you to learn German and remember new words. They each focus on a different way of learning with different content. You can try them out and check the free 7-day trial in the Readle app to see which one works better for you.

Many pretzels on a green background

Moreover, you can also visit the DW website and check their TV programs, German courses, German XXL, Community D, and other helpful resources.

But since the internet is full of resources, why not have the best experience possible – which is: use as many as you resonate with. Therefore, if you just keep on using both apps, you can get the best learning results.