Busuu took its name from an endangered language in the Furu-Awa region of Cameroon, currently spoken by only three people. It was the guiding star for the company when it developed its platform for learning languages.
Launched in 2008, Busuu built out its platform on the web first, similar to competitor Memrise. The key difference was while Memrise built out most of its functionality through its community, Busuu focused on in-house material.
This has led to the premium version of the mobile app, which offers one-to-one tutorials with validated teachers, personalised study plans and AI-powered grammar training.
Busuu does have some community features, for example a native speaker can correct other users who are trying to learn the language. The user can then in turn either write or speak the language they are learning and be advised by native speakers.
Like Duolingo, Busuu offers a freemium version with adverts at the end of each session. Non-premium users are only able to learn one language at a time and some lessons are unavailable until they upgrade.
In comparison to other language learning platforms, Busuu focuses on sentences and phrases that are likely to be used in conversation. Through this, a user may more quickly be able to speak, at least in passing, to native speakers when on holiday.
In 2021, student media startup Chegg announced it was acquiring Busuu for $436 million. It had planned to IPO before the acquisition announcement, following in the footsteps of Duolingo.
We have collected data and statistics on Busuu. Read on below to find out more. Want expert insights on this app sector? Check out the Education App report.
Busuu Key Statistics
- Busuu generated $45 million revenue in 2024, an increase of $6 million
- The app has over 100 million registered users
- Over 10,000 live teachers are available on the platform for 1-to-1 tutoring
Education App Report 2025
Want to learn more about the education app industry? Our Education App Report covers financials, market share, users, installs, demographics and benchmarking data.
- Charts: 86
- Data Points: 1583
- Apps covered: 20
Busuu Overview
| Title | Title 2 |
|---|---|
| Launch date | January 2008 |
| HQ | London, UK |
| People | Nathan Schultz (CEO, Chegg) |
| Business type | Subsidiary |
| Owner | Chegg |
| Industry | Language learning |
Busuu Revenue
Busuu made an estimated $45 million revenue in 2024, primarily through subscriptions to its premium service.
Busuu revenue 2017 to 2024 ($mm)
| Year | Revenue ($mm) |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 8 |
| 2018 | 13 |
| 2019 | 25 |
| 2020 | 37 |
| 2021 | 45 |
| 2022 | 50 |
| 2023 | 39 |
| 2024 | 45 |
Sources: Education App Report, Company data
Busuu Registered Users
Busuu has 140 million people registered to its platform, with approximately 500,000 active subscribers.
Busuu registered users 2016 to 2024 (mm)
| Year | Users (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 30 |
| 2016 | 60 |
| 2018 | 80 |
| 2020 | 100 |
| 2022 | 130 |
| 2024 | 140 |
Sources: Education App Report, Company data
Education App Market Landscape
The education app market contains a lot of subsectors, spanning every age range. Busuu, part of the Chegg family of apps, is a popular language learning app. You can download this map as a PDF, which includes a landscape version for presentations.
Language Learning App Downloads
Language learning apps were downloaded over 300 million times in 2024, a new peak for the industry.
Language learning app downloads 2018 to 2024 (mm)
Want to learn more? Check out our Education App report.
Busuu FAQ
What is the average time spent on Busuu weekly?
In 2018, Busuu users spent 60 minutes on the app a week
How many tutors are available on Busuu?
Over 10,000 pre-vetted language tutors are available
What is the most active countries?
Russian users are the most active, followed by Turkey and Vietnam
More Education App Data
- Duolingo Revenue and Usage Statistics (2026)
- Chegg Revenue and Usage Statistics (2026)
- Education App Revenue and Usage Statistics (2026)
- Memrise Revenue and Usage Statistics (2026)
- Online Courses App Revenue and Usage Statistics (2026)
- Language Learning Revenue and Usage Statistics (2026)
- Education App Benchmarks (2026)
- Babbel Revenue and Usage Statistics (2026)
- Education App Report 2025
