The Eight Best Language Learning Apps in 2023

Many people want to learn a second language (or even a third or fourth), but don't have the time to sign up for an intensive course with a live teacher. Language learning services may be a solution, reports PopScience.

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These days, language learning services have become faster, simpler and more mobile. You can study not only at home on a computer or laptop, but also on tablets and phones. The number of options has also increased exponentially.

How to choose? It will depend on what you need. Among the best programs, there are clear winners, but others cater to specific desires, such as travel phrases or pronunciation practice. Improve your Japanese, polish your Spanish, or speak Hindi with the best language learning services.

Best Overall: Rosetta Stone

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web.

Cost: $11,99 per month (3 months, one language), $7,99 per month (one year, one language), $179 (lifetime, all languages).

Languages: 25.

Features: free first lesson in each language, additional online training, personalized learning plan, real-time pronunciation feedback.

pros

• Proven methodology.
• Widespread support.
• Many language options.
• The lesson develops logically, and the complexity scales well.

Cons

• “Business level”, lacks advanced content.
• Lessons may be repeated.

Rosetta Stone was released over 30 years ago - now this service is the best among applications. Rosetta Stone has been using semi-immersion since its inception. It uses pictures, texts and spaced repetition to teach vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. This methodology is proven. Essentially, you learn by playing variations of the cards, but with different prompts. Your attempts are counted, and the various elements that the program is confident you have learned are removed and new ones are added.

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The app is not really built for fluency as its purpose is language for business use. However, it is one of the best ways to gain enough knowledge of a new language to begin communicating effectively with native speakers of that language. There are also opportunities for tutoring or live lessons with a person via live streaming.

The app itself is very fluid and intuitive, and the lessons don't feel too short to be forgotten or too long to be a chore. You can practice pronunciation using the microphone on your phone, tablet, laptop, or connected/wireless microphone.

Best Mobile App: Pimsleur

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web.

Cost: $19,95 per month (one language), $20,95 per month (all languages), $199,95 per year (all languages).

Languages: 51, including English as a second language from a variety of basic languages.

Features: car mode, offline mode, Alexa compatible.

pros

• The most extensive collection of languages ​​on the market.
• The proven Pimsleur method.
• Clear lessons.
• Podcast-like structure allows for hands-free learning.

Cons

• One of the highest prices on the market.
• Lessons take time.

Pimsleur is the name of not only a product line, but also a language learning methodology. Paul Pimsleur, a mid-century linguist, invented an entire pedagogy for teaching foreign languages, and his company has been selling versions of the method ever since. Before the Internet, you could buy Pimsleur CDs. Now you can simply get them in your mobile or web app.

Pimsleur lessons have been refined over decades and this approach is really only for serious students. Each lesson lasts about 30 minutes. You can complete these lessons in sections if you wish, but it is best to complete them in one go. The technique is basically: learn, repeat, wait, repeat.

The focus is on listening and speaking. If you drive a lot, this method allows you to practice most of the lesson hands-free and finish it by taking some tests later. You can listen to the lessons as podcasts, so even if you're on public transport, you can say the words in your head to remember them.

The downside is that even with the annual discount, the monthly cost is over $16 per month, which is much more than the competition. However, if an audio-based methodology suits your lifestyle, this is one of the best mobile apps you can get for language learning.

Best Interface: Drops

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web.

Price: $12,99 per month, $69,99 per year or $159,99 for life.

Languages: 50.

Features: All lessons are available for free if you wait 10 hours between lessons.

pros

• Great for building vocabulary.
• Interesting, simple and intuitive interface.
• Wide variety of languages, including some endangered languages.
• Quick lessons.

Cons

• No grammar practice.
• There is no way to listen or correct your pronunciation.

Drops, owned by educational software and apps company Kahoot!, is designed primarily for vocabulary building. This is a great, fun and easy to use product. The interface is similar to a puzzle game in which you click on "blobs" that correspond to the word or phrase you're learning. It's like a much nicer version of a CAPTCHA checker with fewer fuzzy images.

The language selection is extensive (50 languages) and includes some rare and endangered languages ​​(such as Ainu, the language of the indigenous Japanese, and Esperanto, the “universal second language” invented in the 1880s). It's a fun and quick way to expand your knowledge base, but it won't help you speak or correct your grammar. Drops works best as a complement to another, more in-depth language learning app.

Best for phrases: Mondly

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web.

Cost: $9,99 per month (one language), $47,99 per year (one language), $479,99 per year (all languages, often discounted).

Languages: 11.

Features: Conjugation tables, real conversations to practice, AR and VR content.

pros

• Very attractive visual interface.
• Good (and fun) extras.
• Good depth in individual languages.

Cons

• Lots of style, not substance.
• Not many languages.

mondly is a really great tool for analyzing phrases. Like Drops, Mondly is colorful, user-friendly, easy to navigate, and has good free content. Unlike Drops, there is much more grammatical content. In fact, you can highlight any verb to see its different conjugations. As with Drops, if you use the free version, there is a break between lessons (one lesson per day).

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While practicing with Drops is more fun, Mondly offers more in-depth learning as it teaches you grammar too.

Overall, Mondly is really nice to practice with. If you want to learn useful phrases for travel or business in the languages ​​offered by the program, the price of the paid tier is quite reasonable, and the lessons are fun and contain a lot of interesting additional content.

Best for Vocabulary: Lingvist

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web.

Cost: $9,99 per month, $79,99 per year.

Languages: 16.

Features: checking statistics, exercises with cards.

pros

• An excellent system for replenishing vocabulary.
• The paid version included access to all languages.
• Word lists are available so you know what you need to learn.
• Good progress tracking and statistics.

Cons

• Doesn't give anything other than vocabulary.
• The interface is a bit boring.

The best language learning app on the market with flashcards, Lingvist explores vocabulary in detail - and does it very, very well - but offers little beyond that. In Lingvist you won't find any pronunciation, conversation or grammar practice, but you will learn new words.

In flashcard exercises, as you correctly identify words more often, they will cycle out and count as “learned” in your story. You can also create your own lists of exercise words if you know what you want to study. Built-in lists are based on topics.

Lingvist's most useful feature is the ability to view learned and muted words as complete word lists. You can also check your stats to see information about words learned, words pinned, time spent, cards studied, and more.

If your main goal is to improve your vocabulary, Drops is the mode for beginners, and Lingvist is for the expert level. The app is a little visually dry, but the information is incredibly useful, and tracking stats really helps you identify what you need to work on.

Best of the hard ones: Babbel.

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web.

Cost: $14,95 per month (one language), $66,90 for six months (one language), $89,40 per year (one language), $349 for life (all languages).

Babbel Live costs: $99 per month (one language), $209 for three months (one language), $359 for six months (one language), $599 per year (one language).

Languages: 13.

Features: live lessons (in selected languages), podcasts, games.

pros

• Online school experience.
• Extremely in-depth content with a wide range of educational elements.
• Lesson structure that allows you to learn the topics you want first
• Live online classes in four languages ​​with a separate subscription.

Cons

• Small number of available languages.
• May be too intense for some students.

After Rosetta Stone Babbel is the most recommended language learning software on the market because it is incredibly in-depth. It's not a complete replacement for tutoring, but the system gets you as close as possible to achieving your language learning goals.

There are also plenty of ways to learn here. There are live lessons, podcasts, games and videos to help reinforce standard exercises in the app. The depth of content makes up for the fact that Babbel only offers 13 languages.

Babbel Live, a system of live video lessons with language teachers, is available for students of Spanish, French, German or Italian, although the price is not as cheap as in-app lessons.

Babbel's wealth of content in 13 languages ​​is unparalleled. If your goal is to communicate freely from the comfort of your phone/tablet/computer, Babbel Live may be the best choice on the market.

Best Value: Memrise

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web.

Cost: $14,99 per month (all languages), $89,99 per year (all languages), $199 lifetime (all languages).

Languages: 23.

Features: user-generated content, non-linguistic memorization lessons, pronunciation practice.

pros

• All languages ​​are available regardless of subscription.
• Additional user-generated content is available.
• Lots of native speaker videos to practice pronunciation.
• Offers lessons in non-linguistic memorization.

Cons

• Some lessons are not available in the web interface.
• User-generated content is of poor quality.

Memrise focuses on retaining the material it presents in your memory. It also emphasizes learning the language as a spoken language rather than piecemeal in a vacuum. Add to this the fact that all 23 languages ​​are available to paying users, whether they choose monthly, annual or lifetime tiers, and you've got a lot of content that's easy to learn for a really good price. This makes Memrise the best choice for users who want to practice multiple languages.

Best Free: Duolingo.

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web.

Cost: $7 per month (optional).

Languages: 39.

Features: game-like interface, almost all content is free (supported by advertising and the “Lives” system for updates).

pros

• Many languages.
• Colorful game interface.
• Social elements mean you can compete with your friends and family.
• Almost all content is available for free.

Cons

• It's easy to lose motivation due to repetitive exercise.
• Training can be superficial and useless for speaking practice.

Duolingo is by far the most popular language learning software on the planet. There's a good reason for this: almost everything in the app is available for free.

This is done through advertising and a "lives" system where if you fail a lesson too many times, you will have to wait to try any lessons again. Or you can pay a small amount of money to use the app again. Additionally, Duolingo offers a paid subscription for $7 per month, which allows you to take as many lessons as you want and gives you access to some additional features, such as a beta version of the ChatGPT-based chatbot.

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The learning experience with Duolingo will teach you vocabulary and phrases. If you want to learn a little about many languages ​​and do it for free, Duolingo has you covered. If you want to specialize in one language and learn it completely, it will be more difficult to do so with this app.

You get a notification when you haven't completed a daily lesson, and the series encourages you to continue your daily practice. If you want to spend money on learning, spend it somewhere else (like Rosetta Stone or Babbel), but if you want to dabble without the money, Duolingo is your best bet.

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