Education · head to head
Elevate vs Memrise
Elevate
Education
Cognitive skills training app from Elevate Labs covering reading, writing, maths and speaking games
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Memrise
Education
Vocabulary and spaced repetition language app built around video clips of native speakers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Elevate the free tier limits daily games enough that the personalised programme the app is designed around is effectively a paid-only feature.; Memrise the free tier caps daily reviews tightly enough that consistent vocabulary building in practice requires the Pro subscription.
- They diverge on capability: Elevate covers Daily game sets, Memrise covers Spaced repetition flashcards.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Elevate and Memrise actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Free with a Pro subscription), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Elevate
- Daily game sets
- Personalised training plan
- Progress tracking
- Reading and comprehension drills
- Maths and estimation games
- Writing and proofreading games
Only in Memrise
- Spaced repetition flashcards
- Learn with Locals videos
- Official courses
- Speaking practice
- Offline mode
- Grammar bot
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Elevate
- An adult wanting short daily practice on workplace writing and proofreading skillsnot Memrise
- Someone preparing for a maths or verbal reasoning assessment who wants low-stakes daily drillsnot Memrise
- A user comparing Elevate against Lumosity on whether they want practical skills or abstract cognitive gamesnot Memrise
- A buyer wanting to sample the format on the limited free tier before committing to a subscriptionnot Memrise
Memrise
- A learner who wants vocabulary tied to real spoken usage through native speaker video rather than only text flashcardsnot Elevate
- Someone using a grammar-focused course elsewhere and wanting Memrise purely for vocabulary retentionnot Elevate
- A traveller wanting practical phrase recognition for a specific trip rather than formal fluencynot Elevate
- A learner comparing subscription convenience against building free custom decks in Ankinot Elevate
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Elevate
- The free tier limits daily games enough that the personalised programme the app is designed around is effectively a paid-only feature.
- As with the brain training category generally, evidence that improved performance on Elevate specific games transfers to broader real-world cognitive or task performance is weaker than marketing framing implies.
- The annual subscription auto-renews and, as with most mobile subscriptions, must be cancelled through app store settings rather than inside the app itself.
- Game variety within each skill category is finite, and long-term daily users report the exercises becoming repetitive after extended use.
- It does not replace structured instruction for skills like reading comprehension or maths where a genuine foundational gap exists; it is practice and drilling rather than teaching from first principles.
Memrise
- The free tier caps daily reviews tightly enough that consistent vocabulary building in practice requires the Pro subscription.
- Memrise phased out much of its earlier community-created course library in favour of official courses, so learners who relied on community decks for less common languages lost access to that content.
- It teaches vocabulary and set phrases well but offers comparatively thin grammar instruction, so it works best as a companion to a grammar-focused course rather than a standalone method.
- Language coverage for the flagship Learn with Locals video feature and speaking practice is uneven, concentrated in a handful of popular languages.
- Unlike Anki, the spaced repetition algorithm and content are closed and cannot be customised or exported, so a learner cannot take their review data to another tool.
Pricing, plan by plan
Elevate
Free- Elevate Pro$9.99/month
- Free tier gives a limited number of games per day
- Pro unlocks the full game library and personalised training plan
- Annual Pro plans typically run $44.99 to $59.99, cheaper per month than monthly billing
Memrise
Free- Memrise Pro$8.99/month
- Free tier allows basic vocabulary practice with daily limits and ads
- Pro unlocks Learn with Locals videos, full official courses and offline mode
- Annual Pro plans typically run $69.99 to $89.99, cheaper per month than monthly billing
Which should you pick?
Choose Elevate if
- You need daily game sets.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android.
- You also want personalised training plan.
Choose Memrise if
- You need spaced repetition flashcards.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Web.
- You also want learn with locals videos.
Questions people ask
- Is Elevate or Memrise better?
- Neither clearly leads. Elevate starts at Free and Memrise at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Elevate or Memrise?
- Elevate starts at Free and Memrise at Free.
- Does Elevate or Memrise run on more platforms?
- Elevate runs on iOS, Android. Memrise runs on iOS, Android, Web.
- Can I use Elevate for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Elevate best used for?
- Elevate is most often used for an adult wanting short daily practice on workplace writing and proofreading skills, someone preparing for a maths or verbal reasoning assessment who wants low-stakes daily drills, a user comparing elevate against lumosity on whether they want practical skills or abstract cognitive games, a buyer wanting to sample the format on the limited free tier before committing to a subscription. Of those, an adult wanting short daily practice on workplace writing and proofreading skills and someone preparing for a maths or verbal reasoning assessment who wants low-stakes daily drills are not what Memrise is typically brought in for.
- What can Elevate do that Memrise cannot?
- Elevate covers Daily game sets, Personalised training plan, Progress tracking, Reading and comprehension drills. Memrise covers Spaced repetition flashcards, Learn with Locals videos, Official courses, Speaking practice.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Elevate: Is Elevate free?
A limited number of games per day are free. The full library, personalised training plan and progress tracking require Elevate Pro.
Memrise: Is Memrise free?
A limited amount of vocabulary practice is free with daily caps and ads. Learn with Locals videos, full courses and offline mode require Memrise Pro.
Elevate: Does Elevate improve real-world cognitive ability?
It reliably improves performance on the specific games practised. Evidence that this transfers broadly to real-world cognitive or task performance is limited, consistent with the brain training category generally.
Memrise: What is Learn with Locals?
Short video clips of native speakers using vocabulary and phrases in real settings, intended to show how language is actually spoken rather than textbook delivery.
Elevate: How is Elevate different from Lumosity?
Elevate focuses on practical skills such as reading, writing and workplace maths, while Lumosity is built around broader abstract memory, attention and reasoning games.
Memrise: Can I still use community-created courses?
Memrise moved away from most of its earlier community course library toward its own official courses, so availability of community content is now limited.
Related pages
Other head to heads
- Elevate vs Lumosity
- Elevate vs Anki
- Elevate vs Photomath
- Elevate vs Busuu
- Elevate vs PictureThis
- Elevate vs Miro Education
- Elevate vs Skoolur
- Elevate vs Blackboard
- Elevate vs Replit AI Agent
- Elevate vs Wooclap
- Elevate vs Yousician
- Elevate vs Wakelet
- Elevate vs YuJa
- Elevate vs Flowkey
- Elevate vs GoGuardian
- Elevate vs Duolingo
- Elevate vs Rosetta Stone
- Elevate vs Babbel
- Elevate vs Aeries Student Information System
- Elevate vs Merlin Bird ID
- Elevate vs Stellarium
- Elevate vs SkySafari
- Elevate vs 360Learning
- Elevate vs Infinite Campus
- Memrise vs Lumosity
- Memrise vs Anki
- Memrise vs Photomath
- Memrise vs Busuu
- Memrise vs PictureThis
- Memrise vs Miro Education
- Memrise vs Skoolur
- Memrise vs Blackboard
- Memrise vs Replit AI Agent
- Memrise vs Wooclap
- Memrise vs Yousician
- Memrise vs Wakelet
- Memrise vs YuJa
- Memrise vs Flowkey
- Memrise vs GoGuardian
- Memrise vs Duolingo
- Memrise vs Rosetta Stone
- Memrise vs Babbel
- Memrise vs Aeries Student Information System
- Memrise vs Merlin Bird ID
- Memrise vs Stellarium
- Memrise vs SkySafari
- Memrise vs 360Learning
- Memrise vs Infinite Campus