Best app to learn Spanish: choose by goal and level

Spain, Mexico or elsewhere in Latin America?

Choose the Spanish you expect to hear. Babbel separates European and Mexican Spanish; its Mexican course requires American English as the display language. Pimsleur offers separate Latin American and Castilian Spanish courses.

For a trip to Spain, start by comparing the European or Castilian option. For Mexico, compare the Mexican or Latin American option. If you are visiting another country, add listening from that country and tell a conversation partner where you are going. A broad “Latin American” label does not describe every local accent or expression.

Busuu also separates Complete Spanish and Complete Latin American Spanish. Check the course name inside the app before you subscribe.

Choose a course that still has something to teach you

Starting from scratch? Babbel and Busuu give you a course to follow. If you already understand everyday conversations, check the later lessons before paying: restarting greetings will not answer your next question about Spanish.

For English speakers, Babbel lists European Spanish through C1 and Mexican Spanish through B1. Busuu lists its Complete Spanish course from A1 to C1. Do not transfer that endpoint to a different regional course without checking its syllabus.

Those labels describe course content. Finishing the lessons does not tell you how well you can speak or write without prompts. Use the CEFR explanation to understand the labels, then try a task you actually need: describe a problem at your hotel, follow a news story or write an email without the lesson prompts.

Already comfortable in everyday Spanish? LingQ lets you bring text and audio into your study routine. Choose material that stretches your reading and listening, then arrange feedback on the Spanish you produce yourself.

Choose the practice your Spanish is missing

You recognise Spanish but freeze when answering. Pimsleur’s recorded prompts ask for a spoken reply. For unpredictable follow-up questions, compare an AI conversation app such as Speak with a live Preply tutor. A recording, software and a person give different kinds of practice.

You want pronunciation feedback. Check the actual feature, not just a “speaking” badge. Pimsleur’s Spanish page lists Voice Coach; Speak’s newer Tutor Lesson feedback is a limited beta. Ask a tutor to listen for the sounds you struggle with if you need an explanation you can question.

You lose the thread when listening or reading. LingQ combines Spanish text, audio and saved vocabulary. Reread and listen to the same passage, then try it without looking up every unfamiliar word. This is a reading and listening routine; add a conversation if speaking is the gap.

You can choose the right answer but cannot write your own. Busuu accepts written and spoken exercises for community corrections. Write something you would send in real life, then look for a pattern in the corrections. For detailed explanations or work you must get right, ask a tutor about writing feedback.

You forget words or keep guessing the grammar. Drops offers word practice and review. Babbel adds a Grammar Guide alongside its course. Choose vocabulary practice for missing words and an explanation-led course for sentence patterns; subscribing to both does not remove the need to use the words.

Preparing for DELE or SIELE?

Choose practice for the exam you will take. A course that reaches a CEFR level is not automatically an exam-preparation course. Instituto Cervantes publishes DELE sample tasks and answer materials, and its SIELE preparation page links the exam guide and a demo. Start there to see what you will be asked to do.

Busuu lists an Advanced Spanish Exam Preparation course. The page does not name DELE or SIELE, so check its tasks and target exam before relying on it. Its general Spanish course can be part of your study; look for practice with the exam’s question formats and written and spoken answers too.

Use an official sample to find the gap: understanding the reading, following the audio, producing a written answer or speaking to the prompt. Ask a prospective tutor to work on the exact exam and task you need. An app completion badge is not an exam result.

For a trip, rehearse what you will need to say

Start with Pimsleur if you want to practise replies aloud away from a screen. Choose Busuu’s Spanish for Travel if you want a dedicated set of travel phrases. Match the regional course to your destination, then rehearse your own likely situations: checking in, ordering, asking for directions and explaining a problem.

Leave room to listen to the reply. Prepare to ask someone to repeat or slow down, and try answering a follow-up question without a script. If you want help choosing between lesson styles, the table of every app filters by practice type: solo study, AI conversation or practice with a person.

If you are keeping costs down, use the free Spanish comparison to distinguish continuing free access from a short sample. Check download availability in the app before relying on lessons during a flight.

Choosing Spanish lessons for a child

Choose around your child’s age, reading ability and need for adult help. A colourful lesson or a family subscription is not enough to make that decision.

For a taught lesson, Preply’s Spanish directory includes tutors who describe experience with children. Check the individual profile, discuss your child’s age and interests, and ask to see the lesson approach before booking. Do not assume every Spanish tutor teaches children.

For an app, review a lesson together first. Check that the child understands the instructions, that the reading is manageable, and that an adult can control purchases and any communication features. The adult picks above are not recommendations for children.

Spanish for meetings, clients or a specific job

Start with the task you need at work: answering a customer, explaining a delay, joining a meeting or writing an email. A general Spanish course can build the foundations, but its level label will not tell you whether it covers the vocabulary or tone your job needs.

Preply lets you choose a tutor around your goals. Ask them to practise your actual work situations and correct a sample conversation or email. Ask about their experience in your field as well as their Spanish teaching before paying.

For independent study, use Spanish reading and listening alongside that feedback. LingQ can turn material you choose into reading practice. For important professional writing, have a qualified person check the result rather than relying on a lesson score.