Best app to learn German 9 German apps compared by goal
For structured lessons with grammar, pick Babbel from Berlin: its German course goes up to B2. For live classes up to C1, pick Lingoda, which started in 2012 as a German school on Skype. Busuu and Duolingo open whole German courses for free, Memrise and Lingvist train vocabulary, Pimsleur trains speaking by audio, and Tandem finds partners in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Short answer
- BabbelGerman grammar from a Berlin company
- LingodaLive German classes up to C1
- BusuuA free German course with native-speaker feedback
- DuolingoA free German habit in five minutes a day
- MemriseGerman words heard from native speakers
- PimsleurSpoken German by audio on the go
9 German apps at a glance
| Name | Best for | Price | Free plan | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babbel | German grammar from a Berlin company | From €8.99/mo on the 12-month plan; Lifetime €299.99 | Partly: the first lesson of every course | 4.7 on the App Store (755.2K) |
| Lingoda | Live German classes up to C1 | 5 group classes €79.99 per 4 weeks; 12 for €159.99; private from €184.99 | No, 7-day trial with 3 group classes or 1 private class | 4.8 on the App Store (177) |
| Busuu | A free German course with native-speaker feedback | Free; Premium €57.99/yr, Premium Plus €69.90/yr | Yes: the complete German course and community corrections, with an ad before each lesson | 4.7 on the App Store (101.1K) |
| Duolingo | A free German habit in five minutes a day | Free; Super from $83.99/yr (US App Store) | Yes: the whole German course, with ads and limited energy | — |
| Memrise | German words heard from native speakers | Free; Pro €69.99/yr, US $61.99/yr | Partly: limited lessons and videos, one speaking session a day, with ads | 4.8 on the App Store (217.2K) |
| Pimsleur | Spoken German by audio on the go | $150 per level or $575 for Levels 1–5; sales cut these prices | Partly: a free first lesson | — |
| Tandem | Talking with Germans, Austrians and Swiss | Free; Pro $69.99/yr (US App Store) | Yes: partner search, chats, voice notes and corrections, with ads | 4.6 on the App Store (38.3K) |
| Lingvist | The most frequent German words first | €9.99/mo or €79.99/yr; US App Store $9.99 and $79.99 | No, 14-day trial on the yearly plan | 4.6 on the App Store (3.7K) |
| Mondly | German from your own native language | $15.90/mo or $74.90/yr (US App Store) | Partly: Daily Lessons, the Hello category and one chatbot lesson; 7-day trial | 4.7 on the App Store (33.2K) |
- German grammar from a Berlin company
Babbel
🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany · founded 2007Babbel is a German company from Berlin. Its lessons of about 15 minutes explain cases, word order and articles, and speech recognition checks your pronunciation. The structured course goes up to B2, with extra German topics at C1.
Pros
- Grammar explained inside every lesson
- Free German podcasts: Speaking of Berlin (A2), So ist Berlin (B1), Babbel Nachrichten (B1–B2)
- Babbel Live adds online classes with tutors
Cons
- Structured lessons stop at B2
- The full course needs a paid plan
- Price
- From €8.99/mo on the 12-month plan; Lifetime €299.99
- Free plan
- Partly: the first lesson of every course
- Rating
- 4.7 on the App Store (755.2K)
- Live German classes up to C1
Lingoda
🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany · founded 2012Lingoda is an online school from Berlin. It started in 2012 with one-to-one German lessons over Skype. Teachers now run 60-minute German classes on Zoom around the clock, in groups of up to 5 or one to one, from A1 to C1.
Pros
- German goes up to C1, higher than Lingoda’s French and Spanish (B2)
- New students get 15% off the first payment on plans from 12 classes: 12 group classes cost €135.99
- Sprint returns 50% or 100% of the fee if you attend every class
Cons
- German costs more than English: 5 group classes cost €79.99 against €54.99
- No Goethe or telc prep course on its current pages
- Price
- 5 group classes €79.99 per 4 weeks; 12 for €159.99; private from €184.99
- Free plan
- No, 7-day trial with 3 group classes or 1 private class
- Rating
- 4.8 on the App Store (177)
- A free German course with native-speaker feedback
Busuu
🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom · founded 2008Busuu started in Madrid in 2008 and now runs from London. Its course page counts 420+ lessons in Complete German from A1 to B2, and the help center lists German up to C1. Native German speakers in the community correct your written and spoken answers.
Pros
- Separate courses for travel and life in Germany next to Complete German
- Placement test and AI Conversations in German
- Premium adds Busuu certificates from A1 to B2
Cons
- The course page and the help center give different top levels: B2 and C1
- Busuu certificates are not official exams like the Goethe-Zertifikat
- Price
- Free; Premium €57.99/yr, Premium Plus €69.90/yr
- Free plan
- Yes: the complete German course and community corrections, with an ad before each lesson
- Rating
- 4.7 on the App Store (101.1K)
- A free German habit in five minutes a day
Duolingo
🇺🇸 United StatesDuolingo is a US company. Its German course for English speakers is free and runs in short game-like lessons. In April 2026 Duolingo listed German among nine courses that now teach content up to B2, a Duolingo Score of 129.
Pros
- The whole German course is free
- German content now reaches B2
Cons
- No human teachers
- Duolingo levels are not exam certificates
- Price
- Free; Super from $83.99/yr (US App Store)
- Free plan
- Yes: the whole German course, with ads and limited energy
- German words heard from native speakers
Memrise
🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom · founded 2010Memrise from London has a German course with 900+ lessons, 8,000+ words and 600+ videos of native speakers. You pick scenarios, learn their words, and then practise in 75+ conversations with MemBot, an AI partner.
Pros
- Native speakers say every German word on video
- Lifetime costs €254.99 or $329.99 once
Cons
- Memrise gives no CEFR level for its German course
- Focus on words and phrases, less on grammar
- Price
- Free; Pro €69.99/yr, US $61.99/yr
- Free plan
- Partly: limited lessons and videos, one speaking session a day, with ads
- Rating
- 4.8 on the App Store (217.2K)
- Spoken German by audio on the go
Pimsleur
🇺🇸 United StatesPimsleur is a US audio course published by Simon & Schuster. German has 5 levels of 30 lessons. You hear a phrase, answer out loud and repeat, and Level 5 ends with a short story to read.
Pros
- 150 German lessons, and Levels 4 and 5 take about 16 hours each
- Works without looking at the screen
Cons
- Level 5 ends at an intermediate level, and Pimsleur gives no CEFR level
- One level costs more than a year of most apps here
- Price
- $150 per level or $575 for Levels 1–5; sales cut these prices
- Free plan
- Partly: a free first lesson
- Talking with Germans, Austrians and Swiss
Tandem
🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany · founded 2015Tandem from Berlin pairs you with a native speaker who wants to learn your language. You chat, send voice notes and correct each other’s messages. Partners from Germany, Austria or Switzerland let you hear the variety of German you need.
Pros
- Real conversations in Austrian, Swiss or German German
- Corrections and translation inside the chat
Cons
- No course or levels
- New members need Pro for audio and video calls
- Price
- Free; Pro $69.99/yr (US App Store)
- Free plan
- Yes: partner search, chats, voice notes and corrections, with ads
- Rating
- 4.6 on the App Store (38.3K)
- The most frequent German words first
Lingvist
🇪🇪 Tallinn, Estonia · founded 2013Lingvist from Tallinn ranks German words by how often they appear in real texts and teaches the most common ones first. Each card shows a German sentence with one word missing, and speech recognition checks how you say it. Custom Decks turns any German text you upload into cards.
Pros
- Places you at your level with an adaptive test
- No ads
- Students get 50% off on request
Cons
- No free plan
- Grammar comes only as notes on cards
- Price
- €9.99/mo or €79.99/yr; US App Store $9.99 and $79.99
- Free plan
- No, 14-day trial on the yearly plan
- Rating
- 4.6 on the App Store (3.7K)
- German from your own native language
Mondly
🇷🇴 Brașov, Romania · founded 2013Mondly from Brașov, Romania, has been owned by Pearson since 2022. Its German course has 300+ short lessons across 50 topics, and you can learn German from one of many native languages. A chatbot with speech recognition runs practice dialogues.
Pros
- Mondly VR has a scene in a German restaurant
- App interface in 32 languages
Cons
- Mondly courses stop at B2
- The trial bills automatically, and many complaints are about these charges
- Price
- $15.90/mo or $74.90/yr (US App Store)
- Free plan
- Partly: Daily Lessons, the Hello category and one chatbot lesson; 7-day trial
- Rating
- 4.7 on the App Store (33.2K)
German exams: Goethe-Zertifikat, telc, TestDaF
The Goethe-Institut runs the Goethe-Zertifikat from A1 to C2 in Germany and abroad. From B1 to C2 the exam is modular: you can take listening, reading, writing and speaking separately. All exams are in person, and the Goethe-Institut does not offer remote exams. All German universities accept the C2 certificate, and many accept B2 or C1.
telc gGmbH in Bad Homburg runs German exams from A1 to C2, on paper, digital or hybrid. telc German C1 University is its exam for university admission. TestDaF, at levels B2 to C1, is the main exam for international students: all German universities recognise it, and the certificate does not expire. It runs digitally and on paper.
None of the nine apps sells a Goethe, telc or TestDaF course on its official pages. Lingoda’s old telc B1 prep page now redirects to its home page. Its sister service Match Doctors prepares doctors for the German medical language exam. For exam format, use the free practice tests from the Goethe-Institut and TestDaF.
How to choose a German app
To reach a level for an exam, Lingoda takes you to C1 with teachers, and Babbel and Duolingo go up to B2. Busuu gives B2 on its course page and C1 in its help center.
To speak, book Lingoda classes, find a partner on Tandem, or answer Pimsleur’s audio out loud. Busuu’s AI Conversations add voice practice without a person.
For vocabulary, Memrise plays every German word in a native-speaker video, and Lingvist sorts words by frequency. On a zero budget, Busuu and Duolingo open whole German courses for free, and Tandem is free for chats.
How we picked
Seven apps come from companies founded in Europe, and three of them come from Berlin: Babbel, Lingoda and Tandem. Duolingo and Pimsleur are US products, and we include them because a German list without them would leave out common choices. For each app we checked the highest level of its German course, lesson counts, German prices and exam prep on official pages and the App Store in October 2026, and the profiles in this catalog. Some European apps now have owners outside the EU: Chegg (US) owns Busuu, and Pearson (UK) owns Mondly.
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Comparisons
- Babbel vs Duolingo
- Babbel vs Busuu
- Babbel vs Rosetta Stone
- Babbel vs Pimsleur
- Busuu vs Duolingo
- Memrise vs Duolingo
- Tandem vs HelloTalk
- Mondly vs Duolingo
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Categories
Sources, checked on 7 October 2026
- Babbel: learn German
- babbel.com/prices
- Babbel help center: languages and levels
- Lingoda German course
- Lingoda pricing, German
- Lingoda Sprint prices
- Match Doctors
- Busuu German course
- Busuu help center: how many languages can I learn
- Busuu help center: certificates
- Busuu Premium plans
- Duolingo blog: courses teach advanced content
- Duolingo App Store lookup, US
- Memrise German course
- Memrise plans
- Pimsleur German products
- Tandem: learn German online
- Tandem on the US App Store
- Lingvist German course
- lingvist.com/pricing
- Mondly: learn German online
- Mondly on the US App Store
- Goethe-Institut: German examinations A1–C2
- telc German examinations
- TestDaF
Best app to learn German: FAQ
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