Before you can start driving you have to pass the theory test, everybody knows that. This article is about the different options and providers of learning software for the theory test.
How best to prepare for the theory test is covered in another article (Tips for the theory test).
Our assessment and our rating are entirely free of commercial interests! We compared all the offerings independently and without bias, and described what each of them is good for.
At the start of each year the association of the cantonal road traffic offices (asa) makes 80% of the current test questions available under licence to the various providers of theory courses and eLearning products, so that everybody can prepare for the theoretical test realistically and true to the original. We therefore recommend, quite plainly, that you also practise with one of these official learning tools. Whether you prefer a web-based program or an app is purely a question of your own comfort. Most licence holders offer both anyway. All the apps we examined and compared work on iOS and Android.
Let us start with the best apps for the theory test (all the apps compared work on iOS and Android).
01
The three best apps for studying for the theory test
Our recommendation:
1. iTheorie Auto Theorie Schweiz
Learning to drive in Switzerland with iTheorie Premium
The app from iTheorie convinced us completely, which is why it takes 1st place in our ranking of the best apps for the theory test. We share that view with a great many satisfied users:
Ratings (as at 08.01.2024):
App Store – 4.6 out of 5 from 237 ratings
Play Store – 4.6 out of 5 from 4070 ratings
The app is modern and clearly laid out and has an excellent structure that makes learning easy and efficient. At a price of 19.95 francs it offers very good value for money. As an overall package we can recommend it. The only drawback: use is time-limited; after purchase it stays unlocked for 365 days.
2. Auto Theorie
Auto Theorie comes second in our assessment of the best apps for studying for the theory test. Like the apps above, Auto Theorie offers the current, official test questions. On top of that come more than 100 training questions, which allow deeper preparation for the theory test – an extra plus! To begin with, users can access the most important traffic rules and 18 demo questions free of charge. Drawbacks: no updates, time-limited, and it occasionally feels a little complicated.
Ratings (as at 08.01.2024)
App Store – 4.6 out of 5 from 5’935 ratings
Play Store – 4.2 out of 5 from 2’280 ratings
The Auto Theorie app is comparatively expensive at a price of 25 francs.
3. Theorie24
Theory test learning app Theorie24
The app Theorie24 takes third place among the best learning apps for the theory test. Its strength is that it can be used on a PC as well as on a smartphone. The app is clear and easy to handle, and its structure feels well organised and easy to follow.
Ratings (as at 28.12.2023):
App Store – 4.7 out of 5 from 1’516 ratings
Play Store – 4.3 out of 5 from 960 ratings
At a price from 24 francs, Theorie24 is also a very good alternative. For that you get a usage period of 365 days. Theorie24 offers learning software with the official test questions and an impressive 500’000 tests passed already. Further advantages are that the software can be used on several devices and that updates keep coming, so you are always up to date. All in all, a very good app!
02
The three best learning programs for the theory test
Our recommendation:
1. Theorissimo
Theorissimo
We firmly consider Theorissimo the best learning software for the theory test in Switzerland. The platform looks very modern and stands out for being simple and clear to use. After only a few clicks you feel at home with Theorissimo.
The platform offers two different packages. The first is called «Intermediate». For a one-off price of 16.90 francs you can use the official test questions on Theorissimo without limit and prepare for the theory test properly.
The second and far more interesting package is called «Verkehrsprofi»: this option costs 18.90 francs and can likewise be used without limit. Here too you of course study with the official test questions. But the genuinely interesting thing about this «Verkehrsprofi» package is that you get double the purchase price refunded if you do not pass the theory test. You can read here how that works in detail. Theorissimo
2. Verkehrstheorie.ch – learning software for the theory test
verkehrtheorie.ch – learning software for the theory test
verkehrstheorie.ch takes second place in our ranking of learning programs. The software works very well and gives the user plenty of options and very good preparation for the theory test. The program is laid out very clearly and holds more than 180 extra questions alongside the official ones. The test questions are also offered in nine languages (DE, FR, IT, ENG, SPA, POR, TUR, ALB, CRO).
The price and the usage period vary by package. For 18 francs you get 30 days of unlimited study. If that is not enough preparation time, you can practise for a whole year for 52 francs. The added value of this one lies without doubt in the wide range of languages and the extra practice questions. That also justifies the relatively high price.
3. DriveLab Theorie
DriveLab Theorie is not a learning app with a question catalogue but a free collection of knowledge in the browser. The most important traffic rules are explained one by one – priority from the right and its exceptions, roundabouts, zip merging, braking and reaction distance, speed limits, parking – each with a diagram, the legal basis and the typical test traps. On top of that comes the complete lexicon of signals under the SSV.
No download, no registration, no cost. Honestly, it does not replace any of the apps above: for the test simulation you need the official asa question catalogue, and DriveLab Theorie does not have it. It answers the other half – why an answer is correct. Anyone who understands the rules instead of memorising them makes fewer careless mistakes in the test.
Conclusion: one ranking is only the prelude to the next! We put the individual products on a scale with a great deal of caution. All the offerings share a high standard, which is why they lie close together. The differences are a matter of individual weighting: where one provider stands out for its clever presentation, another shines through its range of languages or its price. You can certainly master the theory test with any of these products, as long as you practise with them consistently!