Unless you wish Google Translate Your next international adventure will be enough. Either way, you need a reliable way to guide you in speaking and understanding the foreign language of your choice. Fortunately, we are no longer limited to flashcards and textbooks, as you can learn from your phone on your couch.
Many of the best language learning applications today offer multi-layered approaches and offer AI-driven conversations, an extensive vocabulary library and even podcasts that you can listen to to help you master your target language. Whether you just started because you just wanted to understand what the bad rabbit meant, he said “Un verano en Nueva Yol“Or you want to refresh Koreans before planning your holiday, there is a language learning app that will suit your needs.
Best Language Learning Applications in 2025
Babel Provides a classic learning method and gradually brings users into a language. The app has different levels to learn new phrases and vocabulary, and as you use it, more will be unlocked from that vocabulary list. These courses are simple and low-pressure, allowing you to listen to phrases used in conversations. It also encourages you to articulate the word so that your writing skills can improve.
Like most of the applications on this list, Babbel offers regular courses that increase difficulty when completing each level. It also understands that sometimes the best form of teaching is the classic teaching: the classroom. The app offers live language courses and with the instructor you will join groups of up to five other learners. These courses are tailored to your skills and can be arranged according to your availability.
I chose a more antisocial approach and felt as if I had the confidence to meet with the teacher. Babbel’s AI conversation partners encouraged me to build a story with them in Spanish and provided tips for every new line – each one is harder than the previous one. Once done, its podcast product is perfect for perfecting my listening skills. Each episode immerse you in the culture behind the language of your choice.
You can try the first lesson of each course, and even take a live course before you need to start payment. Babbel’s monthly plan will get you back $18, but if you promise a longer plan, you’ll get a better deal. Currently, you will pay $9 per month for 12 months, about $108 a year. Otherwise, you will pay $218 for the whole year. For personalized attention only from on-site tutors, this may be worth the investment for serious learners.
- Courses can be downloaded for travel learning
- Playing the exercise podcast
- Guidance audio lessons
- It’s hard to switch to advanced level from the beginning
- On-site courses can be filled quickly
- Annual plans are expensive
When learning a new language, it’s easy to start being strong and then put it down after a week. and Duolingothey will make sure you keep coming back more – otherwise. Apart from pseudo threats, Duolingo does everything he can to learn in gamified languages, track your scores and attendance in the app, and somewhat ruthlessly informs you every day to come back to keep your winning streak.
The free version of Duolingo offers many ways to learn more languages through each new level. You start each session with five hearts, and then you lose your heart by learning new words and making mistakes. You can even compete with real-life friends, which is a great motivation if you are as competitive as me. If that’s not enough to get you back consistently, maybe the app will – I’m often feeling guiled about keeping my stripes alive or returning to the notifications for the next lesson. I was enough to learn to say “déjamequite” and offer another course every day.
The encouraging practice of character performance also made me feel connected to the app and I wish I could get lily Perfect score smile in Spanish. Since she is their “moody teenager”, she seems to be the perfect mascot for Duolingo’s AI chatbot, but like a teenager, her conversations are short-lived. I think she fired me before speaking in Spanish.
I also thank Duolingo for allowing me to start from the Intermediate Spanish Level after testing my skills. Some levels are too easy for me, so I like to take challenge quizzes to bypass these quizzes. Even then, I still feel fulfilled.
Duolingo is free, but the super Duolingo without ads costs $13 per month, or $84 off when you pay for it all year round. If you want more practice, Duolingo Max includes an AI chatbot that you can use to improve your skills, but this will make you $30 a month or $168 a year.
- More than 100 languages, even in the free version
- Contact your contacts to play with them
- Easy to skip beginner level by testing
- A family plan of up to six people is a great value
- Frequent notifications can be annoying
- The free version does not include extra features like AI chatbots, unlimited hearts, and personalized exercises
- AI chatbot dialogue is very short
Maybe you’ve heard of the new Shakira song and want to know what she’s talking about – well, there’s an app, too. Use song lyrics to teach its users what the meaning of words and song context is Lirika Provides a creative way to learn a language. Like other apps on this list, there is a clear path to improve your language skills, but instead of hearing someone from your native speakers, you learn through songs. Each lesson is queued through songs and combines vocabulary and grammar to help you understand what it means.
In addition to learning the lyrics, Lirica will show you how to use the terminology from this song in real life. For example, Lirica by using Nicky Jam’s “Hasta El Amanecer. ” Now, when I need to ask someone’s name or their location, I just think back to the song.
For just $9 or $25 a month, you can unlock their entire song library, download the courses and take them with you. However, the library is limited and only three languages are available and there is no ability to upload other music to learn. It’s a good purchase for the cheapest cost of the year, but it would be a better investment if they own Spotify as a partner.
- The library includes songs from popular artists such as Shakira and Usher
- Explain spoken and lang language
- Every song has a music video
- Annual plan is affordable
- Only in three languages (English, Spanish and German)
- Limited library of artists and songs
and sayall are names. Speak with AI tools that let you speak language as if you are talking to real people. This app is a great option for anyone who wants to practice a language but cannot correct it in real time. This is exactly what I want.
The Freetalk part of talking gave me enough real-world tips that made me comfortable enough to try my best to reply. It seems like they have built patience in the app. When you speak in a conversation, they provide three tips for you to choose from, and if you say a phrase or word incorrectly, add a star next to it. Then, build the course from the error and a custom comment will be provided.
The speaking interface is simple enough to find general courses and your customized courses at the top. If you need more practice, you can use their AI bot directly and select your preferred theme, which may be ideal for talking to someone about topics that aren’t available in their free chat area.
If you want to unlock all Speak courses, the app costs $20 per month or $99 per year. But Speak has a lot to catch up with the competitors as long as they fully access both languages (English and Spanish).
- Easy to talk
- Real-time correction
- Provides playback of pronunciation
- Only two full languages
- No access to live courses or tutors
- AI sometimes misses what you say on your first try
Other language learning applications we test
memrise
memrise There is a library in over 200 languages. From Spanish to Isixhosa, Memrise teaches you all the basics and involves updated regional differences. As a Spanish learner, I have the option to learn from Spain or Mexico and I love that Memrise not only teaches me a wider version of the language. While Memrise may be perfect for multilingual, its $60 per month cost is too high and prevents it from collecting into one of our top slots.
Pimsleur
Dr. Pimsleur Believe that speaking and listening are the key to learning a new language. This app Allows you to take audio courses offline and even integrate into Apple Carplay and Android Auto. As a commuter, I’m happy to have a lesson or two for my office trip. However, I want more ways to practice reading and writing. With other apps providing podcasts for listening and other forms of instruction, Pimsleur’s offer is not enough to list our list.
Rosetta Stone
Gone are the big yellow discs of the past. Now Rosetta Stone Live directly in the digital age with its app. The app uses the same visual learning tools as the old-fashioned Rosetta Stone, showing you pictures and terms to get you an idea of what things mean. Users can repeat after voice recording and match phrases to images for slow learning. Rosetta Stone may be great for beginners, but to access all 25 languages and a lifetime subscription you have to spend $400. There are cheap apps on this list that offer comparable experiences.
Hellotalk
Similar to discord, Hellotalk Provide voice and chat rooms to talk to people from different countries. Its users can learn regional terms and talk about cultural differences. With a paid subscription, you can practice with a tutor or its AI chatbot. If you want to learn a new language outside of your internal circles, Hellotalk may be perfect. I like to connect with other people on the app, but, as always, be careful when meeting strangers online – some users see it as a dating app. Fortunately, there are some applications on this list that offer similar AI learning methods without increasing attention.
How we test language learning applications
As an intermediate Spanish learner, I’ve been looking for an app that best suits my needs, but I know everyone learns to be different. So for each application I evaluated based on several factors. Can beginners use it to gain confidence? Will senior speakers feel challenged? Are there enough opportunities to test your reading and writing skills? How many vocabulary words can you learn? For those who want to have more conversations, what languages does each app offer to speak? If the app can help you learn some reward points around the culture of the language.