Best app to learn Shanghainese: the 3 apps that teach it, compared
Of the apps that teach Shanghainese, Mango Languages (about $120 a year) scores highest on our method overall. None teaches Shanghainese free for good. Mango Languages is free through many public libraries.
Prices checked 13 Oct 2026; Tandem's on 6 Sept 2026, Mango Languages's on 6 Oct 2026 · How we check
Our picks
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Our pick for Shanghainese
Mango Languages
Course app
About $120 a year$10 a month, billed yearly · Individual
Why it's here. Conversation-based lessons help you rehearse useful exchanges. A participating library card can give you the whole course without a subscription bill.
Free: Free through many public libraries; otherwise a free trial and the first lesson of any language.
Skip it if you want your pronunciation scored: Mango lets you record a phrase and compare it with a native speaker by ear, but nothing scores it.
73 languages · offline lessons
3 of the 52 apps we cover list Shanghainese; 3 of them have a free tier.
They are 1 course app, 1 vocabulary app and 1 language exchange.
To practise with a person, Tandem pairs you free with Shanghainese speakers.
What a year of Shanghainese costs
Every app that teaches Shanghainese and sells a yearly plan, cheapest first, from the plans on each app's own pages.
The yearly planPaying month to month for 12 months
Every app that teaches Shanghainese
Recommended first within each type of app. Sort any column or filter by what matters to you.
No apps match these filters. Clear a filter to see more choices.
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 Shanghainese. Hear a conversation, break it into phrases and repeat them, with notes on grammar and culture.
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 Shanghainese. Picture games for words and phrases by topic, with native-speaker audio.
You want to chat with Shanghainese speakers
Tandem
Tandem pairs you with Shanghainese 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 Shanghainese?
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. Mango Languages scores highest of the 3 on our method, and the table lists all of them with their prices.
Is there a free app to learn Shanghainese?
No app we cover teaches Shanghainese free for good. Tandem pairs you free with Shanghainese speakers.
Does Duolingo teach Shanghainese?
No. Duolingo's 40 languages do not include Shanghainese. Mango Languages and uTalk do.