Lingvano
reviews and complaints

Got this app because it was free, interactive, and easier to learn from than a YouTube video. I loved it at first, and was seriously considering rating it really well considering how organized and easy it is. I was so happy with the app that I was genuinely shocked to figure out that you couldn’t even finish the first lesson without having to pay. After reading countless other reviews, I’m glad I never did pay as many other people complained about the the app not working, charging multiple times, and the like. Truly disappointing app. Definitely a scam and a waste of time.

I’ve been really interested in learning sign language but haven’t found a course that really teaches how to actually communicate not just show me some signs.

This does just that! I love the dialog bits where you can see them signing a conversation to each other. Some signs are a bit hard to make out when you just have the front view but I just pull out my other app “sign for me” to clarify it and it works out well.

You do have to pay a subscription to make it worth it. But it’s not unreasonable and you can’t expect them to make and maintain an awesome education app for free.

Well basically it’s great and I do know asl so it’s a little hard to understand this app and I don’t want to half to pay for it but of course it’s how you make your money so it isn’t why I am not crazy about this app. It’s just not what I’m looking for and if you are looking for something to learn asl I don’t think you should get it because it’s SUPER HARD TO UNDERSTAND and the letters of the alphabet and it almost makes them look WRONG! So I don’t think it’s a great app and some people from other reviews are maybe learning asl wrong and don’t think they are! PLEASE FIX THIS APP!

Hello! I came from the app to write this review. As a teenager who is trying to learn ASL for self knowledge, and for communication with those who are not hearing so far this app has been extremely helpful. It gives the choice of "mirroring" which is the button to the left of the person signing. I love it! Everything shown and typed on the app is accurate. Not only does it teach you the signs and how to sign them, but it explains specific things thoroughly about ASL. So I 100% give this a 5 star rating and think if you are a beginner trying to learn ASL from scratch, this app is the perfect app for you!

It does have a lot of lessons, and I did enjoy following along, but you can only go through like 90% of less than one before you have a to pay. I really would like to learn sign language and I am I’m sure how else I can do so without an app, but the fact it requires a subscription and not even just a one time payment. It is a barrier for a lot of people the parts I did get to experience were good, but it’s disappointing that it cost money to learn, especially knowing Duolingo is free and that is a language learning app that many people use I wish there was an app like that for sign language so it was more accessible

This happens so good if a teacher sign language there are absolutely nothing that makes me not like this app. I’ve been using it for 15 minutes every day. It’s amazing you need to try it on an ad so if you go to Jorge Mitchell elementary school if you go to if you eat lunch if you’re in second grade if you eat lunch first and then go outside for recess please go to the bench and I’ll teach you sign language but with this app it’s the best app in the world you need to get it and then if you come to my side movie Gratiot, you know all the things I try to get you to know, so make sure you try. This app is the bomb, and so far no ads

I have to say so far the app is really good I haven’t found an app like this one. I’m more of a virtual learner and this did the job. The reason I want to learn sign language because I was never taught this language in high school or at my university I wanted to try something new. Found it interesting being a ale to learn sign language there’s soo many deaf individuals in this world where it’s hard for people to even understand and I want to be one of those people to learn a different language that is not used as often as it should be. So far the app is wonderful love the face expression is your looking for something virtual this is for you. Hope this help.

To the developers: please add a ‘skip’ or ‘reload’ option for all your apps prompts.

The app is mostly good so far (about 2 weeks use), but I would estimate 20% of prompt videos don’t load. There is no good way in the app to report this. Every time I have tried to report “Video not loading” the report ALSO fails to deliver.

And there is no way to tell the training algorithm: “I can’t see the video can I please skip ahead” or “I can’t see the video can I please reload the page ?”

My current dumb workaround options are either purposefully answer randomly / wrong just to move forward, or on some pages (eg, the multi-step dialogues) just back out and start over from zero.

I bought Lingvano’s 1-year subscription on my PC after downloading the free app and started the lessons last night - I was so excited to learn! The app looks awesome. Then when I checked my bank account this morning I saw that Lingvano had charged my bank account the full subscription fee 5 TIMES IN A ROW. That’s nearly $600 for what was SUPPOSED to be ONE transaction. I feel cheated and scammed, and I don’t know if I’ll get my money back because I can’t find a customer service number anywhere, just an option to talk to a bot for troubleshooting on the app. Be VERY CAREFUL. I will have to dispute these with my bank and I have no way of knowing if I will even get my money back.

as I mentioned Lingvano is overall great.

There are a couple issues I have.

In the finger spelling lessons I kept getting the same words!

MOUNTAINS. ELEMENTARY. etc.

If it says ______ SCHOOL, I already know the answer is ELEMENTARY and so my finger spelling practice is unhelpful.

A lot of the time, I can quickly unscramble the available letters to figure out the word. Just give us a QWERTY keyboard!

Much simpler.

Minor spelling mistakes, except in finger spelling, should be given half credit or something. It’s frustrating to spell a long word and get it wrong.

I should be able to hit Submit with the sentence construction. When I put the words in it auto submits. Sometimes I want to go over my answer for a moment.

So, this app is targeted towards the average casual user, right? People who genuinely need to or have to learn sign language likely have better resources available to them, and casual learners with endless disposable income could easily afford in person lessons or something more reliable and higher tier quality with their endless amounts of money. $18/month is a laughably high amount for the target audience of this app to spend. This app could get 1000 users willing to pay ~$5/month for every 10 that are willing to pay ~$20/month. There are so many more options and resources available for learning ASL that are either free or much more cost effective than this. Also the blatant word-mouthing greatly takes away from the learning experience.

Awesome app! A bit expensive with 18 a month. Would have maybe thought 18 total. Guess it gives extra incentive to finish it quickly though. ‍♀️ We have been learning ASL for a while and knew the beginning signs that are taught. This app is allowing me to see how sentences are structured though. Which is mostly what I've been looking for. Reminds me a lot of an ASL version of Duo. Which is perfect.
Thank you for creating it. We've been learning because of our ministry work and I personally feel it's my responsibility to learn ASL in general. Those that are hard of hearing can only do so much to communicate with the hearing. And they do very well- but I have it in my power to learn to communicate with them. So I should. And this app makes it very easy.
Thank you.

This has really helped me keep up my ASL at a time when I can’t do classes! I appreciate the explicit instruction and opportunities for review and practice.

A few cons: The app doesn’t always recognize multiple meanings for a sign. For instance, if you type “acting” instead of “theater” (same sign), it’s marked incorrect. I get that AI can only go so far.

Also, there’s a glitch in the “level up” star-collecting lesson. For me, specifically in module 6. I’ve scored 100% correct but then earned no starts and then gotten a message to try again.

Finally, some of the language used in connection with queer related signs is archaic at best, and offensive at worst. No queer person I know, myself included, uses the word “homosexual” in conversation. I do hope this can be changed to reflect current, respectful terminology.

All in all, this is the best out there to supplement learning live from Deaf instructors / community members.

I love the app, although it definitely has room for improvements.
First, enough with the premium! If your deaf and broke, your gonna have to learn sign language some how. People need to learn and I think the premium is making thing limited especially for people that need it! If you don’t want to get rid of premium that’s fine, but at least put the price down a notch. Not even some of the most popular apps are that expensive. If I can’t remember how to sign “How”, I would have to go all the way back to one of the lessons and see a bunch of stuff that I’ve already mastered. It’s really annoying that I can’t just use the dictionary, or do some other lessons. Not everyone is rich and has money to pay for premium. I feel bad for the people that actually need the help. Overall, though, the app is great with loads of lessons (even for people that don’t have premium). Although learning some lessons are really quick it still is very helpful.

I really like this app but I have big beef with premium. Things like the review at the end of modules would make a bit of sense to need premium for, but all I can do without paying is the first module NOT including the review at the end.
I’m neurodivergent and can sometimes go nonverbal. What if I don’t have a pen and paper or an electronic device to communicate? Sometimes I can’t force myself to speak which means I’ll have no way to communicate my needs. And what about those born deaf or went deaf before they learned a good amount of spoken words? What about mute people? I and many others with these or similar problems may not have a good support system or the money to take ASL classes or pay for fancy apps.
This app was really good! It explained stuff and had multiple methods of teaching. But what’s the point of having it if it ain't accessible to as many as possible? This seems like exploitation if I’m being honest and that’s not a good look. Please change this.

I tried some of the learn sign language / ASL apps on the store and they ranged from not great to “ok”. I found Lingvano online and was hesitant to subscribe to a service just through a website but it turned out to be the right choice.

Their product was good and their teachers are good. The guy doesn’t sign as clearly but it’s good real world practice, but the main lady is great and watching the dialog between the two is super helpful.

Their lessons test you as best they can without having a teacher actually seeing you sign. Multiple choice, reading dialog, and quizzing you on ASL concepts and rules.

If this all translates into the app, it will be the best ASL app on the App Store because the content is great. If not I will update my review with what needs improvement, but their lessons are top notch! Very high quality.

My only current critique is I really wish this was an iPad app, but hey it’s better than nothing. Really looking forward to using it and being able to manage my subscription via my Apple account.

I was enjoying this app and learning from it, but there are a few things that became so frustrating that I cancelled my subscription. First, it’s quite hard to figure out where you left off when you return to it, so I ended up repeating things I had already learned a lot, and also sometimes discovered I was being tested on things I hadn’t learned. There’s no easy way to review quickly or look up things you’ve already learned but want a quick refresher on.

Second, a few lessons the video quality for one of the 3 presenters suddenly became terrible a few lessons in. Fuzzy and with a green cast and poor contrast. Around the same time this presenter started signing about 4 times faster and I absolutely could not keep up even when I rewatched sometimes 10 times. The result was that I was guessing answers by context without actually learning the signs. (Also, and this is the least of it but still, this same presenter scowls through all her demos and I felt like she was angry at me. I loathe when people tell women to smile more but she’s full-on scowling.) The other two presenters also sometimes finger spell at an angle that made it impossible to see the letters.

Finally, in multi-part dialogues, the first one or two statements get bumped off the screen of my iPad and I can’t scroll back up to rewatch them.

I loved the incentive of the streaks and enjoyed learning asl, but it’s gotten to the point that I feel frustrated and stupid because I am having so much trouble seeing the signs and keeping up with the dialogues, so I cancelled my premium subscription.

I am almost done with the entire, 5 module Lingvano course. There are a lot of things I love about it and some things I don’t. To get the negatives out of the way, it’s expensive. You can pay 17.99 a month, 47.97 for 3 months, or 119.88 for a year. It has taken me about 4-5 months, or about a month to complete each module. The first one went by extra quickly since I already knew some of those very basic signs, which is likely the case for most people.
My other biggest issue is that they will introduce a sign and then later use a different variation of it in a dialogue without explaining the said variation. I love that they are including these variations and different dialects that you are likely to see in real life conversations, but they need to explicitly teach them instead of just expecting you to know them. Similarly, they will sometimes throw in some signs into the sentences/dialogues that they have not yet taught. It makes it difficult to follow dialogues and honestly is a little discouraging. That being said, it’s not a deal breaker. Just kind of annoying.
My last big gripe is that they don’t always transcribe the videos correctly. In other words, what someone is signing and what the caption says they are signing does not always match. This causes some confusion. I also wish that they would have an English translation for everything that is transcribed in asl. In the dialogue section especially, I get the overall meaning of what they are saying, but I wish I could see the exact translation.
Now for the good parts- I honestly think that Lingvano really works. I have gone from knowing maybe 20-40 basic signs to being able to hold and understand basic conversations. They teach vocabulary that is level appropriate and that you are likely to use. They also teach what facial expressions you should make, what your mouth should be doing, a little bit of grammar, as well as what your hands are doing. They also teach about Deaf culture, manners, events, etc. I had never heard of classifiers before, but they teach all about them and how to use them to be more descriptive in your asl. They teach so much more than just vocabulary words!
I also love how the lessons are structured. Everything is in small, manageable chunks that does not seem intimidating or overwhelming. They teach you some words, use them in sentences, and then use them in dialogues/normal conversations. All the while, it is giving you little quizzes on what they are teaching you. It’s very interactive and slowly breaks you into the new info. I noticed at the beginning I had a really hard time following along with the dialogues, but now, even though they are more difficult, I can understand them pretty easily.
They have an area where you can review the vocabulary words you have learned, practice finger spelling, and practice with asl numbers.
Everything is very user friendly and visually pleasing. It is very easy to change your subscription. I think it is best for beginners and would probably be too easy for intermediate students.
Overall, it has been worth the money for me. Despite a few annoyances in the program, my ability to communicate in asl has significantly improved over the past few months. I love that it goes above and beyond teaching only vocabulary. It’s a great resource that I would recommend as long as you are willing to pay the money. If not, I know there are lots of other affordable options. I also want to say, this is the first and only asl learning app I have used, so I can’t compare it to others. Lingvano has been a great start to my asl journey!

I downloaded the app to try the free trial. I noticed after a day or so that it was something that I wouldn’t be able to continue. I canceled and thought that was it. A couple weeks later $119.99 was pulled from my account. I tried in vain to get in touch with anyone that can help me to no avail. I just need my money back. I don’t understand how they charge you after you canceled a trial. Then they say if you have a trial then you don’t get refunded? Sounds sketchy and I want my funds returned.

Did the 7 day free trial and was reminded about it ending two days before (but not on the day of) and then was charged for a full year by default and conveniently they say they don't offer refunds for people who tried the trial. I cancelled my subscription only a few hours too late. That's predatory and shady in my opinion and unless I can get a refund, I'll be recommending people stay away from Lingvano.

I was charged £199.99 on the 24th of July for a yearly subscription after a 7 day free trial. I no long wish to use the app but am happy to pay for a monthly subscription as I have cancelled after a free trial. I am not unable to gain a refund for the £199.99 for an application I am no longer going to use.

I have the right to a refund for the £199.99 and am happy to pay the £17.99 for a monthly subscription not for a whole year.

Please refund the difference as I am not paying over £100 for an application I no longer require.

I am 100% in favor of developers getting paid for their work, but this app hides their pricing from you until you’ve signed up (I couldn’t even find it on the website. That is a deceptive practice.

What’s more, family sharing would make the price feasible, but without it, the price is way too high.

If they were up front about the cost of the product, I wouldn’t have wasted the time to download it. You get a few lessons for free and then cannot continue beyond a certain point unless you pay the monthly/yearly fee. Yearly, it’s $10 per month, monthly it’s $18! Not upset about it, just wouldn’t have wasted the time.

Charging people minimum 10/month to be able to speak with their deaf colleges is ridiculous and very capitalist. It’s disgusting to gatekeeper communication behind money. Especially so much money. I keep a half a semester class that costed $25. The half of the price and double the amount of time spent for a physical class. Absolute rip off

You have to get premium to unlock the 5th level. Like this app didn’t even tell you how ask for someone’s name and you already have to pay it. That’s really sad some people who are deaf or hard of hearing and don’t have the money to pay $20 a month and they need to learn sign language to communicate. This app makes people pay to What is your name.

Love the set up of the app, but for people who are just interested in learning asl in their free time it’s WAY too expensive. I price checked and I could hire an asl tutor to FaceTime with for a better price and value.

It was disappointing to see the price after really enjoying the app set up, I think a lot more people would pay for this app if only it was cheaper.

This is the best app I have found for learning ASL. I am sad to have to delete it because I cannot afford the payments. Way too expensive. I am a college student trying to learn and the gatekeeping of knowledge due to expensive rates makes me rate this app so low. If the rates were significantly decreased I would love this app. Very disappointed to have to delete it.

You get 80% through the first lesson and then you have to pay $18/month or $119 for the year in order to continue. The app itself is nice, I liked the videos and I was picking it up quickly. I’d probably pay if it was a reasonable price, but it’s a lot more than I’m willing to spend on an app. I wanted to learn for no specific reason, just because I thought it would be a useful skill to have.

Hi I’m deaf and broke. When I was born, my hearing was bad. And I lost it at 2 years old. I didn’t know how to speak. I’m 11 and really bad at lip reading and want to learn to speak sign. But, my parents can’t afford the app, or a personal trainer. It makes school hard, because I would go in a deaf class, but I can’t speak sign. And I can’t pay for the app. So if possible, can the app be free?

I like this app but really wish the teachers wouldn’t mouth the words they are signing. Not only is it distracting for someone trying to learn to sign, I think takes away from the demonstration by making it easy to just guess what they are signing based on the mouthed word. Also, too expensive. I understand a premium aspect of an app but it makes learning sign language a privilege for those who can afford it.

Beware of this app. I decide once seeing payment required after one lesson to delete the account. Its NOT possible. The “DELETE” button does not work at all. I feel as though now my email and data have all been compromised immensely. Lesson lesson learned.
If you want to change your mind late and delete this account. Good luck and please comment how you did it. I sent emails and unsubscribed to delete my account profile.

The app itself was fine. It was simple to use and very informative if it’s your first time learning ASL. Since I already know ASL and wanted to brush up on it, you can’t do anything without paying 18 a month. The info lesson was the only thing you can really do, besides that you don’t have access to numbers, letters, and other vocabulary words. I would say it’s easier to just go on Youtube and learn it from there and save your money.

For people who are willing to spend more than $120 on this app, go ahead, but without upgrading, all you have is 5 exercises to ask if someone is deaf or hearing, and how to say hello, bye, and welcome. I just want to learn ASL but it is way too expensive. The lessons are nice themselves with how they are formatted but there should be a camera where it reviews your signs. Maybe there is but I uninstalled it because of the price. Not worth it.

I was really looking forward to learning sign language like a lot of my friends so I downloaded this app! But after the first lesson it tried to get me to pay :( . I personally can’t afford to pay and I know if I do the free trial I will most likely forget about it then it will charge me. I think it is a great way to learn but for people that actually NEED to learn it is Just an inconvenience keeping them from important things. This app is pretty stupid, why pay?

Current non-functional con: after every lesson (after the “checking answers” screen), my app hangs unresponsive on a white screen. I have to force quit and re-open, and the majority of the time it hasn’t registered that I completed the lesson so I have to redo it.

If that ONE thing wasn’t in the way I would truly live this app. Clean, clear, love the way the lesson structure is built, love the video dialogues and little culture lessons. Hope my tech issues are fixed because I want to keep going!

You have to pay $240 a year after lesson 3.

Can’t log into the app... it simply is not working