Is Memrise profitable in 2026?

Public data on Memrise's current profitability is not disclosed. What is known: headcount fell from 106 (March 2021) to 55 (June 2026), web traffic dropped 11.6% quarter over quarter as of mid-2026, and no new funding has been raised since June 2018, per Crustdata.

Could ChatGPT replace Memrise's MemBot?

Likely largely yes. MemBot launched around 2022 built on GPT-3, upgraded to GPT-3.5 by 2025, per Memrise's own blog and Zendesk help pages. Free general chatbots like ChatGPT already offer similar ad hoc conversational tutoring, undercutting a paid feature built on an older, less capable model.

Who owns Memrise and is it publicly traded?

Memrise is privately held, not publicly traded, per Crustdata (2026-06-20). It has raised roughly $21.8 to 25 million across seven rounds, most recently a $15.5 million Series B in June 2018 led by Octopus Ventures, with no new equity round disclosed since.

Who is Memrise's biggest competitor?

Duolingo, the dominant incumbent, reported $748 million in 2024 revenue per Wikipedia (2026-07-22), roughly 50 times larger than Memrise. Duolingo also launched 148 AI-generated courses in April 2025 and an AI-first Duolingo Max conversation feature, intensifying pressure on smaller rivals.

Did Memrise get acquired or shut down?

No acquisition, lawsuit, or regulatory action involving Memrise was found as of mid-2026. The company changed CEOs in November 2025, when co-founder Ben Whately replaced Steve Toy, per Wikipedia (2026-07-18), but remains an independent, privately held company.

Has Memrise raised any funding recently?

No. Memrise's most recent disclosed funding is a $15.5 million Series B closed June 11, 2018, led by Octopus Ventures with Korelya Capital, Balderton Capital, Avalon Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, and Audrey Capital. Crustdata reports no new round as of June 2026, an eight year gap.

Education companies · United Kingdom

Memrise

memrise.com ↗

UK app teaching languages via spaced repetition and native-speaker video clips.

Little protection left

Assessed 24 July 2026 · Evidence as of 24 July 2026

Not much stands between this business and its pressures.

On the recordSince 24 July 2026 · Checkable from H1 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: New CEO Ben Whately's decision on committing to niche-language content and seeking new funding

The call

Memrise is a small, unfunded app squeezed between a much bigger AI-first rival and free chatbot alternatives, with its content niche the only thing left unclaimed.

Memrise teaches languages through videos and community content, but it has not received funding in eight years and has half the staff it once had. Duolingo is 50 times bigger, adds AI features constantly, and free chatbots like ChatGPT can now do what Memrise's own AI tutor does. The one thing that could save it is if the new leadership actually invests in rare and endangered languages where real people in the community help teach, but so far the company has not shown it believes in that plan.

Why

AI pressure: Free LLM chat tools (ChatGPT, Gemini). MemBot is a thin GPT-3.5 wrapper; a free ChatGPT chat does the same conversation practice at no cost. Could AI do the core job? Yes, likely.

Bigger players: Duolingo. Duolingo is 50x larger, AI-first, and shipping new features fast while Memrise shrinks headcount and traffic. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.

What protects it. A licensed native-speaker video library and niche/endangered-language content, though the company keeps cutting and reviving that focus.

What would change this call

Memrise announces a new funding round or acquisition within 6 months of Nov 2025 CEO change. Would show investors see a viable turnaround, not managed decline.
Memrise sustains its revived community/niche-language content push past 12 months without another reversal. Would show real strategic conviction, not another flip-flop.
Headcount falls further below the current 55 reported in mid-2026. Would confirm continued contraction rather than stabilization.

Key numbers

$15.5M Series B raised (2018-06-11)
Headcount fell from 106 to 55 staff (2026-06-20)
No new funding round in about 8 years (2026-06-20)

Named risks

No new funding raised since June 2018, roughly 8 years, per Crustdata. Severity: high
Headcount fell 27% year over year to ~55 by June 2026. Severity: high
Core MemBot AI feature is a GPT-3.5 wrapper substitutable by free ChatGPT/Gemini use. Severity: high
Repeated sunset then revival of community/niche-language content signals weak strategic commitment. Severity: medium
Web traffic down 11.6% quarter over quarter as of mid-2026. Severity: medium

Rivals, as read in July 2026

Rival	Direction	Evidence
Duolingo	losing to	Duolingo's $748M 2024 revenue vs Memrise's much smaller scale; 148 AI courses shipped April 2025
ChatGPT/Gemini	losing to	MemBot's GPT-3.5 base (2025) is substitutable by free general chatbots for conversation practice
Busuu	contesting	Named as direct London-based peer competitor by PitchBook, community-feedback focused
Babbel	contesting	Structured paid-only curriculum positioned as grammar-focused alternative, ~$6.95/month as of 2026-06-14

Questions people ask

Is Memrise profitable in 2026?: Public data on Memrise's current profitability is not disclosed. What is known: headcount fell from 106 (March 2021) to 55 (June 2026), web traffic dropped 11.6% quarter over quarter as of mid-2026, and no new funding has been raised since June 2018, per Crustdata.
Could ChatGPT replace Memrise's MemBot?: Likely largely yes. MemBot launched around 2022 built on GPT-3, upgraded to GPT-3.5 by 2025, per Memrise's own blog and Zendesk help pages. Free general chatbots like ChatGPT already offer similar ad hoc conversational tutoring, undercutting a paid feature built on an older, less capable model.
Who owns Memrise and is it publicly traded?: Memrise is privately held, not publicly traded, per Crustdata (2026-06-20). It has raised roughly $21.8 to 25 million across seven rounds, most recently a $15.5 million Series B in June 2018 led by Octopus Ventures, with no new equity round disclosed since.
Who is Memrise's biggest competitor?: Duolingo, the dominant incumbent, reported $748 million in 2024 revenue per Wikipedia (2026-07-22), roughly 50 times larger than Memrise. Duolingo also launched 148 AI-generated courses in April 2025 and an AI-first Duolingo Max conversation feature, intensifying pressure on smaller rivals.
Did Memrise get acquired or shut down?: No acquisition, lawsuit, or regulatory action involving Memrise was found as of mid-2026. The company changed CEOs in November 2025, when co-founder Ben Whately replaced Steve Toy, per Wikipedia (2026-07-18), but remains an independent, privately held company.
Has Memrise raised any funding recently?: No. Memrise's most recent disclosed funding is a $15.5 million Series B closed June 11, 2018, led by Octopus Ventures with Korelya Capital, Balderton Capital, Avalon Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, and Audrey Capital. Crustdata reports no new round as of June 2026, an eight year gap.

Timeline

2026-06Headcount down to ~55; Crustdata gives Growth Score 0/100 citing no funding in 98+ months
2025-11Co-founder Ben Whately becomes CEO, replacing Steve Toy
2025-11Community-created wordlists announced to return after 2023 sunset backlash
2025-07Learn-Immerse-Communicate app relaunch with new Conversations tab and speech recognition
2025-05AI Buddies (Grammar Buddy, role-play, translation, culture) launched, gated behind Pro
2024-02Community courses fully split off from main Memrise app
2023-11Community-created courses sunset, triggering user backlash
2022-01MemBot AI language-partner chatbot launched, built on GPT-3
2018-06-11Memrise closes $15.5M Series B led by Octopus Ventures, passing 35M users
2010-01Memrise founded by Ed Cooke, Ben Whately, and Greg Detre

Revision history

24 July 2026

First assessed. Little protection left. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.

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