When comparing Rosetta Stone vs Forvo, the Slant community recommends Forvo for most people. In the question“What are the best sites for learning foreign languages?” Forvo is ranked 5th while Rosetta Stone is ranked 23rd. The most important reason people chose Forvo is:
Forvo is a database of native speakers pronouncing words. If you are unsure of how to say something, it's a great reference for getting the correct pronunciation.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Speech recognition technology
Instead of teaching word recognition, Rosetta Stone uses speech recognition technology to make sure that students are learning to pronounce the words correctly.
Pro Provides immersive learning without uncomfortable experiences
While trying to cary a conversation in a foreign language can be an effective way to learn, sometimes it causes a lot of stress. Rosetta Stone takes this concept and applies it to a stress free environment.
Pro Real human contact
At the end of each lesson, students are able to review live with real teachers.
Pro Games with other students
When learning another language, a learner from that language can be invited to play a game for mutual learning purposes. Unfortunately, Rosetta Stone hasn't spread very much to countries outside of the US, so this game system isn't very developed yet.
Pro Helps you improve your pronunciation
Forvo is a database of native speakers pronouncing words. If you are unsure of how to say something, it's a great reference for getting the correct pronunciation.
Pro Good place to find resources for pronunciation
Pro More recordings for many words
You can choose a native speaker from your preferred region, or a male/female voice.
Cons
Con Makes no use of native language
While Rosetta Stone tries to emulate "learning by immersion," many people find the inability to find direct translations of words to be an unnecessary an ineffective part of the program.
Con Uses the same course for learners of different nationalities
For a user learning English, the course will be the same whether they are Chinese, Russian, Italian, etc.. While this is a good way for the company to remain efficient, many cultural differences are overlooked.
Con Inconvenient meeting times for teachers
For users in the US, it can be easy to find a teacher to work with. In any other country, it can be extremely difficult to find an available teacher because of the differences in timezones.