Best app to learn Korean: every app that teaches it, compared
안녕하세요ahn-nyeong-ha-se-yo“hello” in Korean
For Korean conversation, start with Pimsleur and practise answering aloud; for dramas, LingQ gives you reading and listening material to work through.
Prices checked 6 Sept to 20 Oct 2026 · How we check
Our picks
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to the app makers' own sites earn us nothing. Commissions never affect which apps we recommend. Affiliate disclosure and how the data is collected.
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Best if a drama started it
LingQ
Immersion (video, audio, reading)
$119.99 a year$10 a month, billed yearly
Why it's here. Read and listen to material that interests you, then save unfamiliar words to practise later. It suits learners who want more real content alongside a structured course.
Free: Free account capped at 20 saved words and phrases, 5 lessons created from imported content, and 1 audio playlist.
Skip it if you want grammar taught step by step: LingQ is reading and listening with your own word lists.
A Korean library from Beginner 1 to Advanced 2: thousands of hours of audio with transcripts.
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Best free app
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; it teaches Hangeul with alphabet lessons, and Duolingo says it now goes up to B2.
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Best to speak before you read Hangul well
Pimsleur
Audio course
$131.96 a year$11 a month, billed yearly · All Access
Why it's here. Half-hour audio lessons get you answering aloud, which suits a commute or a walk. Download lessons before you leave and you can practise without a connection.
Free: No free tier; 7-day free trial on subscriptions.
Skip it if you want to read and write, or want something free: it is audio first, with a 7-day trial.
Five levels of 30 half-hour lessons, with about 100 reading lessons for Hangul.
47 of the 99 apps we cover list Korean; 20 of them are free to keep using and 20 more free to try.
Learn hangul first: Duolingo's free Korean course starts with it and keeps a Characters section to practise the letters. If TOPIK is your goal, check for exam preparation rather than assuming a general course will cover it.
What a year of Korean costs
Every app that teaches Korean and sells a yearly plan, cheapest first, from the plans on each app's own pages. Not on it: LingoHut, which is free; italki, Pingo AI, Praktika and Preply, which publish no yearly price in dollars, and Assimil, Gus on the Go, Michel Thomas Method, Rocket Languages and StoryLearning, bought once rather than by the year.
The yearly planPaying month to month for 12 monthsA price range; the app doesn't say which plan costs what
- Duolingoevery course free; Super's plan lengths not given $0 · Super $9.99 to $119.99 in the App Store
- uTalkone language; $29.99 on some visits $24.99 · $47.88 if you pay monthly
- Language Reactorall its languages · free tier $39.95 · $71.40 if you pay monthly
- Tandemall its languages · free tier $39.99
- Mondlyone language · free tier $47.99 · $119.88 if you pay monthly
- Readlangall its languages · free tier $48 · $72 if you pay monthly
- Beelinguappall its languages · free tier $49.90 · $95.88 if you pay monthly
- Memriseall its languages · free tier $61.99 · $299.88 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
- Jumpspeakall its languages $79
- Clozemasterall its languages · free tier $79.99 · $155.88 if you pay monthly
- HelloTalkall its languages · free tier $79.99 · $155.88 if you pay monthly
- Langotalkall its languages $79.99 · $239.88 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
- Speakall its languages $83.99 · $215.88 if you pay monthly
- Talk To Me In Koreanevery TTMIK course, on the web and in the app $85.40 · $203.88 if you pay monthly
- Lingall its languages · free tier $89.99 · $203.88 if you pay monthly
- Fluent Foreverall its languages · free tier $95.88 · $143.88 if you pay monthly
- LingoDeerall its languages · free tier $95.99 · $179.88 if you pay monthly
- Migakuall 11 languages and every feature $96 · $120 if you pay monthly
- Teacher AIall its languages $97 · $180 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
- Univerbalall its languages $119.99 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- Mango Languagesall its languages about $120 · $167.88 if you pay monthly
- Pimsleurall its languages $131.96 · $251.40 if you pay monthly
- FluentUall its languages $143.99 · $359.88 if you pay monthly
- Transparent Language Onlineone language $149.95 · $299.40 if you pay monthly
- Languaall its languages · free tier $149.99 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- Rosetta Stoneall its languages $159 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- Dinolingoall 50 languages, up to 6 children $199 · $228 if you pay monthly
- Glossikaone language about $199 · $239.88 if you pay monthly
- 90 Day Koreanone language $299 · $420 if you pay monthly
Hangul: one alphabet, built into syllable blocks
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1Letters
ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㅏ ㅗg · n · d · a · o
14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels, each with one sound. Duolingo's free Korean course starts with hangul and keeps a Characters section to practise them.
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2Blocks
가 나 다ga · na · da
Letters stack into one block per syllable: ㄱ plus ㅏ makes 가. The same course builds blocks before whole words.
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3Words
한 글han · geul: “hangul”
Words are blocks side by side, with spaces between words. Once you can sound out blocks, LingQ and Lingopie give you real Korean to read.
How far each Korean course goes
Each app's Korean course as its maker describes it: the level it says the course reaches, and how big it is. 8 of the 30 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 11 Oct 2026, 12 Oct 2026, 13 Oct 2026, 14 Oct 2026, 15 Oct 2026 and 16 Oct 2026. What the CEFR levels mean.
| App and course | How far it goes | How big it is | Writing system |
|---|---|---|---|
| GlossikaKorean · Glossika: Korean course | A1 to C1 | 5,000+ words and 6,700+ sentences | Hangul with romanised hintsGlossika help: typing as a complete beginner |
| AssimilKorean With Ease · Assimil: Korean e-course | A1 to B2 | 100 lessons | Not stated |
| DuolingoKorean · Duolingo blog: Korean course updates | Up to B2 | Not stated | Hangeul, with alphabet lessons |
| MondlyKorean · Mondly FAQ: learning levels | A1 to B2Beginner to upper intermediate | Not stated | Not stated |
| LingoDeerKorean · LingoDeer: Korean course | A1 to B1 | Not stated | Alphabet unit for the writing system (Korean script)LingoDeer help: getting comfortable with the script |
| BusuuComplete Korean · Busuu: Korean certificate | A1 to A2 | 185+ lessonsBusuu: Korean course | Hangeul, plus a separate Hangeul course |
| PromovaKorean · Promova help: languages and levels | A1 to A2A1, A2 | Not stated | Not stated |
| uTalkKorean · uTalk: Korean | A1 to A2 | 2,500+ words and phrases in 60+ topicsuTalk: Korean | Speaking first, plus a topic on the alphabet |
The other 22 Korean courses: their own levels, or none stated
| App and course | How far it goes | How big it is | Writing system |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 Day KoreanInner Circle, Levels 1 to 4 · 90 Day Korean: what the membership includes, with its questions and answers | Beginner to Intermediate High, in four levels | 500+ lessons in four courses of about 90 days each | Hangeul taught in Level 1, with a short Hangeul Made Easy course in the Korean Gym |
| ClozemasterKorean from English · Clozemaster: Korean vocabulary | Intermediate and advanced learners | A 10,000-sentence Fast Track in 10 levelsClozemaster news: the Fast Track | Not taught: you need to know it already |
| FluentUKorean · FluentU: Korean | Beginner to advanced videos | Not stated | Basic syllables in the beginner lessons |
| LingopieKorean · Lingopie: home page | Beginner to Advanced | Not stated | Not stated |
| LingQKorean library · LingQ forum: how to set and change your level | Beginner 1 to Advanced 2 | Thousands of hours of audio lessons with transcriptsLingQ: learn Korean | Not stated |
| MemriseKorean · Memrise: Korean course | All levels | 5,000+ words | Hangul, or romanised with a switchMemrise help |
| Michel Thomas MethodKorean · Michel Thomas: Korean courses | Start, Foundation | 8-hour Foundation course | All-audio course: no writing is taughtMichel Thomas: the method |
| MigakuMigaku Academy (Korean) · Migaku FAQ: its courses | From zero to the point where you can start on real films, shows and texts: about 6 months at 10 cards a day | The ~1,500 most common words and a few hundred grammar points, every sentence with native audio | Hangul, taught first in its Fundamentals courseMigaku: learn Korean |
| PimsleurKorean · Pimsleur: Korean | Levels 1 to 5 | 5 levels of 30 half-hour lessons; about 100 reading lessons | About 100 reading lessons for the new alphabet |
| Rocket LanguagesRocket Korean · Rocket Languages: Korean prices | Beginner to intermediate | 156 hours of lessons | Lessons on reading and writing the alphabetRocket Languages: Rocket Korean |
| SpeakKorean · Speak help: tutor lessons | Elementary or Intermediate | Not stated | Not stated |
| StoryLearningKorean Uncovered · StoryLearning: choosing an Uncovered course and level | 2 levels (Beginner, Intermediate) | Beginner course: 20 chapters, 60+ video lessonsStoryLearning: Korean Uncovered | HangulStoryLearning: Korean Uncovered |
| Talk To Me In KoreanTTMIK Courses · Talk To Me In Korean: home page | Beginner, intermediate and advanced, from Hangeul in Level 1 | 1,700+ audio and video lessonsTTMIK Courses: plans and prices | Hangeul, taught from Level 1 |
| TalkpalKorean · Talkpal: courses | Absolute beginner to upper intermediate | 4 levels of 60 themed units each | Not stated |
| BeelinguappKorean · Beelinguapp: learn Korean | Not stated | Not stated | Korean text shown beside your own language, with karaoke-style narration |
| DropsKorean · Drops: Korean | Not stated | Not stated | Hangul, to read and write |
| Fluent ForeverKorean | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| LingKorean · Ling: FAQ | Not stated | More than 200 lessons | Not stated |
| LingvistKorean · Lingvist: Korean course | Not stated | Not stated | A hangeul deck to start reading |
| Mango LanguagesKorean · Mango Languages: languages and course sizes | Not stated | 1 unit, 75 lessons | Not stated |
| MosaLinguaMosaLingua Learn Korean App · nothing stated on mosalingua.com: mosalingua learn korean | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Rosetta StoneKorean · Rosetta Stone help: course contents | Not stated | 12 units in 3 levels | Hangul introduced in lessonsRosetta Stone: learn Korean |
Every app that teaches Korean
Recommended first within each type of app. Sort any column or filter by what matters to you.
47 apps
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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 | Up 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 A2 | 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 A2 | A free trial for new subscribers. Refunds for website and Google Play purchases are asked for by email; App Store purchases go through Apple. | |
| StoryLearningCourse app | One long story per course, with video lessons on it | $297Uncovered Beginner course | — | $997 | Free trial No | — | StoryLearning VIP: a 10-week programme with two coaching sessions a week, sold apart from the courses. | Yes | Its own levels2 levels (Beginner, Intermediate) | A 7-day free trial of each Uncovered course, then one payment with a 365-day money-back guarantee; bundles have 30 days. The StoryLearning App's page gives no trial or refund terms. | |
| LingCourse app | Asian and less-taught languages | $89.99 a year$7.50 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) | |
| 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 · You record yourself and compare with a native speaker by ear (Voice Comparison); nothing scores it. | No | Yes | — | Free trial on Individual and Family plans; cancel before it ends and you are not charged | |
| Rocket LanguagesCourse app | Paying once per level, not a subscription | $149.95Rocket Korean | — | $149.95 | 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 | Its own levelsBeginner to intermediate | A free trial; 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases. | |
| 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. | Yes · Mondly's App Store description names voice recognition and speaking practice; it does not say how it marks what you say. | — | — | A1 to B2 | 7-day free trial | |
| 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 B1 | 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. | |
| 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 and a one-time 7-day free trial in the app; no lasting free plan. | Yes | Coaching sessions with a Rosetta Stone certified tutor. | Yes | — | A one-time 7-day free trial in the app. Bought from Rosetta Stone: a 14-day money-back guarantee, refunded by its Memberships team by email or phone. App Store purchases go through Apple; a retailer's follow that retailer's policy. | |
| Transparent Language OnlineCourse app | Words and everyday phrases in about 100 languages, free if your library subscribes | $149.95 a year$12.50 a month, billed yearly | $24.95one language | — | Free trial Free with a card at participating public libraries, which give the whole course in every language; otherwise a 14-day free trial. | Yes · EveryVoice compares what you say with the native speaker's recording. | Transparent Connect: six 30-minute one-to-one sessions with a tutor over two months, sold apart from the subscription, in 11 languages. | Yes · Lessons downloaded in the mobile app work offline, and Hands-Free Autoplay plays them for listening and speaking practice. | — | A 14-day free trial. Cancel any time: Transparent Language gives a full refund for the current subscription period if you ask before the next billing date; earlier periods are not refunded. | |
| AssimilCourse app | A dialogue a day with native audio and notes, the method of the Assimil books, paid once | Priced in the appfree to try first | — | — | Free sample The first 7 lessons of each course, free in the app; the rest of the course is bought once. | — | No · A self-study course: no lessons with a person are described. | Yes | A1 to B2 | The first 7 lessons of each course are free to try. A course bought in the app is paid through the App Store or Google Play, so a refund is asked of the store; Assimil's terms of use for the app give no refund terms of their own. | |
| Talk To Me In KoreanCourse app | A Korean course from Hangeul to advanced, in the order its teachers recommend | $85.40 a year$7.12 a month, billed yearly | $16.99 | — | Free trial A free sample lesson sent by email; the Standard and Monthly plans start with a 7-day free trial of every course. | — | — | — | — | A 7-day free trial on the Standard and Monthly plans. TTMIK's terms give a full refund if you ask within 7 days of the start of a subscription and have not used it, and otherwise a part refund, less each day used; Paddle takes the payments. | |
| 90 Day KoreanCourse app | Korean step by step to intermediate, with a coach who grades your homework | $299 a year$24.92 a month, billed yearly | $35 | — | No | Yes · VIP Membership only. | No · VIP's coach answers in writing, in a 1:1 text thread, and grades homework; there are no live lessons. | — | — | No free trial; a full refund if you email within 30 days of signing up, no questions asked. After 30 days its terms refund nothing for a change of mind. | |
| DinolingoCourse app | Children from 2 to 14, in 50 languages | $199 a year$16.58 a month, billed yearly | $19 | — | Free trial No | — | — | — | — | A 7-day free trial; cancel before it ends and nothing is charged. | |
| Gus on the GoCourse app | A toddler's first words, bought once | — | — | — | No | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Audio courses | |||||||||||
| PimsleurAudio course | Audio lessons for a commute | $131.96 a year$11 a month, billed yearly | $19.95one language | $478.80 | No | Yes | — | Yes | — | A 7-day free trial on subscriptions. Pimsleur's 30-day money-back guarantee covers only a subscription bought on pimsleur.com or by phone without a free trial of 7 days or more, once per customer; App Store and Google Play purchases are not covered. | |
| 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 · You say each sentence aloud and are prompted to record yourself after it; nothing scores it. | No | Yes | A1 to C1 | 7-day free trial with no credit card; monthly payments are non-refundable, annual plans refundable pro rata within 60 days of purchase | |
| Michel Thomas MethodAudio course | Speaking from the first hour, with no writing or homework | $11.99Start course | — | $273 | Free sample A free lesson and a free booklet for every course (sign-up needed, no card); the app that plays the courses is free. | — | No | Yes | — | A refund or exchange within 14 days of buying, if you have not finished the course; the Start course is not refunded if you then buy Foundation. | |
| Vocabulary and flashcard apps | |||||||||||
| ClozemasterVocabulary and flashcards | Free vocabulary practice in context | $79.99 a year$6.67 a month, billed yearly | $12.99 | — | Free to keep using Free account with up to 30 sentences a day; Pro adds unlimited play and advanced features | — | — | Yes · on Pro, in the mobile app | — | 30-day money back guarantee on the Yearly plan; no refunds on Monthly plans | |
| uTalkVocabulary and flashcards | Phrases in 160 languages | $24.99 or $29.99 a yearfor Korean alone, or $3.99 or $4.99 month to month; uTalk's page shows the lower or the higher price from visit to visit | $3.99 or $4.99for Korean | — | 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 A2 | 28-day money-back guarantee | |
| Fluent ForeverVocabulary and flashcards | Pronunciation first, then flashcards you build yourself | $95.88 a year$7.99 a month, billed yearly | $11.99 | — | Free to keep using Free with no time limit and no card: the language-learning videos and basic learning content, with no ads. Unlimited flashcards and reviews, all the pronunciation lessons, sentences, every language and the AI pronunciation feedback need Premium. | Yes · A Premium feature. | Online Coaching: one-to-one sessions with a coach on Google Meet, 20 minutes once or twice a week or 10 minutes every weekday, sold apart from the app. | No | — | The free version has no time limit. A subscription bought on Fluent Forever's website can be cancelled at any time and stays open to the end of the term, with no refund promised; App Store and Google Play purchases follow Apple's or Google's rules. Online Coaching is refundable for 24 hours after the first purchase, and renewals are not. | |
| MemriseVocabulary and flashcards | Native-speaker clips and review | $61.99 a year$5.17 a month, billed yearly | $24.99 | $329.99 | Free to keep using Limited free version of the app; the paid plan unlocks the rest. | Yes | — | No · The current experience needs cloud-based tools | — | 30-day money-back guarantee; monthly plans have a 14-day refund window. Apple purchases require a refund from Apple. | |
| 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. | |
| LingoHutVocabulary and flashcards | Everyday words and phrases with audio in 50 languages, free and with no sign-up | Free | — | — | Free to keep using Every lesson free, with ads and no sign-up: about 125 lessons of phrases with audio in each language, with flashcards and games. | No · Its FAQ describes a recording feature that uses your microphone; no page says anything scores or answers what you say. | No | — | — | Free; nothing to buy. | |
| Learning from real video, text and audio | |||||||||||
| Language ReactorImmersion (video, audio, reading) | Learning from Netflix and YouTube with two sets of subtitles | $39.95 a year$3.33 a month, billed yearly | $5.95 | — | Free to keep using The extension and website are free: dual subtitles (Netflix's own), pop-up dictionary, playback controls, YouTube and podcast catalogue, basic AI helper and chat with Aria; saving words is limited to PhrasePump. Pro adds machine translation, speech recognition on Netflix and saving everywhere. | Yes · You can speak to the Aria chat; Pro's 'speech recognition' also makes subtitles from Netflix audio. No pronunciation scoring is described. | — | — | — | A Pro free trial ends by returning you to free mode, with no charge; Pro is an auto-renewing subscription you can cancel after paying. No refund policy is published. | |
| BeelinguappImmersion (video, audio, reading) | Reading and listening side by side with a translation | $49.90 a year$4.16 a month, billed yearly | $7.99 | — | Free to keep using Unlocked stories, news and songs with the glossary and flashcards, with ads; changing language needs Premium after the first 30 minutes. | Yes | No | Yes | — | Refunds on request by email within 14 days of a first purchase of a paid plan bought from Beelinguapp (not renewals); App Store and Google Play purchases are refunded by Apple or Google. | |
| LingopieImmersion (video, audio, 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, audio, 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, audio, reading) | Learning from real videos | $143.99 a year$12 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 | |
| ReadlangImmersion (video, audio, reading) | Reading articles, books and web pages you choose, with a translation one click away | $48 a year$4 a month, billed yearly | $6 | — | Free to keep using A free account with unlimited single-word translations, 10 phrase translations and 10 AI explanations a day, and flashcards; Premium removes the daily limits. | — | — | — | — | No free trial of Premium is described; the free plan stays free. Premium renews each month or year until you cancel in your account settings; you keep it to the end of the period you paid for, and partial periods are not generally refunded. In the EU and EEA you have 14 days to withdraw, but if you start using Premium in that time, the right can end once the service has been provided. | |
| MigakuImmersion (video, audio, reading) | Learning from YouTube, Netflix and web pages, with every word you look up saved as a flashcard | $96 a year$8 a month, billed yearly | $10 | $240 | Free trial No | — | — | Yes | — | A 10-day free trial with no card. A full refund if you tell Migaku within 14 days of buying, by email to its support address. | |
| AI conversation practice | |||||||||||
| JumpspeakAI conversation practice | Speaking aloud with AI from the first lesson | $79 a year$6.58 a month, billed yearly | — | $269 | Free sample Free users can sample some lessons at each level, switch languages and have a limited number of AI Tutor conversations. | Yes | Live Tutoring through Rype (one-on-one sessions with human tutors), sold separately from Premium | No | — | Premium bought on Jumpspeak's website: a 100-day money-back guarantee (30 days for Premium AI and family plans). App Store and Google Play purchases go through Apple or Google. | |
| 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. | |
| LangotalkAI conversation practice | An AI tutor that remembers your mistakes and builds lessons on them | $79.99 a year$6.67 a month, billed yearly | $19.99 | $149.99 | Free trial A free account to start your first conversation; Langotalk doesn't say what stays free after that. The yearly plan comes with a 7-day free trial. | Yes | No | — | — | A 7-day free trial with the yearly plan only. Bought on Langotalk's website: a full refund within 14 days of purchase, on any plan, by email (its home page's answers say 3 months; the refund policy says 14 days). App Store and Google Play purchases are refunded by Apple or Google. | |
| SpeakAI conversation practice | Speaking practice with AI | $83.99 a year$7 a month, billed yearly | $17.99 | — | Free trial 7-day free trial; no permanently free tier is published | Yes | No | — | — | 7-day free trial; refunds for App Store and Google Play purchases go through Apple or Google, and website purchases through Speak support | |
| 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. | |
| Teacher AIAI conversation practice | Speaking practice with AI versions of YouTube teachers, once you know the basics | $97 a year$8.08 a month, billed yearly | $15 | — | Free trial No | Yes | No | — | — | A 3-day free trial with the monthly plan, 7 days with the longer plans. Bought on Teacher AI's website: a full refund if you ask within 7 days of buying, by email to [email protected]. App Store and Google Play purchases are refunded by Apple or Google. | |
| 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. | |
| UniverbalAI conversation practice | Conversations about your own situations, each message corrected | $119.99 a year$10 a month, billed yearly | $19.99 | — | Free trial Signing up is free and every new account gets 3 days to try Univerbal; after that Univerbal doesn't say what stays free. Unlimited conversations need a Univerbal Pass. | Yes | No | — | — | A 7-day free trial on every pass, after 3 free days on a new account. Refunds follow Apple's or Google's rules; Univerbal says it will usually send a refund request to the store. | |
| Pingo AIAI conversation practice | Speaking practice with an AI that remembers your mistakes and builds each conversation on the last | — | — | — | Free trial No | Yes | No | — | — | A free trial before you subscribe. Pingo publishes no refund terms of its own: its terms send refund requests to the store or payment provider you paid through, under that provider's rules. | |
| Tutors and live classes | |||||||||||
| italkiTutor marketplace | Tutors priced per lesson | Set by each teacheritalki's Korean page gives no typical price | — | — | 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 | |
| PreplyTutor marketplace | Weekly lessons with one tutor | Set by each tutorPreply's Korean page gives no typical price | — | — | 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 learned your first Korean from a drama
Lingopie or LingQ, with a vocabulary app
Lingopie lists Korean among its subtitled TV languages at $6.99 a month on its yearly plan; LingQ lets you import Korean text and audio at $10 a month on its 12-month plan. Drops gives five free minutes of visual vocabulary every ten hours and $5.83 a month on its yearly plan; Memrise adds native-speaker clips at $5.17 a month on its annual plan.
Migaku works on the dramas themselves: click a word in Netflix or YouTube subtitles for its meaning and audio, and save it as a flashcard with the line it came from. Its Korean course starts with Hangul and then the ~1,500 most common words. A 10-day trial needs no card; then it is $10 a month or $96 a year.
You have a TOPIK date
A course with levels, and a tutor
None of the apps we cover names TOPIK on its pages, and TOPIK uses its own six levels rather than CEFR. Busuu labels its courses with CEFR levels and lists Korean at $6.08 a month on its 12-month Premium plan; italki and Preply list Korean tutors priced per lesson who can teach to the exam. Past papers are on TOPIK's official site.
You want to speak before you can read Hangul well
Pimsleur
Pimsleur's audio lessons need no reading; it states speech recognition and offline mode, at $19.95 a month for one language, with a 30-day money-back guarantee on pimsleur.com plans sold without a free trial. Hangul is quick to learn; the sounds are not, and Pimsleur spends its time on the sounds.
You want a course built around Korean specifically
Talk To Me In Korean or 90 Day Korean, or Ling
Talk To Me In Korean teaches only Korean: 1,700+ audio and video lessons from Hangeul in Level 1 to advanced, each a warm-up, the lesson, speaking aloud and a review quiz, with a free 3-minute level test to find where to start. Its Smart Save plan is $85.40 a year with no trial; Standard, $122 a year, and Monthly, $16.99 a month, start with 7 days free. 90 Day Korean is another course made only for Korean.
Ling's catalogue leans toward Asian languages; it states speech recognition and a tutoring product, at $89.99 a year on its 12-month plan ($7.50 a month), on sale from $149.99, with a 30-day money-back refund on yearly web purchases.
You will not pay
Duolingo, HelloTalk or Tandem
Duolingo's free tier is its full Korean course with ads. HelloTalk and Tandem are exchange apps with free accounts, and Korean speakers learning English are plentiful on both.
Questions people ask
What is the best app to learn Korean?
For drama and content, Lingopie or LingQ with a vocabulary app; for TOPIK, a course with CEFR levels plus a tutor; to speak first, Pimsleur; for a course made only for Korean, Talk To Me In Korean or 90 Day Korean, or Ling, built around Asian languages; for free, Duolingo, HelloTalk or Tandem. The table shows every app that lists Korean with its published price.
Do any of these apps teach Hangul?
Duolingo's free Korean course starts with hangul and has a Characters section to practise the letters and their sounds. Pimsleur's audio lessons don't need it, and LingQ assumes you can already read it.