Best Language Learning Apps (2026): 12 Compared

By devlingo 19 min read

Last verified: September 20, 2026. Prices, ratings and features come from each company’s own pages, help centers and blogs, plus US App Store listings. Prices are US list prices; promotions and regional pricing vary, so confirm at checkout.

The best language learning app depends on what you need. Duolingo is the best free start, Babbel the best structured paid course, Pimsleur the best for audio lessons on the go, italki and Preply the best for live human tutors, Speak and Jumpspeak the best for AI speaking practice, Lingopie the best for learning from TV, and Anki the best free tool for remembering vocabulary. This guide compares 12 apps on price, languages, speaking practice and free options, and shows which to pick for your goal.

Quick picks by goal

Your goalBest pickWhy
Start for free and build a daily habitDuolingoFree tier, 40+ languages, nine courses now run through B2
A structured paid courseBabbel14 languages, level-by-level courses, about $108 a year
Learn while commutingPimsleurAudio-first lessons of about 30 minutes in 51 languages
Talk to a real personitalki or PreplyOne-to-one lessons with human tutors
Practice speaking with AISpeak or JumpspeakSpeaking-first apps built around AI conversation
Learn from TV and filmLingopieDual, click-to-translate subtitles
Remember vocabulary for freeAnkiFree spaced-repetition flashcards
Get feedback from native speakersBusuuExercises corrected by a community of native speakers

The 12 apps at a glance

AppBest forUS priceLanguages
DuolingoFree daily habitFree; Super about $96 to $120/year; Max about $168/year40+
BabbelStructured paid courseAbout $108/year with all languages14
PimsleurAudio lessons on the goAbout $20/month51
Rosetta StoneImmersion-style lessons$19.99/month or $159/year25
BusuuNative-speaker feedbackFree tier; paid plans about $70 to $140/year (App Store)14
MemriseVocabulary with native videoFree tier; Pro about $62/year (App Store)100+ listed
SpeakAI speaking practice$17.99/month or $83.99/year6 for English speakers
JumpspeakSpeaking-first lessons$79/year on the website (varies)6 full courses, more AI-only
italkiOne-to-one human lessonsPay per lesson, from about $4150+
PreplyA regular weekly tutorTrial lesson, then 28-day cycles90+
LingopieLearning from TVAbout $84/year17
AnkiFree flashcardsFree (iOS app $24.99 once)Any

How the apps were compared

Each app is judged on five things: what it costs and whether there is a free option, how many languages it covers, how it teaches, what speaking practice it offers, and how far its courses go. Figures come from the companies’ own pages, help centers and blogs, US App Store listings, and Trustpilot where noted. This is a research-based comparison and does not claim first-hand testing of every app. Where an official page did not show a price, the text says so. The “best for” labels reflect each app’s documented strengths, not a ranking of overall quality.

Duolingo: best free app for a daily habit

Duolingo app spotlight: free daily habit-building with 40+ languages
Duolingo: free daily habit-building

Duolingo is the largest free language app. Lessons are short and game-like, with streaks and leagues. In April 2026 Duolingo extended nine courses (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese) through CEFR level B2, and Explain My Answer and the Practice Hub became free earlier in the year. It suits beginners, budget learners and anyone studying a language other apps skip. The trade-offs are a game-like format and the deepest speaking features sitting behind Max.

Read more: Does Duolingo work?, Babbel vs Duolingo, Duolingo Max review and Duolingo alternatives.

Babbel: best structured paid course

Babbel app spotlight: structured curriculum and real dialogue
Babbel: structured, level-by-level courses

Babbel is a subscription app with courses organized by CEFR level. Its own pages say structured courses run from A1 to B2 in many languages, with Spanish reaching C1 content and a few languages, such as Turkish, stopping at A2. There is no permanent free tier, but the first lesson of each course is free to try, and Babbel advertises a 14-day money-back guarantee. It suits learners committed to one of its 14 languages who want a clear path. It does not teach Japanese, Korean or Chinese.

Read more: the full Babbel review, Babbel vs Duolingo, Babbel vs Rosetta Stone and the best app to learn Spanish.

Pimsleur: best for audio lessons on the go

Pimsleur app spotlight: audio-only, hands-free language learning
Pimsleur: audio-first, hands-free learning

Pimsleur is built around audio conversation lessons of about 30 minutes that use graduated interval recall. Premium adds interactive tools such as flashcards and reading lessons, lessons can be downloaded for offline use, and an AI Voice Coach covers most languages. It suits commutes, walks and anyone who learns by ear. The trade-off is that it is audio-first: the Audio-Only plan lacks the visual tools, and Premium covers a single language.

Read more: the full Pimsleur review.

Rosetta Stone: best for immersion-style lessons

Rosetta Stone app spotlight: immersion-style lessons in 25 languages
Rosetta Stone: immersion-style lessons

Rosetta Stone teaches through immersion-style lessons and adds 500+ flashcard sets and a Learning Path. Live tutoring is a paid add-on, sold in packs of five or ten 30-minute sessions for US subscribers. Lifetime access has appeared in promotions, with news outlets reporting deals as low as $149 in early 2026, but a lifetime plan was not on the official pricing page. It suits learners who like immersion-style lessons and want many languages under one subscription.

Read more: the full Rosetta Stone review, Duolingo vs Rosetta Stone and Babbel vs Rosetta Stone, or the three-way comparison.

Busuu: best for native-speaker feedback

Busuu app spotlight: community corrections and a solid free tier
Busuu: feedback from native speakers

Busuu uses bite-sized lessons and lets a community of native speakers correct your exercises. Its listing says many features are free but a subscription unlocks all of them, and a 14-day refund applies to the first payment. It suits learners who want human feedback on writing and speaking exercises at a lower price than a tutor. The trade-off is that the speaking and AI tools sit in the more expensive tier.

Memrise: best for vocabulary with native-speaker video

Memrise app spotlight: vocabulary with native-speaker video clips
Memrise: vocabulary from real speakers

Memrise is built around native-speaker video clips and vocabulary practice. The free plan has limited vocabulary lessons, limited videos and conversations, and ads; Pro unlocks all vocabulary lessons and unlimited speaking practice and removes ads. Memrise’s terms describe a 30-day guarantee on quarterly and annual plans. It suits vocabulary and listening practice with real voices. Pro only covers Memrise’s own approved courses.

Speak: best AI tutor for speaking practice

Speak app spotlight: AI conversation with real pronunciation feedback
Speak: AI conversation and pronunciation feedback

Speak is an AI speaking app: a short video lesson, speaking drills, then a conversation with the Speak Tutor, with real-time feedback on pronunciation and phrasing. Premium Plus adds unlimited personalized lessons, custom review built from your mistakes and the full tutor experience. It suits learners in one of its six languages who mainly need to speak more. Speak advertises a 7-day free trial and says prices vary by region.

Read more: Speak app review and the best AI language learning apps.

Jumpspeak: best for speaking from the first lesson

Jumpspeak app spotlight: speaking-first lessons with AI conversation practice
Jumpspeak: speaking-first lessons

Jumpspeak teaches through short conversation lessons with AI chatbots and avatars and gives speech feedback. It suits beginners who want to speak from the first lesson. Trustpilot reviewers most often complain about renewals and cancellation, so read the billing terms first.

Read more: the full Jumpspeak review.

italki: best for one-to-one lessons, paid per lesson

italki app spotlight: live tutors for the fastest path to fluency
italki: live tutors, paid per lesson

italki is a marketplace where you book lessons with human tutors and pay only for what you take. That flexibility makes it good for adding speaking practice to an app, or for learners of less common languages. Costs add up, though: one $10 lesson a week comes to about $520 a year, several times the price of most apps. An optional italki Plus plan with AI study tools costs $5.99/month or $59.99/year.

Preply: best for a regular weekly tutor

Preply app spotlight: italki's biggest tutor-marketplace rival
Preply: a tutor marketplace with weekly plans

Preply is the subscription-style alternative to italki: you commit to one tutor on a regular schedule rather than booking lessons one at a time. That routine helps some learners keep going. It is less flexible if your schedule changes, and checkout adds a processing fee.

Read more: the full Preply review. For scheduled small-group classes, see the Lingoda review.

Lingopie: best for learning from TV shows

Lingopie app spotlight: learn from subtitled TV shows and movies
Lingopie: learn from subtitled TV and film

Lingopie is a streaming-style app for foreign TV shows, movies, podcasts and books, with dual click-to-translate subtitles, flashcards, quizzes and a Grammar Coach. It suits learners who already have some basics and want to build listening skills from real content. Its features center on watching, reading and vocabulary review rather than speaking practice.

Read more: the full Lingopie review.

Anki: best free tool for remembering vocabulary

Anki app spotlight: free spaced-repetition flashcards
Anki: free spaced-repetition flashcards

Anki is an open-source flashcard program that schedules reviews using spaced repetition. It is a tool, not a course: it will not teach you a language, but it is excellent at making vocabulary stick. The AnkiMobile listing says its sales support development of both the computer and mobile versions. It suits self-directed learners who do not mind setting up their own decks.

Best apps by language

Each of these guides compares the apps that suit one language, including language-specific tools such as kanji and character trainers:

Prices, refunds and cancellation

What each app really costs, what is free and how to cancel:

AI speaking apps and language exchange

For speaking practice, see the Speak, Jumpspeak, Praktika and TalkPal reviews, or the best language exchange apps for free practice with native speakers.

How to choose the right app

What does a year of each app cost?

OptionAbout what a year costs
Duolingo Free, Anki (desktop and Android)$0
Memrise Pro (App Store annual plan)About $62
Busuu (Premium to Premium Plus, App Store)About $70 to $140
Speak Premium, LingopieAbout $84
Duolingo SuperAbout $96 to $120
Babbel (all languages, 12 months)About $108
Rosetta Stone$159
Duolingo Max (if still offered)About $168
PimsleurAbout $240 paying monthly, or about $165 on the App Store annual plan
One $10 italki lesson each weekAbout $520

These are approximations from the prices above, and promotions change them. The pattern is what matters: apps cost tens of dollars a year, and one-to-one tutoring costs hundreds, which is why many learners pair a cheap app with a few tutor sessions instead of replacing one with the other.

Can an app make you fluent?

Not on its own. Duolingo says nine of its courses now reach B2, the level where you can interact with other speakers, understand certain complex texts and express viewpoints on a wide range of topics. Babbel’s structured courses reach B2 in many languages. That is a strong foundation, but fluency also needs a lot of listening to real speech and a lot of speaking with real people. A practical plan has three layers: a course app for structure, regular speaking practice with a tutor, an AI speaking app or a language exchange partner, and real content such as TV, podcasts and books.

If you are studying Spanish or French, our free Spanish verb conjugation charts and French verb conjugation charts cover the grammar reference most apps skip. For a wider look at AI tools, see the AI vs human language tutor comparison and the guide to using ChatGPT to learn a language.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best language learning app overall?

There is no single best app. Duolingo is the best free starting point, Babbel the best structured paid course, and italki or Preply the best route to real conversation. For most learners a sensible mix is a free or low-cost course app plus regular speaking practice.

What is the best free language learning app?

Duolingo is the best free language learning app for most people: a real free tier, 40+ languages and courses that now reach B2 in nine languages. Anki is the best free tool for vocabulary. See our guide to the best free language learning apps for what is genuinely free.

Which language learning app is best for speaking?

Human tutors on italki or Preply give the most flexible speaking practice. For AI, Speak and Jumpspeak are built around conversation, and Duolingo Max adds AI Video Call and Roleplay to Duolingo. Speaking apps work best alongside a course, not instead of one.

Which language app has the most languages?

For tutors, italki lists 150+ languages. Among course apps, Memrise advertises 100+, Pimsleur offers 51, Mondly 41 and Duolingo 40+. Language count matters less than whether your specific language has a full course at the level you need.

Is Duolingo or Babbel better?

Duolingo is better if you want a free start, 40+ languages or Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Babbel is better if you want a paid, level-by-level course in one of its 14 languages. Our Babbel vs Duolingo comparison covers price, levels and speaking in detail.

Are paid language apps worth it?

They can be, if a free app has stopped working for you and you will use the extra structure or speaking tools. Try free tiers and trials first. Most paid apps cost roughly $60 to $170 a year, and tutors cost more, so pay only for the gap you actually have.

Can you become fluent using only an app?

Rarely. Apps can carry you from beginner to an upper-intermediate level in some languages, but fluency also needs speaking with real people and plenty of real listening and reading. Use an app for structure and habit, then add conversation practice and real content.

Which language learning apps offer a free trial?

Babbel lets you try the first lesson of each course free. Pimsleur, Speak, Lingopie, Rosetta Stone and Mondly each list a 7-day free trial, and Jumpspeak offers one to eligible users. Trials usually convert to paid subscriptions automatically, so cancel before they end if you do not want to continue.

Sources and how this was researched

This guide compares information published by each company and by app stores and rating sites as of September 20, 2026. It does not claim first-hand testing of every app. Main sources: