Best language learning apps: which one fits your next skill?

The best language learning apps are the ones that train the skill you want next, and no page we opened can rank them for everyone. This page reads eight apps from their own pages and sets them side by side, then gives you a rule for choosing and a way to try one before you commit. If you are choosing for French, see the best app to learn French and Babbel vs Duolingo for French.

What is the best language learning app?

The best language learning app is the one whose page puts first the skill you need next, and whose free option lets you try that skill. Pick the skill, then compare the apps that lead with it.

These matches follow the pages’ own wording and are not tested findings.

• Hearing and saying words aloud. Pimsleur describes audio lessons, a pronunciation tool called Voice Coach and a hands-free mode for driving [6]. Busuu lists speaking practice with pronunciation feedback [4]. Babbel puts pronunciation practice with speech recognition in every lesson [2].
• Understanding real speech. Memrise teaches through short videos of native speakers [5].
• Knowing why an answer is right. Babbel’s page says it explains grammar rules in context [2][3].
• A daily habit. Duolingo’s own guide describes points, streaks, a weekly leaderboard and friend quests [1].
• Remembering words. Anki says it spends more time on challenging material and less on what you already know [8]. Babbel and Pimsleur both name spaced repetition [2][6].
• Learning by immersion. Rosetta Stone describes immersion lessons that teach you “intuitively” [7]. LingQ is built on books, podcasts and videos that you choose or import [9].

For the habits behind these features, such as recalling an answer before you look it up, see Language learning: how adults actually learn a language.

How do language learning apps compare side by side?

Language learning apps differ most in method and in what they cover for free, so this table sets each app’s own wording next to the others. It uses only what each app says about itself, and no prices.

Which language learning apps have a free option?

Every app in the table has some free way in, and each page sets its own limit. A free start is not the same as a free course, so read the condition before you rely on it.

Babbel’s page says the first lesson of each level is free and that full courses need a subscription [3]. Duolingo says its courses are free and offers paid tiers [1]. Anki’s computer version is free, while its iOS app is a purchase [8]. For ways to study French at no cost, with their eligibility rules, see Learn French for free.

How do you try a language learning app before you commit?

Spend one short session on it and check four things. Does it make you say or type the answer, not just read it? Does it bring words back on a later day? Does it let you hear a person say them? Does its page name the level or skill you need?

Use five French words as a quick trial. Cover the English, say each word aloud, then play it here to check. Then look for the same words in the app you are trying.

• bonjour (hello)
• merci (thank you)
• au revoir (goodbye)
• actuellement (currently)
• demander (to ask)

If an app cannot play a word for you, or gives no way to say it back, note that. It will matter most for sounds that English does not have. To see where you stand before you pick, take the free 3-minute word test.

Take a short break, then answer five quick questions on what this page covered.

Lingwell is a French-learning app in development; you can join the waitlist.

Questions people ask

Can you learn a language with an app alone?

An app can cover lessons and review, but speaking with people is practice an app cannot replace. Babbel’s own page encourages you to try what you have learned outside the app [2]. A language exchange app is one way to do that.

Which language learning app is best for speaking?

No page we opened ranks the apps for speaking, but several put it first. Pimsleur lists Voice Coach pronunciation feedback [6], Busuu lists speaking practice with pronunciation feedback [4], Memrise has you record yourself and compare [5], and Babbel builds speech recognition into its lessons [2].

Is a free language learning app enough?

It can be enough to test whether you like the method, which is what a free option is for. Whether it covers the skill you need depends on the limit each page sets, so compare the last column of the table with your goal.

How many minutes a day should you spend on a language learning app?

No page we opened sets a daily number that fits everyone. Babbel’s page says a typical lesson takes about 6 minutes [2], and a short session you can repeat on most days is easier to keep up than a long one you skip.

Common mistakes

• Choosing by a ranking. Lists of language learning apps, including this one, put different apps first for different reasons. Choose by the skill you need next.
• Treating one app as the whole plan. Speaking with a person gives feedback no lesson can, so use an app as practice for that, not instead of it.
• Assuming “free” means the same everywhere. Each page above sets its own limit on free use [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9].
• Picking by the biggest language list. An app can list many languages and still offer less of one of them. Open the course for your language.
• Reading a page as a promise. A page describes features, not what you will reach.
• Relying on this comparison without comparing dates. App pages change. Compare each app’s own page with the date at the top of this one.

See also: Duolingo’s French course, reviewed from its own pages.

Sources