Busuu walks you through the levels. Immersed fills your day with the language between them.
Busuu is a course app with lessons organised by level, a study plan, and a community of native speakers who correct your writing and speaking. Immersed is a language immersion tracker and planner: a free plan built from your answers, then a daily timeline for the shows, podcasts and books you learn from, with reports of your hours. Busuu teaches; Immersed plans and tracks the hours of real input that turn lessons into understanding.
Free. About two minutes. No account, no card.
The short version
Checked October 24, 2026.
Something out of date? Tell me.
If you want a structured course with clear levels, a study schedule and real people correcting your exercises, Busuu is a strong pick. Immersed teaches no grammar or vocabulary.
If you have worked through course levels and still struggle with a show or a podcast at natural speed, the missing piece is hours of listening and reading. Immersed plans those hours around your day and shows you the proof.
A level says what you studied. Hours say how long you spent. What you did in those hours (which of nine activities, at what level, how much you understood) is what moves you, and that is what Immersed shows you.
01Two different jobs
A level on a certificate is not the same as following a conversation.
Busuu lays the language out by CEFR level, from A1 upward, with lessons on everyday topics and a Smart Review that saves the grammar and words you met. You can earn certificates as you pass levels, which is satisfying and gives you a clear sense of where you are.
A course level tells you what you have studied. Following a fast podcast or a show with slang is a separate skill, and it comes from hearing a lot of real language. That part happens outside the course, and it is the part Immersed is built for.
02Before you press play
Busuu plans your lessons. Immersed plans the rest of your day.
Busuu's Study Plan sets a schedule for your lessons and reminds you to show up. That is a real strength. It covers the ten or twenty minutes of lesson time.
Immersed's free blueprint covers the hours around it. About two minutes of questions about your time, goals, level and what you already watch return milestones for your first months, a daily protocol, the Hidden Immersion Time in your day (the commute, the gym, the dishes), and an Immersion Library of things to watch, listen to and read in your language. No account needed, just a name and email.
03While you immerse
A timeline for the day, and a timer that knows immersion.
With Immersed Pro you plan tasks into the free gaps of your day, from Wake up to Wind down. Press play and pick one of nine activities: Active Listening, Passive Listening, Active Subtitles, Reading, Study, SRS, Speaking, Writing or Shadowing. Rate how much you understood after each session.
Your Busuu lessons go in as Study, and the exercises you send to the community as Writing or Speaking. Paste a YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts link and it plays inside the session.
04Looking back
A certificate for each level. A checklist and a breakdown for the rest.
Busuu shows the lessons you finished and the level you reached, with a certificate to mark it. Immersed's Growth page shows what your hours were made of: time stacked by the nine activities, comprehension over time, a consistency grid with streaks, and your top shows and channels with links back to them. Your 1,000 hours and someone else's 1,000 are not the same, and the mix is what explains the difference.
In place of certificates, Immersed has the Fluency Checklist: 32 things an immerser has in place, in four stages from Foundations to Speaking & writing. Foundations is free on the blueprint; the rest comes with Pro. Export a PDF, Excel or CSV, or share a report link.
Side by side · checked October 24, 2026
Immersed and Busuu, feature by feature.
What it is for
Teaches grammar and vocabulary
Immersed · No
Busuu · Yes, by CEFR level
Absolute beginners
Immersed · Free listening games in 12 languages; otherwise better after a course
Busuu · Yes
Plan for real immersion in your day
Immersed · Free blueprint and daily timeline
Busuu · No
Study schedule and reminders
Immersed · Timeline with repeating tasks and reminders
Busuu · Study Plan with reminders
What to watch, listen to and read next
Immersed · Immersion Library, Toolkit and Discover feed
Busuu · Course content only
Speaking and feedback
Corrections from native speakers
Immersed · No
Busuu · Yes, from the Busuu community
AI conversation practice
Immersed · No
Busuu · Busuu Conversations, on Premium plans for some courses
Certificates
Immersed · No; a Fluency Checklist by stage instead
Busuu · Yes, as you pass levels
Tracking
Hours by activity
Immersed · Nine immersion activities, stacked in reports
Busuu · No
Comprehension rating
Immersed · Per session, charted over time
Busuu · No
Review of words and grammar
Immersed · No, logs your SRS time
Busuu · Smart Review
Top shows and channels in reports
Immersed · Yes, with links back to them
Busuu · No
Play YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts in a session
Immersed · Yes
Busuu · No
Export your history
Immersed · PDF, Excel, CSV and share links
Busuu · No
Apps and price
Languages
Immersed · Any; Library in 22, hand-picked Toolkit in 11
Busuu · About 14 languages
Phone and computer
Immersed · Web app on both; Android app in testing for Google Play
Busuu · iOS, Android and web
Free plan
Immersed · Blueprint, games with leaderboards, Discord, sample app
Busuu · Some lessons, with ads
Paid plan
Immersed · $60 a year or $9.99 a month
Busuu · Premium about $80 a year; Premium Plus about $140
Credit where it's due
Both are good. At different things.
What Busuu does well
- A clear path through CEFR levels, so you always know where you are
- Real native speakers who correct your written and spoken exercises, and you can help learners of your language in return
- A Study Plan that schedules your lessons and keeps you showing up
- Smart Review, which keeps the grammar and words from your lessons in one place
- Certificates as you complete levels, a nice marker of progress
- AI conversation practice with Busuu Conversations, built around your lesson content
- A good set of languages, including Japanese, Korean, Arabic and Chinese, with apps on phone and web
What Immersed does that Busuu doesn't
- Plans hours of real immersion around your day, starting with a free blueprint
- Tells you what to watch, listen to and read in your language, with a feed that counts as immersion
- Breaks your hours down by nine activities, from Passive Listening to Shadowing, and charts how much you understood
- Shows your hours, consistency and top shows and channels in reports you can export and share
- Gives you the Fluency Checklist, with Foundations free, for what to set up beyond the course
- Works for any language you track, including ones no course covers
Pick Busuu if
- You want a structured course with clear levels and a schedule
- You want real people to read your writing and listen to you speak
- You like having a certificate to mark each level
- You are a beginner and want grammar and vocabulary taught step by step
Pick Immersed if
- You have done course levels and want to understand real shows and podcasts
- You want a plan for listening and reading that fits your actual day
- You want help finding content at your level
- You want to see what your hours were made of, and your comprehension rising
Use both, or move over
Use Busuu to learn, use Immersed to immerse
Keep Busuu's Study Plan for your lessons and log them in Immersed as Study. Around them, plan a podcast into the commute and an episode into the evening. The course gives you the structures; the immersion gives you the hours of hearing them.
A good time to start immersing is around the end of A1, when you can handle simple sentences, not after you reach B2. Begin with easy input like learner podcasts and kids' shows. As your levels go up, let the immersion hours grow and the lessons become the smaller part of your day.
Pricing · checked October 24, 2026
What each one costs.
Immersed
- Free: the blueprint for one language (with the Toolkit, Library picks and the Fluency Checklist's Foundations), the listening games in 12 languages with their leaderboards, Aim Runner, the Discord and the sample app. A free account also gets the Fitting Room's day-one outfits for Aim, Hour Marks and badges from game time.
- Immersed Pro: $60 a year (starts with a free week, about $5 a month) or $9.99 a month. Timeline, sessions with the nine activities, Discover, Library, Growth and reports, monthly Sprints, more languages.
Busuu
- Free: a limited set of lessons and features, with ads.
- Premium: all lessons at all levels for all languages, offline downloads. The US App Store lists an annual plan at $79.99 and monthly plans from $6.99.
- Premium Plus: adds speaking practice tools and exclusive content. The US App Store lists 12 months at $139.99.
Busuu's prices change with offers and differ between the website and the app stores, so check before you buy. Immersed is about $5 a month on the yearly plan, and the blueprint is free, so you can see your plan before paying for either.
FAQ
Questions people ask.
Can Busuu get me to fluency?+
It can take you through the course levels, and the community and AI practice help with speaking. Understanding fast native speech usually takes many hours of listening and reading on top of any course. Immersed is built to plan and track those hours.
Does Immersed teach a language like Busuu?+
No. Immersed doesn't teach grammar or vocabulary. It plans, tracks and shows your immersion.
When should I start immersion if I use Busuu?+
Around the end of A1, once simple sentences make sense. Add easy listening and reading alongside the course rather than waiting until you finish it.
Can I log my Busuu lessons in Immersed?+
Yes. Log them as Study, live with the timer or afterward. Immersed doesn't connect to Busuu or track it automatically.
What is the difference between Busuu Premium and Premium Plus?+
Premium opens all lessons at all levels and offline downloads. Premium Plus adds speaking practice tools and exclusive content. Prices vary by offer and store, so check Busuu before you buy.
Is Immersed free?+
Partly. The blueprint (with the Fluency Checklist's Foundations), the listening games with their leaderboards, the Discord and the sample app are free. The timeline, sessions, Discover, reports and monthly Sprints are Immersed Pro: $60 a year with a free week first, or $9.99 a month.
More comparisons
Stop guessing. See what your hours add up to.
Answer a few questions and Immersed builds your plan: a daily routine that fits your life, milestones for your first months, and things to watch at your level. Free, about two minutes, no account needed.
The plan is free and stays free. No card.
Checked October 24, 2026 against published product information. Prices and features change; if something here is out of date, tell me on Discord and I'll fix it.