Best language learning apps 10 apps grouped by goal
Start with Duolingo or Busuu if you want to learn for free: both open complete courses with ads. Pay for Babbel if you want grammar rules explained, Lingoda if you want a live teacher, and Pimsleur if you learn by ear on the commute. Tandem trains speaking, Memrise and Lingvist train vocabulary, Mondly covers 41 languages, and Lingvano teaches sign language.
10 language apps at a glance
| Name | Best for | Price | Free plan | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo | A free daily habit in 42 languages | Free; Super €89.99 to €110.99 a year (German App Store) | Yes: every course, with ads and limited energy | — |
| Busuu | A free course with CEFR levels | Free; Premium €57.99/yr, Premium Plus €69.90/yr | Yes: complete courses and community corrections, a short ad before each lesson | 4.7 on the App Store (101.1K) |
| Babbel | Learners who want grammar rules first | From €8.99/mo on the 12-month plan; US App Store $107.99/yr | Partly: the first lesson of every course, up to 80 lessons per language | 4.7 on the App Store (755.2K) |
| Lingoda | Adults who need a teacher and a schedule | From €54.99 per 4 weeks for 5 group classes (English) | No, 7-day trial with 3 group classes or 1 private class | 4.8 on the App Store (177) |
| Tandem | Free conversation with native speakers | 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) |
| Pimsleur | Learning by ear while driving | All Access $20.99 or $164.99/yr (US App Store); one level $150 once | Partly: one free lesson in each of 51 languages; 7-day trial | — |
| Memrise | Everyday phrases from native-speaker videos | 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) |
| Lingvist | Building vocabulary fast for reading | €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 | Learning 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) |
| Lingvano | Sign language for hearing learners | ASL $17.99/mo or $119.99/yr (US App Store) | Partly: a few lessons; 7-day trial for Premium | 4.9 on the App Store (118.6K) |
- A free daily habit in 42 languages
Duolingo
🇺🇸 United StatesDuolingo is a US app from Pittsburgh, founded in 2011, and the reference point for this list. It teaches 42 languages in 285 course pairs as a game, with streaks, energy and weekly leagues. Every course is free with ads.
Pros
- 42 languages in 285 course pairs, High Valyrian included
- Whole courses on the free plan
- Max adds AI Roleplay and Video Call in 6 courses
Cons
- No human teachers
- Duolingo does not publish the Max price on the web
- Price
- Free; Super €89.99 to €110.99 a year (German App Store)
- Free plan
- Yes: every course, with ads and limited energy
- A free course with CEFR levels
Busuu
🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom · founded 2008Busuu, a London company founded in Madrid in 2008, teaches 14 languages in lessons of 3 to 5 minutes. Each chapter ends with a checkpoint on the CEFR scale. Native speakers in the community correct your written and spoken answers.
Pros
- A1 to C1 in English, French, German and Spanish
- The cheapest paid yearly plan here: €57.99
Cons
- AI Conversations and pronunciation feedback need Premium Plus
- Certificates can stop below the course level, German at B2
- Price
- Free; Premium €57.99/yr, Premium Plus €69.90/yr
- Free plan
- Yes: complete courses and community corrections, a short ad before each lesson
- Rating
- 4.7 on the App Store (101.1K)
- Learners who want grammar rules first
Babbel
🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany · founded 2007Babbel from Berlin sells a self-paced course in 14 languages. Lessons last about 15 minutes, explain the rule, then drill it with speech recognition and spaced review. Babbel Live adds online classes with tutors.
Pros
- European Spanish up to C1, French, German and Italian to B2
- Lifetime access for €299.99 once in the EU
- Group plan for up to 6 learners
Cons
- Most of each course sits behind the paywall
- Russian stops at A1, Polish and Turkish at A2
- Price
- From €8.99/mo on the 12-month plan; US App Store $107.99/yr
- Free plan
- Partly: the first lesson of every course, up to 80 lessons per language
- Rating
- 4.7 on the App Store (755.2K)
- Adults who need a teacher and a schedule
Lingoda
🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany · founded 2012Lingoda is an online school from Berlin, founded in 2012. Teachers run live 60-minute Zoom classes around the clock, in groups of 3 to 5 or one to one, on a CEFR curriculum. Each level has about 50 classes, and a free placement test sets your start.
Pros
- Every class has a live teacher
- Sprint pays back 50% or 100% of the fee if you attend every class
Cons
- Six courses only, Business English included
- German, French and Spanish cost more than English
- Price
- From €54.99 per 4 weeks for 5 group classes (English)
- Free plan
- No, 7-day trial with 3 group classes or 1 private class
- Rating
- 4.8 on the App Store (177)
- Free conversation with native speakers
Tandem
🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany · founded 2015Tandem from Berlin is a language exchange. You teach your language to a native speaker of the one you learn, by chat, voice notes and calls. Tandem reports more than 35 million members.
Pros
- 300 languages, including 20 sign languages
- Partners correct your messages inside the chat
Cons
- No course or lesson plan
- New members pay for Pro to make 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)
- Learning by ear while driving
Pimsleur
🇺🇸 United StatesPimsleur is a US audio course from Simon & Schuster in New York, built on a method from 1963. Each lesson is a 30-minute audio session: a speaker prompts you, you answer aloud, and phrases come back at growing intervals. A hands-free mode and CarPlay let you learn in the car.
Pros
- 51 languages, including Ojibwe, Twi and Swahili
- Courses on pimsleur.com can be bought once, without a subscription
Cons
- Courses stop at intermediate level
- Subscriptions are not refunded
- Price
- All Access $20.99 or $164.99/yr (US App Store); one level $150 once
- Free plan
- Partly: one free lesson in each of 51 languages; 7-day trial
- Everyday phrases from native-speaker videos
Memrise
🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom · founded 2010Memrise from London, founded in 2010, runs 32 official courses in 29 languages. Every word and phrase comes with a video of a native speaker, and spaced review brings it back. MemBot, an AI partner, runs written and spoken role-play.
Pros
- You hear how real people say each phrase
- Practice tests for IELTS, GCSE, A-Level and IB
Cons
- Daily limits on the free plan
- Little grammar teaching
- 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)
- Building vocabulary fast for reading
Lingvist
🇪🇪 Tallinn, Estonia · founded 2013Lingvist from Tallinn ranks words by how often they appear in subtitles and articles and teaches the most frequent first. Each card is a real sentence with one word missing. Custom Decks turns any text you upload into cards.
Pros
- 16 courses in 15 languages on one subscription
- No ads, and students get 50% off on request
Cons
- No free plan beyond the trial and the level test
- Grammar only as notes on the 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)
- Learning from your own native language
Mondly
🇷🇴 Brașov, Romania · founded 2013Mondly from Brașov, owned by Pearson since 2022, teaches 41 languages in 1,320 language pairs, so the course can run in your first language. Lessons follow 40 everyday topics, and a chatbot with speech recognition runs practice dialogues.
Pros
- Mondly VR for Meta Quest and Steam in 30 languages
- Grammar notes and conjugation tables in lessons
Cons
- 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)
- Sign language for hearing learners
Lingvano
🇦🇹 Vienna, Austria · founded 2018Lingvano from Vienna teaches American, British and Austrian Sign Language. Deaf native signers record every video lesson, and a slow-motion button replays each sign. Live Signing Practice sessions run with Deaf tutors.
Pros
- 600+ interactive lessons in the ASL course
- Several Deaf teachers with different signing styles
Cons
- No spoken languages
- Lingvano gives no CEFR level for its courses
- Price
- ASL $17.99/mo or $119.99/yr (US App Store)
- Free plan
- Partly: a few lessons; 7-day trial for Premium
- Rating
- 4.9 on the App Store (118.6K)
How to choose a language app by goal
To start for free and build a daily habit, take Duolingo or Busuu. Duolingo has more languages, 42 against 14. Busuu follows CEFR levels and gets your answers checked by native speakers.
To understand grammar, take Babbel. To have a teacher who sets the pace, take Lingoda. Both suit adults with a deadline, such as a move or a job.
To speak from the first week, combine a course with Tandem for real people. Pimsleur trains speaking through audio and fits learners who study in the car or on a walk.
For vocabulary, Memrise shows native speakers on video, and Lingvist teaches the most frequent words first. Mondly fits learners whose first language is not English. For sign language, Lingvano teaches ASL, BSL and ÖGS with Deaf teachers.
Free vs paid language apps
Three apps here stay useful without paying. Duolingo and Busuu open complete courses with ads, and Tandem is free for chats with native speakers. Memrise and Mondly give a limited free plan. Babbel, Pimsleur and Lingvano let you try a few lessons, and Lingvist and Lingoda give only a trial.
Paying removes ads and adds things the free plans lack: offline mode and certificates in Busuu, live classes in Babbel and Lingoda, AI conversations in Busuu Premium Plus and Duolingo Max. On a yearly plan Busuu costs €57.99, Memrise $61.99 in the US, Mondly $74.90, Lingvist €79.99, Babbel $107.99 in the US App Store and Pimsleur All Access $164.99. Lingoda charges per class, from €54.99 for 5 group classes every 4 weeks.
Several paid plans start with a free trial that turns into a charge. Cancel before the trial ends in Mondly, Lingvist, Pimsleur and Lingvano if you do not plan to stay.
How we picked
Eight apps come from companies founded in Europe, the focus of this catalog. Some now have owners outside the EU: Chegg owns Busuu, Pearson owns Mondly, and US parent companies hold Memrise and Lingvist. We added two US apps, Duolingo and Pimsleur, because a list of the most used language apps without them would mislead. We compared official prices, plans and levels from company pages, help centers and the App Store in October 2026. We did not test the apps ourselves.
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Comparisons
- Babbel vs Duolingo
- Memrise vs Duolingo
- Busuu vs Duolingo
- Mondly vs Duolingo
- Babbel vs Busuu
- Babbel vs Rosetta Stone
- Babbel vs Pimsleur
- Tandem vs HelloTalk
Other lists
- Duolingo alternatives
- Best app to learn French
- Best app to learn German
- Best app to learn English
- Best app to learn Spanish
- Best app to learn Italian
- Best app to learn Portuguese
- Best app to learn Japanese
- Best flashcard app
- Quizlet alternatives
- Kahoot alternatives
- Mentimeter alternatives
- Best study apps
- Best LMS
Categories
Sources, checked on 7 October 2026
- Duolingo courses
- Duolingo Help Center: Super, Max, refunds
- Super Duolingo
- Duolingo on the US App Store
- Duolingo on the German App Store
- Busuu Premium plans
- Busuu help center
- babbel.com/prices
- Babbel help center: languages and levels
- Babbel on the US App Store
- lingoda.com/pricing
- Lingoda Sprint prices
- Lingoda FAQ
- Tandem FAQ
- Tandem on the US App Store
- pimsleur.com
- Pimsleur FAQ
- Pimsleur Spanish prices
- Pimsleur money-back guarantee
- Pimsleur about us
- Pimsleur on the US App Store
- Memrise plans
- Memrise FAQ
- lingvist.com/pricing
- Lingvist on the US App Store
- Mondly FAQ
- Mondly free vs Premium
- mondly.com/vr
- Mondly on the US App Store
- Lingvano help centre: cost
- Lingvano on the US App Store
Best language learning apps: FAQ
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