adsonant

Adsonant vs Memrise

Memrise Alternative for Building Vocabulary

Updated

Adsonant is built for helping you capture and grow your vocabulary in a language. Instead of working through a course’s word list, you save the words you actually meet, and Adsonant fills in their translations, readings, and example sentences. Memrise is a polished course app with videos of native speakers, and for some learners it’s the better choice.

The short answer

  • Choose Adsonant if you want to quickly collect and review vocabulary without spending a lot of time building flashcard decks.
  • Choose Memrise if you want a guided course that decides what to learn next, with videos of native speakers.

Adsonant vs Memrise at a Glance

Feature comparison of Adsonant and Memrise
AdsonantMemrise
Best for Building vocabulary in a new language Guided courses with native-speaker videos
Adding a word Type a word, paste text, or take or choose a photo Follow its courses, or add words to custom word lists
Translations, readings, examples One tap: meaning, example sentence, pinyin or hiragana, and noun articles Included in its courses
Spaced repetition FSRS, plus review by group or recently added words Built-in review of the words you’ve learned
Organizing words Groups; a word can belong to several Courses and word lists
Ready-made content None, you build your personalized collections Official courses, plus community word lists
Languages Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish Many languages; course depth varies
Platforms iPhone and iPad, synced with iCloud Web, iPhone, Android
Price Free for small collections, paid subscription thereafter Free tier; Memrise Pro subscription

Adding a Word: Adsonant vs Memrise

Say you hear the Japanese word 木漏れ日 (こもれび, sunlight through trees) and want to learn it.

In Adsonant

  1. Type the word, paste a passage, or take a photo.
  2. Tap to add the meaning, reading (こもれび), and an example.
  3. Save it, optionally into a group like “Nature.”

In Memrise

  1. Check whether one of your courses teaches it.
  2. If not, add it to a custom word list.
  3. Practice it alongside your course.

Pasting a passage or photographing a page saves even more time. Adsonant finds the words in the text and turns them into their dictionary forms, and you choose which ones to keep.

Adsonant’s Add words screen with options for a single word, pasted text, a chosen photo, or the camera
Add a word, a passage, or a photo.
A saved German word, das Fernweh, with its meaning, example sentence, notes, and group
Meaning, example, and article, filled in.

Where Adsonant Is Better

  • Adding words is fast. Save a word in seconds, or pull many at once from pasted text or a photo.
  • Details are filled in for you. One tap adds the translation, an example sentence in the language you’re learning, pinyin for Chinese, hiragana for Japanese, and articles for nouns.
  • Built around your words. Collect the words you actually meet, instead of a course’s list, and keep them in one place across all six languages.
  • Groups for your interests. Sort words into groups like “Travel” or “Cooking,” and review one group at a time.
  • Spaced repetition and progress you can see. Adsonant schedules reviews with FSRS, and shows your total words by language, growth over time, and review history.

Where Memrise Is Better

  • A guided path. Courses decide what to learn next, which helps when you’re starting out.
  • Native-speaker videos. Hear words and phrases in short clips of real people.
  • Speaking practice. Conversation and speaking features go beyond vocabulary.
  • More languages. Memrise offers courses in many more languages than Adsonant’s six.
  • Web access. Study in a browser as well as on iPhone and Android.

Using Adsonant and Memrise Together

Many learners pair a place for their own words with a course. Save the words you meet outside your course, in shows, books, and conversations, in Adsonant, and follow your Memrise course for structure.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Adsonant if you…

  • meet new words in books, shows, classes, or conversations
  • want translations and readings added for you
  • learn Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish
  • use an iPhone or iPad

Choose Memrise if you…

  • want a structured course to follow
  • learn well from videos of native speakers
  • want speaking practice in the same app
  • learn a language Adsonant doesn’t support

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add my own words to Memrise?

Yes. Memrise brought custom word lists back to its app in 2026. Adsonant is built around your own words from the start: capture them by typing, pasting text, or taking a photo, and fill in their details with one tap.

What’s the best Memrise alternative for vocabulary?

If you want to learn the words you meet in daily life rather than a course’s list, Adsonant is built for that. If you want another guided course, look at a course app such as Duolingo.

Is Adsonant free?

Adsonant is free for small collections. As your collection grows, a paid subscription keeps it growing. See the App Store listing for current plans.

Does Adsonant use spaced repetition?

Yes. Adsonant schedules reviews with FSRS, a modern spaced repetition algorithm. You can also review by group or practice your most recent words.

Does Adsonant work on Android or a computer?

Not yet. Adsonant is available for iPhone and iPad, and syncs between them with iCloud.

More Comparisons

See all of them in our guide to the best vocabulary apps for language learners, or grab a free word list to get started.

Download on the App Store

Smart vocab tracking with Adsonant