Side by side
| Loora | Language Boss | |
|---|---|---|
| How it is built | Three lesson types: open talk, role-play and Read and Talk. No fixed syllabus. Unlimited Talk opens after your first lesson each day. | Koda writes each scene from what you want English for, with a role and missions. A table read comes before it and dailies after it. |
| Who sets the situation | You pick a topic or Loora suggests one. Role-plays are ready-made, random, or you describe the situation and both roles. | Koda, from your dream. You can also pitch a scene and he writes it. |
| Correction while you talk | In role-play it doesn't correct you aloud. Words are marked on screen after each reply, and you tap one to see the fix. A setting controls spoken correction in Classic lessons. | The character folds the fix into its reply, in role, at your level. Explanations come after the call. |
| Your sounds in conversation | A score for each sentence and for the words that need work. Tap a word, record it again and get a new score. | Every sound of every take is scored after the call, and you hear what it came out as: "the th in think came out as s". |
| One sound at a time | In the Practice tab, type a word, record it and get a sound-by-sound breakdown. It doesn't say what a sound came out as. | Coaching sessions drill one sound with your own words. Glass Words cracks only the letters that slipped. |
| Seeing your mouth | Pronunciation takeaways include a video of the mouth position. | X-ray Mouth replays your selfie with the tongue drawn over your own cheek. Free. |
| Repeat mistakes | Takeaways keep returning to a repeated mistake, and conversations are built around your level, goals and last mistakes. | Counts each mistake and sound across all your takes and ranks what to fix first. The next character listens for your top three recurring mistakes. |
| Who it is for | Adults who know the basics. It tells complete beginners to start elsewhere. | Starter to advanced. At Starter you get meanings on screen, slow audio and the brief in your language. |
| Help in your language | Translate, slow down, a suggested reply, and a lifeline where you type in your language and get the English. | The scene stays in English and Koda explains in your language. That help fades as your level rises. |
| Where it runs | iPhone, iPad and Android. A web version is in development. | In the browser, on a phone or computer. |
| Progress | Scores from 0 to 100 for fluency, pronunciation and grammar. Streaks, weekly leagues, gems and badges. | No streaks or leagues. Which sounds you say clearly, stars, stickers, a rank from your own best scores, and Then and Now. |
| Free | One free lesson with no payment details, with full feedback. | First scene free. Voice Coach, Sounds of English, X-ray Mouth, Glass Words, table reads, dailies and flashcards are always free. |
| Paid | The App Store lists monthly plans from $14.99 to $19.99 and yearly plans from $59.99 to $119.99. | Pro covers live calls: $6.99 a week or $49.99 a year. |
On the screen, or in the conversation
Both apps agree on the main thing: when you are in a scene, nobody should stop you to announce a correction. Loora does that by staying quiet and showing the fix on screen, where you can tap it to see the mistake and the correction side by side, with the rule and a more natural rewrite.
Language Boss does it by having the character say the right form straight back to you, inside its next sentence. You don't have to look at anything, and you hear the right form right after your own. A correction like that can be missed, so your own lines come back fixed and explained in dailies. Here is what the research says about both approaches.
Words, or sounds
Loora scores the sentences you said in a lesson and shows a score for each word that needs work, and it can break a word into sounds when you type it into its Practice tab. Its home page also says it identifies which sounds you struggle with and coaches them.
Language Boss scores every sound you said in the live take and tells you what it came out as, so you learn that the th in think came out as s. Those counts build up across every scene into a ranked list of what to fix first. A sound counts as fixed only when it holds up in later open speech. X-ray Mouth then shows the physical change on your own face. No other language app draws it over your own face.
Questions
Is Language Boss better than Loora?
Yes, for working on individual sounds and for scenes written from your own goal. Loora is a fair choice if you know the basics and like seeing corrections on screen. Both have a free first try, so compare them yourself.
Is Loora good for beginners?
Loora's help pages say it is built for adults who know the basics and tell complete beginners to start elsewhere. Language Boss has a Starter level with meanings on screen, slow audio and the brief in your language.
Can I use Loora or Language Boss on a computer?
Loora's help pages say iPhone, iPad and Android, with a web version in development. Language Boss runs in the browser, on a phone or a computer.
How much does Language Boss cost?
The first scene is free, and Voice Coach, Sounds of English, X-ray Mouth, Glass Words, table reads, dailies and flashcards are always free. Pro covers live calls and costs $6.99 a week or $49.99 a year in the US.
