Best app to learn Malay: the 9 apps that teach it, compared

Of the apps that teach Malay, Language Reactor ($39.95 a year) scores highest on our method overall, and Mango Languages (about $120 a year) is our pick among those with independent reviews. Language Reactor, LingoDeer, Talkpal and LingQ teach Malay free for good, with limits. Mango Languages is free through many public libraries.

Prices checked 6 Sept to 13 Oct 2026 · How we check

Our picks

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9 of the 52 apps we cover list Malay; 7 of them have a free tier.

They are 2 course apps, 1 vocabulary app, 2 apps for real video, text or audio, 1 AI conversation app, 2 tutor marketplaces and 1 language exchange.

To practise with a person, italki and Preply list Malay tutors, and Tandem pairs you free with Malay speakers.

What a year of Malay costs

Every app that teaches Malay 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: italki and Preply.

The yearly planPaying month to month for 12 months

Every app that teaches Malay

Recommended first within each type of app. Sort any column or filter by what matters to you.

9 apps
Best for Free tier Speech Tutor Offline CEFR Refund or trial Where to buy
Course apps
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
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.
Vocabulary and flashcard apps
uTalkVocabulary and flashcards Phrases in 160 languages From $24.99 a year$24.99 to $39.99 a year for one language, depending on the language From $3.99depending on the language — 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
Learning from real video, text and audio
Language ReactorImmersion (video, 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.
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.
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.
Tutors and live classes
italkiTutor marketplace Tutors priced per lesson $5 to $30 an hourMalay teachers' rates; each teacher sets one — —
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 Malay 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

Which to choose

You want a course with lessons in order

Mango Languages

Mango Languages (about $120 a year) is the highest-scored course app that teaches Malay. Hear a conversation, break it into phrases and repeat them, with notes on grammar and culture. Also teaching Malay this way: LingoDeer ($95.99 a year).

You want to build vocabulary a few minutes a day

uTalk

uTalk (from $24.99 a year) is the highest-scored vocabulary app that teaches Malay. Picture games for words and phrases by topic, with native-speaker audio.

You want to read, watch or listen to real Malay

Language Reactor

Language Reactor ($39.95 a year) is the highest-scored app for real video, text or audio that teaches Malay. Watch a Netflix or YouTube video with subtitles in both languages: hover over a word for its meaning, replay a line, save words to review. Also teaching Malay this way: LingQ ($119.99 a year).

You want to practise conversation with an AI

Talkpal

Talkpal ($119.99 a year) is the highest-scored AI conversation app that teaches Malay. Pick a scenario or a character, then talk or type with an AI tutor that answers you and checks your pronunciation.

You want a Malay speaker to correct you

italki and Preply

italki and Preply list Malay tutors, who set their own price for a lesson. italki says its Malay teachers charge $5 to $30 an hour.

You want to chat with Malay speakers

Tandem

Tandem pairs you with Malay speakers who want to learn your language, for text, voice and video chats. There are no lessons, and a free account is enough to start.

Questions people ask

What is the best app to learn Malay?

It depends on how you want to learn. Mango Languages if you want a course with lessons in order; uTalk if you want to build vocabulary a few minutes a day; Language Reactor if you want to read, watch or listen to real Malay; Talkpal if you want to practise conversation with an AI. Language Reactor scores highest of the 9 on our method, and the table lists all of them with their prices.

Is there a free app to learn Malay?

Yes. Language Reactor, LingoDeer, Talkpal and LingQ teach Malay free for good, with limits on the free plan.

Does Duolingo teach Malay?

No. Duolingo's 40 languages do not include Malay. Language Reactor, Mango Languages, LingoDeer and 3 more do.

How much does a Malay tutor cost?

Each tutor sets their own price. On italki, which gives a range for each language, Malay lessons run $5 to $30 an hour, and its first trial lesson with a teacher is discounted.

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