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- Comprehensive
- High quality dialogues
- Video role plays on every dialogue
- Lifetime access with a 60 day refund grace period
- Free mobile app access included
- Downloadable audio (app-only)
- Inbuilt gamification and leaderboard
- Slightly pricey
- Only one level available
- Slow forum replies
- Spammy affiliates
Rocket Hindi is easily the best Hindi course currently available, is comprehensive in its content, covering all skills, and uses high quality, natural dialogues.
NOTE: If you
In this review I’m going to jump into the Rocket Hindi course and give you my honest opinion on whether or not I think it’s worth using.
I have some positive and negative points to share on what I’ve experienced.
Rocket Hindi describes itself as a ‘recognized leader in online language learning’ and is part of the popular Rocket Languages series that’s been around since 2004 (over two decades now).
The program uses what I call a ‘chunking approach’ which means that instead of focusing on heavy grammar instruction and getting you to memorize rules, they instead teach you bite-size, practical words and expressions that you put to immediate use.
While most Rocket Languages editions include 3 levels, the Hindi edition unfortunately only offers the first level (Russian got its extra levels a while back but Hindi hasn’t yet). It also doesn’t get the Play the Part add-on that some of the other editions do.
Perhaps this will change over time.
What that means is the Rocket Hindi is probably only suitable for Beginner learners and wouldn’t offer much value to high-level learners who have already mastered the basics.
Despite only offering Level 1, I believe Rocket Hindi provides a solid amount of content and stands out for the sheer fact that it’s one of the only Hindi courses available at this time.
What Hindi has picked up since I first reviewed it is video role plays in every audio lesson, which I’ll cover below.
Here’s a quick video demonstration I made showing some of the other language editions (this is an earlier version which has been hugely improved in the most recent editions):
Used Rocket Hindi before? Make sure to share your thoughts below!
The all-important question: What Hindi resources are available?
I’m sure one of the first things you noticed when searching for Hindi resources is that there isn’t a whole lot.
In fact, Rocket Hindi is the only online course of its kind.
So you could stop there and say:
“Well that’s all I’ve got available to me so I don’t really have a choice.”
But I just want to point out 3 other paid options that are equally as valuable to any Hindi leaner (though very different to Rocket Hindi).
- HindiPod101
- Glossika Hindi
- italki
HindiPod101 is a podcast-style library that includes both audio and video.
It’s not quite the same as Rocket Hindi because it’s not a structured audio course but can be used that way to a certain extent. It’s quite popular and periodically is expanded.
Glossika Hindi is a spaced repetition listening program that is a totally different kind of product (one of my personal favorites). Glossika would suit Intermediate - Advanced learners in particular who don’t find adequate content in Rocket Hindi.
And finally italki is a platform for finding conversation partners and teachers - including many Hindi options. It’s extremely inexpensive (some just a few $ per hour!).
So while there’s not a whole lot in terms of online learning options, these are definitely the best place to start.
Rocket Hindi’s two clear strengths: comprehensiveness and audio quality
The point I like to always raise about Rocket courses - especially the Hindi course - is that the audio quality is tremendously good.
A rare thing indeed.
I’ve been very impressed by the quality and scope of the Rocket Hindi audio and dialogues.
If you compare this to other audio courses (even some of the big household name products), they’ve done really well.
The Hindi words, phrases and dialogues are presented just as they’re used in real life by native speakers from India.
Rocket Hindi delivers a unique and wide variety of lesson topics that range from absolute beginner level to advanced.
Quite comprehensive.
These cover areas such sport, literature, culturally-specific topics related to India, relationships and more.
It’s all accompanied by high quality, natural audio.
The course is made up of 5 main lesson types:
- ‘Language and Culture’
- ‘Audio Lessons’
- ‘Writing’
- ‘Survival Kit’
- ‘Tools’
The Audio Lessons contain all the high quality dialogues, podcast-style lessons and conversations (an English-speaking host plus native Hindi speakers).
The Language and Culture lessons are where you’ll find grammar and detailed information on Indian culture.
Writing covers the Hindi alphabet (देवनागरी).
Rocket Hindi is one of the six editions (along with Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Korean) with a proper literacy component. The writing lessons are spread through the modules rather than sitting in their own section: the vowels (अ through अः) over the first two modules and the consonants (क through क्ष) from module 3 onwards, each set with its own short introduction, in short lessons of two or three letters at a time (23 writing lessons all up by Rocket’s own count). Each one has short videos of the letter being written, plus audio and sample words.
Survival Kit is (in my opinion) a great starting point as it covers essential survival terms and expressions in Hindi.
Tools contains the forum, search, favorites, custom flashcards, the leaderboard and certification tests (more on those below).
All up it’s 92 lessons across 7 modules (plus an intro module and the Survival Kit), with a Benchmark Test at the end to gauge where you’re at.
Unlike programs like Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur (see this review), Rocket Hindi presents its lessons in a humorous and unique way.
They don’t follow a ‘cookie cutter’ approach which means that all lessons are specifically designed for India-related content matter. I also like that the presenters in the lesson audio engage with the material keeping it fun and interesting.
This is one point where Rocket Hindi beats HindiPod101 in my opinion as the content on HindiPod101 is lot more boring to listen to.
Every audio lesson now has video role plays (and Rocket Record for your pronunciation)
Every audio lesson follows the same shape: the main lesson podcast (an English-speaking host plus native Hindi speakers), then the Role Playing section, the lesson vocab, an ‘expert tip’ from the host, and finally five practice activities: flashcards (spaced repetition style, where you rate how well you knew each card), listening (hear the phrase, then record it), writing (hear the phrase, then type it), speaking (record the phrase) and a short multiple-choice quiz.
The role plays are where the big change is since I first reviewed the course: they’re now on video.
The two speakers from the dialogue are filmed (vertical, phone-style clips) and you watch them deliver the conversation one line at a time. You can Watch the Full Conversation to see it play through, or Talk To one of the characters, which means you take one side of the dialogue and record yourself while the other speaker responds on video.
This isn’t a video course in the sense of a teacher standing in front of a camera giving you a 20 minute lesson. The podcast-style audio is still the core of every lesson. But it makes the dialogues feel a lot less like a listening drill and a lot more like an actual exchange with a person. There’s an Audio only mode toggle if you’d rather skip the video, and you can set how much text you see under it: the full Hindi, every second word, or just the English.
In addition to all this, you can scroll down and listen to the individual sentences and additional vocabulary, or use the record feature to test your pronunciation. Rocket calls this Rocket Record: under the hood it uses your browser’s built-in speech recognition by default (the Google Web Speech API) with a second engine (Deepgram) as a fallback, and Hindi is one of the languages the fallback supports.
The Language and Culture lessons don’t offer these podcasts and video conversations, but instead give you scenario sentences and dialogues to listen to and practice (with the same practice activities at the end).
The Rocket Hindi forum is still alive, but don’t expect a quick reply
One of the frequent criticisms I have of most editions of Rocket Languages is the forum.
This is located under Tools. Members get a Hindi learners forum as well as a general forum for everyone.
When I first reviewed the course I said the Hindi community was almost totally inactive, and it was pretty quiet at the time.
Hindi is still one of the quieter Rocket forums, but the forums are moderated by Rocket’s own tutors who do reply, on a lag of months rather than days, so treat it as a reference library more than a live help desk. The main search tool in the app searches the forum posts too, so you’ll often find your question already answered without needing to post.
It would be far better, in my opinion, to have an AI expert built in to this, so that instead of waiting months for a reply, you get an instant answer - especially if it’s a simple grammar question.
It can be said that a lot of people either don’t know how to use online forums or simply prefer to learn on their own at their own pace without interaction.
This may be the case with the Rocket Hindi community.
But if you find the online community element important to your learning then you might be better off joining another community like the italki for instance.
Go mobile: The Rocket Hindi iOS and Android apps are much better
While the desktop interface for Rocket Hindi has improved significantly over the years, I still prefer to use the mobile app.
It’s exactly the same content (audio lessons, video role plays, practice activities, flashcards, favorites and the leaderboard are all in there).
All the features still work (as far I’ve tried), including Rocket Record.
There are only two real differences between the app and the website that you need to know about:
- Audio downloads are app-only. If you want the lessons offline for a commute or a flight, this is where you download them (see below).
- Certification tests are web-only. You’ll need to sit those on a computer.
Otherwise it’s a standalone app - less distractions, a minimalist design.
And it works faster (at least for me it does).
What I can’t understand is why they don’t charge extra for the use of the app. It’s a free download from the app and play stores.
If you commute regularly or even if you prefer to lay in bed while learning Hindi then I highly recommend downloading the app in addition to buying the course.
Rocket Hindi’s tools: Search, Favorites and the leaderboard stand out
I already mentioned the forum which is one of the tools.
And a slightly disappointing.
But there are two other tools that I think are excellent and done right.
One is the Leaderboard, points and study streak section - this feature is all about encouraging you to study.
It’s a gamified motivator.
You get points for every lesson and activity you complete (and for posting in the forum), with a daily goal of 400 points that you can hide if it annoys you. Hitting your goal each day keeps your streak going (much like Duolingo), and the points move you up a leaderboard where you can compare yourself against other Hindi learners or across all of Rocket’s languages, over the last day, week, month or year. This is a way to compete (in a sense) with other members.
It’s an important feature that you find in other products such as Duolingo and Memrise.
There’s also the Search tool (what used to be called ‘My Vocab’) which is like a course dictionary that scans through the entire Hindi course when you search for something and brings back every example of the word or phrase in their lesson database (it searches the forum posts too).
Favorites is the other half of it. Every phrase in every lesson has a little heart icon next to it and anything you heart goes into your Favorites list, where it gets its own set of flashcards, listening, writing and speaking drills. So you can build a personal practice deck out of whatever you’re struggling with, without leaving the lesson. There’s also a Custom Flashcards tool if you want to build your own sets from scratch, and you can even browse public flashcard decks that other members have made (a bit like Memrise).
It’s a contextual dictionary.
This is an immensely useful tool and something I got a lot of use out of.
There are also two kinds of proper tests now on top of the per-lesson activities. A Benchmark test sits at the end of the course to give you a rough gauge of where your ability is at, and certification tests live under the Tools menu (web only, not in the app), one for every module, which you unlock once you’ve finished that module. Rocket’s own claim is that completing all of a Level 1 course’s certification tests puts you at roughly CEFR A2. Take that with a grain of salt though: a test set and marked by the same course you’re studying is never the same as a real CEFR exam, but as a way of checking the material actually stuck it’s a useful addition.
You’re not restricted from accessing the lesson content with Rocket Hindi (mostly)
To be fair, this is also a feature of HindiPod101.
What I think is important for consumers to realize is that many online courses now are becoming subscription-based.
Either that or they can’t be used outside of the program (e.g. Rosetta Stone).
The beauty of Rocket Hindi is that it’s a one-time purchase.
You own it for life.
The downloads point has been watered down a bit since I first reviewed the course though. Back then, every bit of audio was downloadable as MP3 files straight from the web dashboard, along with printable PDF lesson notes. The PDFs disappeared a while ago and now the MP3 downloads have gone from the web app too.
That’s unfortunate. Downloading MP3s from the website was one of the things that set Rocket apart from Duolingo and Rosetta Stone and it felt like you actually owned the content you paid for.
The good news is that you can still download the audio lessons through the mobile app (Android and iOS) for offline listening, so commutes and flights are still covered. You just can’t pull the files onto your computer anymore. For the Language and Culture lessons, Print to PDF from your browser works fine if you want them saved locally.
You still own what you pay for, you just have to use their app to take it with you.
Things that need to be changed, fixed or removed in Rocket Hindi
I already mentioned a few above (e.g. the forum).
Here are some of the general features of Rocket Hindi that I think need addressing or adding:
- Strict vetting of sales affiliates. Rocket Languages has an unchecked affiliate scheme in place that makes it almost impossible to stop spammers from annoying the heck out of people with spammy ads and untrustworthy reviews of Rocket Hindi (the spammy review sites have now been joined by fake YouTube “reviews” from people who have clearly never used the product).
- Further improvements to the web app design could be helpful, including added graphics.
- Faster forum replies (see above). An AI expert built in for instant answers to simple grammar questions would be my first pick.
- Perhaps a lesson scheduler as an upsell to book live lessons with a native Hindi teacher (similar to the way italki does it).
- Absolutely needs a Level 2 and 3 at some stage (and the Play the Part add-on that some of the other editions get) to benefit higher-level learners.
Rocket Hindi pricing and refund policy
Since Rocket Hindi is a single level with no add-ons, the pricing is simple (one-time payment, lifetime access):
Rocket Hindi - $149.95
There used to be a monthly subscription option as an alternative to buying outright but that’s gone. The only instalment option Rocket offers now is a 6-month payment plan, and that’s only on the three-level bundles for languages like Spanish, so it doesn’t apply to Hindi.
The best deal by far is the family discount. If someone in your household already owns a course, Rocket will sell a second copy (with its own login and progress) at 60% off. You have to arrange it through their support team rather than at checkout.
Periodically throughout the year, Rocket Hindi runs special promotions or sales which are good to look out for but these are unpredictable.
NOTE: You can also sign up to
You can also try the course for free before buying and it doesn’t ask for a credit card.
As for refunds, Rocket Hindi has a generous 60 day satisfaction guarantee meaning you have two months to request a refund if you’re unhappy. One caveat: that only applies if you buy through the website. If you buy inside the iOS app, you’re under Apple’s refund policy instead, which is roughly two weeks, so buy on the web.
Overall: Rocket Hindi is a valuable and comprehensive tool for learning the language
Rocket Hindi retains its value over the long term.
It’s a comprehensive course (despite only having a single level) and covers a wide range of topics.
Not every Rocket language gets the same number of levels and add-ons, and Hindi is one of the ones that still has just Level 1 and no Play the Part, so intermediate and advanced learners will outgrow it.
Some of the features I’ve mentioned need improvement (or removal) but the natural audio dialogues (now with video role plays) are where Rocket Hindi shines. The slow forum is something I can look past.
Combined with Glossika and italki, it’s all you need to progress to fluent proficiency.
You can try Rocket Hindi out by clicking here:
Used Rocket Hindi before?
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