BoldVoice Review: Despite its usefulness, it has a BIG flaw
BoldVoice is a speech and accent coaching app that helps non-native English speakers be as well-understood and confident in English as in their native language. A well-designed app focusing on voice recognition was first released in 2020 by a team of talented scientists and linguists.
What makes BoldVoice different from other English learning apps like Rosetta Stone, Duolingo, or Fluentu is the fact that it focuses only on improving English pronunciation. It has relatively high scores on different platforms: 4.5 on Google Play and 4.8 on the App Store.
Features and Educational Contents
Assessment: Once you sign up, BoldVoice will ask you to record yourself reading 20 sentences in order to get an overall sense of your level, study priorities, top scores, and detailed scores for each sentence.
Instant Feedback: BoldVoice’s real-time speech recognition feedback powered by AI on English pronunciation and fluency provides help in improving your English pronunciation and fluency. The feedback identifies pronunciation errors in your recordings using colors and scores so you can correct yourself on the next try. You may attempt as many times as you wish until you get it right.
Bite-Sized Lessons: With fun, bite-sized video lessons, you will master the sounds, intonation, rhythm, pitch, and all the elements of the American accent.
Role-Playing: This feature in BoldVoice is a standout tool for practicing conversational English. It immerses users in realistic dialogues, providing a dynamic way to improve speaking skills. This feature not only helps refine pronunciation but also builds confidence in everyday English communication, making it a key part of the learning journey.
User experience & interface
To maintain user engagement and drive growth over time, appealing UI/UX is crucial. Every aspect of the app is designed to maximize ease of use. Every page, button, and other visual element is strategically placed to ensure maximum functionality and convenience. Navigation through the app is simple because every area is carefully designed.
Plans and Price
BoldVoice now offers a monthly subscription at $24.99, with no trial option available. For those looking for a longer commitment, the yearly subscription is set at $149, which includes a 7-day trial and amounts to a 50% saving compared to the monthly plan.
BoldVoice’s Limitation
Although BoldVoice is fun and enjoyable to work with, users reported slow results. Video lessons and AI-based feedback aren’t enough to make people fluent English speakers. Despite the fact that we live in an age of artificial intelligence, there are many jobs that AI will not take over anytime soon. In the language service industry, an AI coach can not tell you precisely what to do next to improve your pronunciation and fluency. Research shows that having a human coach and supervisor makes a big difference in the users’ improvement.
Additionally, the monthly subscription plan of BoldVoice comes with certain restrictions, which might hinder a user’s learning experience. For unlimited access, subscribers are encouraged to opt for the yearly plan.
Main Competitors & Alternatives
ChatterFox: the most similar option to BoldVoice, powered by AI tech but includes human accent coaching; a little more expensive than Boldvoice, but still affordable. For an in-depth understanding, consider reading a ChatterFox review. Also, if you’re interested in a comprehensive comparison, don’t miss our dedicated article on ChatterFox vs Bold Voice.
If you’re curious about ChatterFox, there’s a 5-day fluency challenge available. It’s a practical way to see if this tool can help improve your English speaking skills. You can participate in the challenge here: https://chatterfox.com/chatterfox-5-day-fluency-challenge/
For a detailed overview of what to expect, feel free to read my article on the experience:
https://medium.com/@emmamillerw1990/analyzing-chatterfoxs-5-day-fluency-challenge-5902c1da3491
Elsa Speak: ELSA Speak is an AI-powered application that aids businesses by recognizing speech, assessing language pronunciation, and providing feedback on fluency in English. For a more detailed analysis, you may want to check out our Elsa Speak review article.
Author Recommendation
Returning to our initial question:
Is BoldVoice worth it? Does it truly help you improve your pronunciation and speak clear English?
Well, it’s a bit of both — yes and no. It definitely has the potential to make your English better. However, it’s not a standalone solution to fluency. Check out this table where I’ve laid out BoldVoice’s pros and cons to give you a balanced view.
BoldVoice, along with ChatterFox and ELSA, ranks among the top AI pronunciation apps out there. Drawing from my own experience and student feedback, I find that BoldVoice suits intermediate learners well. But for advanced English learners aiming higher, it’s crucial to seek out resources that offer personalized feedback and human coaching. Absolutely, accent coaches can significantly enhance your learning journey, providing expert guidance and tailored feedback that’s vital for mastering a new accent.
For those who’ve moved to the U.S. and interact with native speakers daily, clear communication is key. I recommend accent training programs with personalized feedback from certified coaches. While such programs tend to be costly, there are affordable options like ChatterFox that offer video lessons, AI feedback, and crucially, coaching by an accent expert.
Extra information about BoldVoice
BoldVoice Story
People’s voices bear the mark of their origins. There is a common language bridge that connects us with our individual selves, whether we are meeting for business or just hanging out. However, people who speak non-native English are unfairly stigmatized by native English speakers for having an accent when they move to English-speaking countries. When Anada Lakra and Ilya Usorov first moved to the United States, they struggled to find their voices. While both of them understood English, their accents made communicating difficult. Usorov, for example, watched his Russian-born parents struggle to advocate for themselves, which limited work opportunities. While Lakra, who had just started college at Yale University, was constantly asked to repeat herself.
“Will I be able to express myself clearly enough? Will I be understood? Will I be as impactful?” Lakra remembers questioning herself. “My accent pronunciation made me feel like I really wasn’t my full self — and I lost a little of my personality.”
Many of the roughly 65 million non-native English speakers in the United States experience the issue to varying degrees. Anada and Ilya teamed up to build a solution to accents that obstructed careers, confidence, and relationships. Now, they are launching BoldVoice, an accent coaching app that helps users refine their pronunciation of the English language.
A short comparison with other English applications
BoldVoice vs EnglishClass101: EnglishClass101’s videos cover a variety of language learning skills, including vocabulary, grammar, listening, and speaking. The focus of BoldVoice is exclusively on pronunciation. EnglishClass101 provides much free content, but the BoldVoice premium plan is cheaper. If you want to improve your general English skills, EnglishClass101 is the better option.
BoldVoice vs Glossika: BoldVoice and Glossika both employ AI technology to assist students in boosting their English proficiency. Glossika focuses on learning new vocabulary and phrases in a language, while Boldvoice is focused on accent and pronunciation.
BoldVoicec vs Pimsleur: Both Boldvoice and Pimsleur are based on listen-and-repeat style lessons. Moreover, both of them try to improve people’s spoken English. Pimsleur, however, offers longer audio lessons that cover more topics, such as grammar and culture, while BoldVoice offers quick on-the-go practice.
BoldVoice vs Verbling: With BoldVoice, you can practice on your own, but with Verbling, you are connected with a native teacher. Since you are paying real teachers for their time, Verbling is more expensive.
BoldVoice Q&A
What is BoldVoice? BoldVoice is a mobile application that helps non-native English speakers improve their accent, pronunciation and overall fluency in English. The app offers videos from accent coaches, practice materials, and immediate feedback to help you improve your speech in real-time.
Who is BoldVoice for? BoldVoice is for all non-native English-speaking professionals who want to speak English clearly and confidently. If your English vocabulary and grammar are strong, but you struggle to be understood or confident when you speak, BoldVoice is for you. The app focuses on challenges that advanced speakers of English face, to help you be the best communicator you can be.
What is included in the BoldVoice subscription? The subscription gives you access to the library of video lessons and thousands of practice materials. The subscription also unlocks immediate feedback from advanced speech AI on your pronunciation.
How does the feedback work? BoldVoice’s speech AI scores you as you speak. For each word you say, you will get a score on every single sound, and also get feedback on how to improve it.
What accent does BoldVoice teach? It teaches the standard American accent.
How does the 7-day trial work? Users can try BoldVoice for free for 7 days. Simply start a subscription and you will be automatically enrolled in the 7-day trial. This means that you will not get charged right away, and can cancel or change your plan at any point during the trial without getting charged.
