The number of apps claiming to sharpen your mind through daily mental calisthenics has exploded. Many of them are excellent at making brain training and language learning fun, offering a better way to kill some time on your phone or tablet than smashing candy pieces.
But you could go broke signing up for each platform’s upgraded services. So along with pulling together some of the best options for enjoyable and challenging mental gymnastics, we'll also highlight what it will cost you to go premium with each.
Here are ten of the best. Check them out and see if they’re what you need to finally pick up another language or whip your brain back into shape.
1.Lumosity
Lumosity is one of the heavy hitters in the brain fitness department, and it has an impressive amount of tools to match its claims about sharpening your gray matter.
You can sign on each day for a series of games that train your memory and attention. First there’s an inventory exercise, which taxes your mind with a series of skills like remembering shapes and disappearing cards. Once the app knows your weaknesses it designs a training regimen to help you stop forgetting names and other cerebral shortcomings.
Lumosity’s full service with access to more games and data isn’t cheap, however. An individual plan will run you $79.95 per year, with a variety of other packages available like a lifetime subscription for $300.
2.Elevate
Elevate takes a targeted approach at specific skills like reading, writing, and math instead of broad cognitive abilities.
I especially liked the opening inventory, which gave a concrete skill test surrounding games like choosing a word that should be eliminated from a sentence or testing your recall after reading a passage. In fact I find myself looking to nuke unnecessary words more often after a few days of practice, something sure to make my editor happy. [Yes. —ed.]
Elevate Pro is $45 per year, and it gets you 10 additional games, unlimited training, and “premium” learning material deliveries. You also get to check out how you compare to other members, which could be affirming or a blow to the ego depending upon your performance.
3.NeuroNation
Neuronation takes the scientific approach, targeting particular brain skills like memory, reasoning, and recall. Like some of the other options NeuroNation lets you choose what to focus on, giving you specifics like focus and memory skills.
After the initial evaluation it lays out a set of courses, which include a batch of games to play for improving your abilities in those areas. Instead of an annual subscription, with NeuroNation you pay to unlock specific courses. You can a set of activities around a particular function, like memory, for $7 each or the entirety of all the games for $33. There are lots to choose from, so it can add up quickly.
4.Duolingo
Duolingo gives you the ability to learn Spanish, French, German, Italian, and many other languages for free. Like really free, without any in-app upgrades or memberships.
You’re given daily practice through a series of activities where you write a translation, match words, and even speak into a microphone.
If you’re beyond the beginner level you can take a placement test that assesses how much of that language you actually know. However, it involves typing in that foreign language, so you may have to switch up which keyboard you’re using to avoid hyper frustration.
You will probably need more real-world testing before declaring yourself fluent, but Duolingo is a nice way to get the ball rolling toward becoming bilingual.
5.Fit Brains Trainer
This brain workout app is from the people behind Rosetta Stone, which certainly helps it in the credibility department.
It also starts you out with an inventory, but unique to Fit Brains Trainer is a tool that asks you for any medical issues you have, presumably to take them into account when drawing up your plan of action. It’s up to you if you really want to share any incidents of brain injury, high blood pressure, or ADD.
The games focus on cognitive skills like concentration, memory, and problem solving. I found the graphics were’t quite as sharp and immersive as Lumosity or Elevate, though I did like the layout for manuevering through the different sections.
Of course there’s a pro package for unlimited access to all the exercises and personal data. It’s a lot cheaper if you go for the full package inside the app, as it’s listed at $50 for lifetime or $10 for one year. The introductory email I received when signing up, however, took me to a page with substantially higher rates for a membership, like $300 lifetime. Give Fit Brains Trainer a try, and if you like it go with the cheaper upgrade inside the app.
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