Best app to learn English: courses, tutors and AI speaking practice compared
Helloheh-LOH“hello” in English
For a full course, Busuu ($72.99 a year) has 655+ lessons labelled A1 to C1, and Duolingo's English course is free and goes up to B2. To speak with a person, Cambly ($144 a year) has native-speaking tutors at any hour, and italki's English teachers typically charge $4 to $10 for 30 minutes. To practise speaking alone, Praktika, Promova and Talkpal give you an AI tutor that answers and corrects you.
Prices checked 6 Sept to 12 Oct 2026 · How we check
Our picks
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Best structured course
Busuu
Course app
$72.99 a year$6.08 a month, billed yearly · Premium
Why it's here. A structured course gives you a path through lessons, with corrections from native speakers. You can start with a free account before deciding whether the paid extras are useful.
Free: Free account with the complete course in each language, community feedback and basic progress tracking.
Skip it if you want live conversation with a person; Busuu has no live lessons.
Complete English, 655+ lessons labelled A1 to C1, with lessons on strategy for English exams.
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Best free start
Duolingo
Course app
FreeEvery course, with ads and daily limits.
Why it's here. Short, game-like lessons make it easy to practise a little every day. You can follow the whole course free, with ads and limits.
Paid upgrade: Super removes the ads and limits: $9.99 to $119.99 in Apple's US App Store, depending on the plan, after a 1-week free trial.
Skip it if you want a person to talk to: Duolingo has no tutors, and Max's Video Call is an AI character.
Free with ads; Duolingo says its English course now goes up to B2.
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Best for lessons with a teacher
italki
Tutor marketplace
$4 to $10 a lessontypical for 30 minutes in English; each teacher sets a rate
Why it's here. Choose a teacher for the language and conversation you need, then pay lesson by lesson. You get a real person to practise with without committing to an app subscription.
Free: No free tier; discounted trial lesson with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.
Skip it if you want one fixed price or an app to study alone: each teacher sets their own rate.
104 languages
30 of the 41 apps we cover list English; 22 of them have a free tier.
This page is for people learning English. More apps teach English than any other language, and many are made for it: Cambly teaches nothing else, and Praktika and Promova started as English apps. What decides it is what you need most: a course that takes you level by level, a person to talk to, or practice you can do alone at any time.
What a year of English costs
Every app that teaches English and sells a yearly plan, cheapest first, from the plans on each app's own pages. Not on it, because they sell no yearly plan in dollars: Gus on the Go, italki, Language Transfer, Lingoda, Praktika, Preply and Rocket Languages.
The yearly planPaying month to month for 12 monthsA price range; the app doesn't say which plan costs whatIncludes lessons with a person
- Duolingoevery course free; Super's plan lengths not given $0 · Super $9.99 to $119.99 in the App Store
- uTalkone language about $30 · $59.88 if you pay monthly
- Tandemall its languages · free tier $39.99
- Mondlyone language · free tier $47.99 · $119.88 if you pay monthly
- Studycatone language $59.99 · $179.88 if you pay monthly
- Dropsall its languages · free tier $69.99 · $132 if you pay monthly
- MosaLinguaall its languages $71.88 · $119.88 if you pay monthly
- Busuuall its languages · free tier $72.99
- HelloTalkall its languages · free tier $79.99 · $155.88 if you pay monthly
- Lingvistall its languages $79.99 · $119.88 if you pay monthly
- Lingopieall its languages $83.88
- Promovaall its languages · free tier $83.99 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- LingoDeerall its languages · free tier $95.99 · $179.88 if you pay monthly
- Babbelall its languages $107.40 · $215.88 if you pay monthly
- LingQall its languages · free tier $119.99 · $179.88 if you pay monthly
- Talkpalall its languages · free tier $119.99 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- Mango Languagesall its languages about $120 · $167.88 if you pay monthly
- Camblya weekly lesson with a tutor $144 · $288 if you pay monthly
- Languaall its languages · free tier $149.99 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- Lingall its languages · free tier $149.99 · $203.88 if you pay monthly
- Rosetta Stoneall its languages $159 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- Glossikaone language about $199 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- FluentUall its languages $239.99 · $359.88 if you pay monthly
How far each English course goes
Each app's English course as its maker describes it: the level it says the course reaches, and how big it is. 5 of the 7 courses state a CEFR level; the rest use their own levels or state none. A course's level is what its lessons cover, not proof that you will reach it. Sizes are each maker's own measure (words, hours, lessons or units), so they cannot be compared directly. Read from each maker's pages on 12 Oct 2026. What the CEFR levels mean.
| App and course | How far it goes | How big it is |
|---|---|---|
| BusuuComplete English · Busuu: English course | A1 to C1 | 655+ lessons |
| GlossikaEnglish (UK) · Glossika: English (UK) course | A1 to C1 | 5,000+ words and sentences |
| LingodaEnglish · Lingoda: English classes | A1 to C1 | Not stated |
| PromovaEnglish · Promova help: languages and levels | A1 to C1A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 | Not stated |
| DuolingoEnglish · Duolingo blog: courses now teach to B2 | Up to B2 | Not stated |
| MondlyEnglish · Mondly: English lessons | Not stated | 300+ lessons in 50 topics |
| uTalkEnglish (British) · nothing stated on uTalk: British English | Not stated | Not stated |
Every app that teaches English
Recommended first within each type of app. Sort any column or filter by what matters to you.
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| Best for | Free tier | Speech | Tutor | Offline | CEFR | Refund or trial | Where to buy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course apps | |||||||||||
| DuolingoCourse appSuper in the US App Store: $9.99 to $119.99, depending on the plan. | A free daily habit | Freepaid tier priced in-app | — | — | Free to keep using Full free tier with ads and limits; Super removes the ads and limits, and Max adds AI practice (Video Call and Roleplay). | Yes | No | Yes · Limited lessons available offline; progress syncs when connected | A1 to B2 | 1 week free trial on Super | |
| BusuuCourse app | Corrections from native speakers | $72.99 a year$6.08 a month, billed yearly | — | — | Free to keep using Free account with the complete course in each language, community feedback and basic progress tracking; Premium adds review tools, offline mode and no ads. | Yes | No · Live Lessons are exclusive to Busuu for Business, outside the consumer subscription | Yes | A1 to C1by course | 14-day money-back guarantee on the initial Premium payment; no renewal refunds. Apple and mobile-operator purchases require a refund from that provider. | |
| PromovaCourse app | Short lessons with AI speaking practice | $83.99 a year$7 a month, billed yearly | $19.99 | — | Free to keep using Courses are free if you watch an ad before each lesson; AI role-play is limited. | Yes | No | — | A1 to C1by course | A free trial for new subscribers. Refunds for website and Google Play purchases are asked for by email; App Store purchases go through Apple. | |
| Mango LanguagesCourse app | Free through many public libraries | About $120 a year$10 a month, billed yearly | $13.99 | — | Free sample Free trial on both personal plans; the first lesson of any language is free; 10 endangered and indigenous language courses are free; free full access through participating public libraries | No | No | Yes | A1 to B1by course | Free trial on Individual and Family plans; cancel before it ends and you are not charged | |
| LingCourse app | Asian and less-taught languages | $149.99 a year$12.50 a month, billed yearly | $16.99 | — | Free to keep using Free tier with limited lessons and limited dialogue practice, with ads | Yes | Live online tutors, booked separately through Ling Live. | — | — | 7-day free trial on the 12-month plan; 30-day money-back refund for yearly and lifetime subscriptions bought via Ling web (app-store purchases follow Apple's or Google's refund policy) | |
| LingoDeerCourse app | Grammar-led lessons, with alphabet units for Japanese and Korean | $95.99 a year$8 a month, billed yearly | $14.99 | — | Free to keep using A free version with limited lessons; a membership unlocks every course and feature. | — | — | Yes | A1 to B1by course | A 7-day money-back guarantee on yearly and longer plans bought on LingoDeer's website, one request per person; no refund for part of a period or a renewal you forgot. | |
| BabbelCourse app | A structured course with grammar explained | $107.40 a year$8.95 a month, billed yearly | $17.99 | $299.99 | Free sample Free account; the first lesson of every course is free, and up to 80 free lessons depending on the language. | Yes | No · Babbel Live is no longer available to individual consumers | Yes · Downloaded lessons, vocabulary review and podcasts in the mobile app | A1 to C1 | Bought from Babbel in the US: no refund promised if you cancel early. Outside the US: 14 days to change your mind, less what you have used. App store purchases: the store's rules. | |
| Rocket LanguagesCourse app | Paying once per level, not a subscription | $99.95Rocket English | — | $99.95 | Free trial A free trial; the page does not say what it includes or for how long. | Yes | No | Yes · audio lessons download in the app; voice recognition needs a connection | A1 to B2by course | A free trial; 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases. | |
| Rosetta StoneCourse app | Immersion without translation | $159 a year$13.25 a month, billed yearly | $19.99 | — | Free sample Free sample lessons on its site; no lasting free plan. | Yes | Coaching sessions with a Rosetta Stone certified tutor. | Yes | — | 14-day money-back guarantee | |
| MondlyCourse app | A cheap yearly plan across many languages | $47.99 a year$4 a month, billed yearly | $9.99one language | — | Free to keep using Free version with Daily Lessons, the Hello category and a chatbot lesson. | — | — | — | A1 to B2by course | 7-day free trial | |
| StudycatCourse app | Children from 3 who cannot read yet | $59.99 a year$5 a month, billed yearly | $14.99 | — | Free trial No | — | — | Yes | — | A 7-day free trial with no payment required to start; App Store purchases follow Apple's rules. | |
| Gus on the GoCourse app | A toddler's first words, bought once | — | — | — | No | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Audio courses | |||||||||||
| GlossikaAudio course | Sentence drills by ear | About $199 a year$16.58 a month, billed yearly | $19.99one language | — | Free trial 7-day full access with no credit card, plus a permanent Freemium tier covering nine minoritized languages | No | No | Yes | A1 to C1by course | 7-day free trial with no credit card; monthly payments are non-refundable, annual plans refundable pro rata within 60 days of purchase | |
| Language TransferAudio course | A free audio course that explains as it goes | Free | — | — | Free to keep using Every course free, with no adverts and no sign-up; it runs on donations. | No | No | Yes | — | Free; nothing to buy. | |
| Vocabulary and flashcard apps | |||||||||||
| uTalkVocabulary and flashcards | Phrases in 160 languages | About $30 a year$2.50 a month, billed yearly | $4.99 | — | Free sample Starter Words, a free 26-word pack in every language, plus an online demo at demo.utalk.com | No | No | Yes | A1 to A2by course | 28-day money-back guarantee | |
| LingvistVocabulary and flashcards | Fast vocabulary with a placement test | $79.99 a year$6.67 a month, billed yearly | $9.99 | — | Free trial Free level placement before subscribing, and a 14-day free trial on the annual plan; the monthly plan has no trial | Yes | No | — | — | 14-day free trial on the annual plan; cancel before it ends and you are not charged | |
| DropsVocabulary and flashcards | Five-minute vocabulary sessions | $69.99 a year$5.83 a month, billed yearly | $11 | $150 | Free to keep using Free access capped at 5 minutes of play every 10 hours, with topics unlocked one at a time through gameplay | — | — | Yes | — | 7-day free trial on the Yearly plan; affiliate terms reference a 14-day refund period | |
| MosaLinguaVocabulary and flashcards | The most useful words first, on a review schedule | $71.88 a year$5.99 a month, billed yearly | $9.99 | — | Free trial Free download and a free trial; the full set of features needs a Premium subscription. | — | — | Yes | — | A free trial first, then a 30-day money-back guarantee on website and Android purchases; not on App Store purchases. | |
| Learning from real video, text and audio | |||||||||||
| LingopieImmersion (video, reading) | TV and film with interactive subtitles | $83.88 a year$6.99 a month, billed yearly | — | $229 | No | Yes · Say It pronunciation practice | Live group lessons on their own monthly or quarterly plan, for subscribers who pay by card; the first lesson is free. | Yes · iOS only; up to 10 downloadable videos | — | 7-day free trial; yearly subscription is charged after the trial and cannot be refunded | |
| LingQImmersion (video, reading) | Reading and listening to real content | $119.99 a year$10 a month, billed yearly | $14.99 | — | Free to keep using Free account capped at 20 saved words and phrases, 5 lessons created from imported content, and 1 audio playlist | — | — | Yes | — | Full refund during the first 30 days of an initial Premium subscription; no partial-month or unused-month refunds afterward. | |
| FluentUImmersion (video, reading) | Learning from real videos | $239.99 a year$20 a month, billed yearly | $29.99 | — | No | Yes | Group classes in some languages, offered free with the subscription for a limited time; no one-to-one lessons. | Yes · audio, quizzes and transcripts download; the videos stream only | — | 14-day free trial with no payment up front, plus a 20-day money-back guarantee | |
| AI conversation practice | |||||||||||
| TalkpalAI conversation practice | AI conversation practice in many languages | $119.99 a year$10 a month, billed yearly | $19.99 | — | Free to keep using The Basic plan: 10 minutes of chat a day, with progress tracking and pronunciation checks. | Yes | No | No | — | A 14-day free trial for new users. Bought from Talkpal directly: a full refund if you ask within 30 days of a charge; not for app store purchases. | |
| LanguaAI conversation practice | Natural-sounding AI conversation practice | $149.99 a year$12.50 a month, billed yearly | $19.99 | — | Free to keep using A free version with low limits: 3 minutes of calls a day and about 20 chat messages a week. | Yes | Human tutors on LanguaTalk, booked separately from Langua; each tutor sets a price per lesson. | — | — | A Pro trial (5 days on a monthly plan, 7 on a yearly one; card needed), and a 30-day money-back guarantee on web and Google Play subscriptions; App Store ones follow Apple's rules. | |
| PraktikaAI conversation practice | Talking with an AI avatar tutor | $9.99 a monthPraktika Premium, 1 month | $9.99 | — | Free to keep using Free to download and use: 3 AI avatars, limited speaking practice, basic feedback. | Yes | No | — | — | A refund if you ask within 48 hours of a charge, Praktika's help centre says; its terms otherwise make fees non-refundable. | |
| Tutors and live classes | |||||||||||
| italkiTutor marketplace | Tutors priced per lesson | $4 to $10 a lessontypical for 30 minutes in English; each teacher sets a rate | — | — | No | — | Every lesson is live and one to one; italki also sells group classes. | — | — | Discounted trial lesson with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee: up to two credit refunds on trial lessons if the teacher did not show up or did not meet expectations, requested within 48 hours | |
| CamblyTutor marketplace | English conversation with a tutor | $144 a year$12 a month, billed yearly | $24 | — | No | — | Every lesson is live: one to one, or in a small group on the cheaper plans. | — | — | $1 trial lesson; 7-day money-back guarantee on a first plan; after that, cancel any time and pay only for days used, with long-term discounts forfeited on early cancellation | |
| LingodaTutor marketplace | Live classes by CEFR level | €54.99Group classes, 4 classes · priced in euros | — | — | — | — | Every class is live: in a group of 3 to 5 students, or private. | — | A1 to C1by course | Free 7-day trial | |
| PreplyTutor marketplace | Weekly lessons with one tutor | $3 to $50 or more a lessonEnglish, 50 minutes; each tutor sets a rate | — | — | No | — | Every lesson is live and one to one. | — | — | Paid trial lesson; up to 2 free trial replacements per account (a new trial with a different tutor at no charge) if the trial did not meet expectations; a tutor who did not join is handled separately, with no limit | |
| Language exchange | |||||||||||
| TandemLanguage exchange | Language exchange with native speakers | $39.99 a year$3.33 a month, billed yearly | — | — | Free to keep using Free account with many features; Tandem Pro unlocks the rest | No | No | — | — | Google Play purchases refundable within 14 days of a 1-month subscription or 30 days of a 3-month or 12-month subscription; iOS refunds requested from iTunes within 14 days | |
| HelloTalkLanguage exchange | Chatting with native speakers | $79.99 a year$6.67 a month, billed yearly | $12.99 | — | Free to keep using Free account with ads and daily limits (for example ten translations a day); occasional randomly offered 3-day VIP trials | — | No | Yes | — | Occasional randomly offered 3-day free VIP trial; refunds handled by Apple or Google for in-app purchases | |
Which to choose
You want a course that takes you level by level
Busuu, or Duolingo for free
Busuu's Complete English has 655+ lessons labelled A1 to C1, with native speakers in its community commenting on your answers; Premium is $72.99 a year. Duolingo's English course is free, and Duolingo says it now teaches through B2. Promova has English at every level from A1 to C1, with an AI tutor, for $83.99 a year.
You want to talk with a person
Cambly, italki or Preply
Cambly teaches only English: you talk with native-speaking tutors at any hour, on a plan of a set number of lessons a week, from $144 a year. italki says a 30-minute English lesson typically costs $4 to $10, and Preply's English tutors run from $3 to $50 or more for a 50-minute lesson; on both you choose your teacher and book each lesson.
You want classes with a timetable
Lingoda
Lingoda runs live English and Business English classes with a teacher, in small groups or one to one, from A1 to C1, after a placement test. Group classes renew every four weeks, from €54.99 for four classes.
You want to practise speaking alone, at any time
Praktika, Talkpal or Promova
Praktika gives you an AI tutor that listens, answers and comments on your pronunciation, for $9.99 a month. Talkpal has role-plays with an AI tutor, 10 minutes a day free, and Promova adds AI role-play to its lessons.
Your phone is set to another language
Babbel, through your own language
Babbel teaches English only through other languages: you see its English courses when the app is set to Ukrainian, Polish, German, French, Swedish, Italian, Spanish or Portuguese. Babbel is $107.40 a year.
Questions people ask
What is the best app to learn English?
For a course, Busuu (655+ lessons, A1 to C1) or Duolingo for free (up to B2). To talk with a person, Cambly, italki or Preply; for live classes, Lingoda. To practise speaking alone, Praktika, Promova or Talkpal. The table lists every app that teaches English, with its price.
Is there a free app to learn English?
Duolingo's English course is free, with ads, and Busuu has a free account with limits. HelloTalk and Tandem pair you free with English speakers who are learning your language, and Talkpal gives you 10 minutes a day with its AI tutor.
Can an app prepare me for IELTS or TOEFL?
Not alone. Busuu has lessons on strategy for English exams, and a course's CEFR level tells you what its lessons cover, not that you will pass. Practise with the exam's own official sample tests, and a tutor on italki or Preply who teaches that exam can mark your writing and speaking.
Does Babbel teach English?
Yes, but only through other languages: Babbel says you see its English courses when the app is set to Ukrainian, Polish, German, French, Swedish, Italian, Spanish or Portuguese, not English.