Free apps
Best free language learning apps
"Free" means five different things on a language app's pricing page: the whole course with ads, the first lessons only, a few minutes every few hours, a free account with features held back, or full access through a library card. The free-tier column below quotes each app's own words, so you can see what you are getting before you download anything.
17 of the 24 apps in the dataset state a free tier.
Our picks
Most language for nothing
The whole product is free, with ads or limits. Game-shaped lessons for every course, with paid tiers that remove the ads and the daily limits; courses labelled A1 to B2.
4.6/5for this · 3.7 overall · 2 reviews
Best with a library card
The first lesson is free, and the whole course is free through many public libraries. Conversation-based courses, often free through a library card.
3.9/5for this · 3.4 overall · 2 reviews
Best free vocabulary practice
The whole product is free, with ads or limits. Fill-in-the-blank sentences for vocabulary in context. Works offline.
4.7/5for this · 3.2 overall · 2 reviews
Best free way to talk to people
Real native speakers to talk and write to. The whole product is free, with ads or limits. 300 languages.
4.2/5for this · 3.2 overall · 2 reviews
Best free account attached to a real course
A free account with limits. Course app with corrections from native speakers and CEFR-labelled levels.
3.8/5for this · 3.4 overall · 2 reviews
Links to apps on this page are plain, untracked links to the vendor today. This site is funded by affiliate links: when an app's programme is joined, its link will earn a commission at no cost to you and will be listed on the affiliate disclosure page. That never changes which apps appear or the order they are in. Affiliate disclosure and how the data is collected.
Every app with a free tier, and what is free
Grouped by what each app is; our score first within each group. Sort any column or filter by what matters to you.
| Best for | Free tier | Speech | Tutor | Offline | CEFR | Refund or trial | Where to buy | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course apps | |||||||||||||
| DuolingoCourse app | A free daily habit | 3.72 reviews | Freepaid tier priced in-app | not published | no lifetime plan | Full free tier with ads and limits; paid tiers remove ads and limits. | 40 | not stated | No | not stated | A1 to B2 | 1 week free trial on Super | |
| BusuuCourse app | Corrections from native speakers | 3.42 reviews | $6.08$72.99 a year | not published | no lifetime plan | Free account with limited features; paid tiers remove ads and add review tools. | 14 | not stated | not stated | Yes | not stated | not stated | |
| Mango LanguagesCourse app | Free through many public libraries | 3.42 reviews | $10annual plan | $13.99 | no lifetime plan | 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 | 73 | No | No | Yes | not stated | Free trial on Individual and Family plans; cancel before it ends and you are not charged | |
| LingCourse app | Asian and less-taught languages | 3.32 reviews | $12.50$149.99 a year | $16.99 | no lifetime plan | Free tier with limited lessons and limited dialogue practice, with ads | 80 | Yes | Ling Live Online Tutor | not stated | not stated | 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) | |
| BabbelCourse app | A structured course with grammar explained | 3.13 reviews | $8.95$107.40 a year | $17.99 | $299.99 | Free account; the first lesson of every course is free, and up to 80 free lessons depending on the language. | 14 | Yes | not stated | not stated | A1 to C1 | not stated | |
| Rosetta StoneCourse app | Immersion without translation | 3.12 reviews | $13.25$159 a year | $19.99 | no lifetime plan | Free sample lessons from the site (TRY A LESSON); no ongoing free plan is described on the pricing page. | 25 | Yes | Tutoring | Yes | not stated | 14-day money-back guarantee | |
| MondlyCourse app | A cheap yearly plan across many languages | 3.02 reviews | $4$47.99 a year | $9.99 | no lifetime plan | Free version with Daily Lessons, the Hello category and a chatbot lesson. | 41 | not stated | not stated | not stated | not stated | 7-day free trial | |
| Audio courses | |||||||||||||
| GlossikaAudio course | Sentence drills by ear | 2.72 reviews | $16.58annual plan | $19.99 | no lifetime plan | 7-day full access with no credit card, plus a permanent Freemium tier covering nine minoritized languages | 63 | No | No | Yes | not stated | 7-day free trial with no credit card; monthly payments are non-refundable, annual plans refundable pro rata within 60 days of purchase | |
| Vocabulary and flashcard apps | |||||||||||||
| ClozemasterVocabulary and flashcards | Free vocabulary practice in context | 3.22 reviews | $6.67$79.99 a year | $12.99 | no lifetime plan | Free account with unlimited play; Pro unlocks advanced features | 71 | not stated | not stated | Yes | not stated | 30-day money back guarantee on the Yearly plan; no refunds on Monthly plans | |
| uTalkVocabulary and flashcards | Phrases in 160 languages | 3.02 reviews | $2.50annual plan | $4.99 | no lifetime plan | Starter Words, a free 26-word pack in every language, plus an online demo at demo.utalk.com | 160 | No | No | Yes | not stated | 28-day money-back guarantee | |
| LingvistVocabulary and flashcards | Fast vocabulary with a placement test | 2.82 reviews | $6.67$79.99 a year | $9.99 | no lifetime plan | Free level placement before subscribing, and a 14-day free trial on the annual plan; the monthly plan has no trial | 16 | Yes | No | not stated | not stated | 14-day free trial on the annual plan; cancel before it ends and you are not charged | |
| MemriseVocabulary and flashcards | Native-speaker clips and review | 2.72 reviews | $5.17$61.99 a year | $24.99 | $329.99 | Limited free version of the app; the paid plan unlocks the rest. | 149 | Yes | not stated | not stated | not stated | not stated | |
| DropsVocabulary and flashcards | Five-minute vocabulary sessions | 2.72 reviews | $5.83$69.99 a year | $12.99 | $159.99 | Free access capped at 5 minutes of play every 10 hours, with topics unlocked one at a time through gameplay | 55 | not stated | not stated | Yes | not stated | 7-day free trial on the Yearly plan; affiliate terms reference a 14-day refund period | |
| Learning from real video, text and audio | |||||||||||||
| LingQImmersion (video, reading) | Reading and listening to real content | 2.72 reviews | $10$119.99 a year | $14.99 | no lifetime plan | Free account capped at 20 saved words and phrases, 5 lessons created from imported content, and 1 audio playlist | 52 | not stated | not stated | Yes | not stated | not stated | |
| AI conversation practice | |||||||||||||
| SpeakAI conversation practice | Speaking practice with AI | 3.02 reviews | $7$83.99 a year | $17.99 | no lifetime plan | 7-day free trial; no permanently free tier is published | 6 | Yes | No | not stated | not stated | 7-day free trial; refunds for App Store and Google Play purchases go through Apple or Google, and website purchases through Speak support | |
| Language exchange | |||||||||||||
| TandemLanguage exchange | Language exchange with native speakers | 3.22 reviews | $3.33$39.99 a year | not published | no lifetime plan | Free account with many features; Tandem Pro unlocks the rest | 300 | No | No | not stated | not stated | 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 | 3.22 reviews | $6.67$79.99 a year | $12.99 | no lifetime plan | Free account with ads and daily limits (for example ten translations a day); occasional randomly offered 3-day VIP trials | 260 | Yes | No | Yes | not stated | Occasional randomly offered 3-day free VIP trial; refunds handled by Apple or Google for in-app purchases | |
Which one, for whom
You want the most language for nothing
Duolingo
Duolingo's free tier is the full set of courses with ads and daily limits, and the paid tiers only remove those. No other app in this table gives the whole course free. The price is the ads, the caps, and no stated CEFR range to tell you where you have got to.
You have a library card
Mango Languages
Mango Languages states that public libraries provide its full courses free to card holders, and that the first lesson of any language is free for everyone. It also states a placement test and offline mode. Check your library's website for Mango before paying anyone.
You want free practice without ads
Clozemaster, then Drops in short bursts
Clozemaster states unlimited free play, with Pro unlocking advanced features. Drops gives five minutes of play every ten hours free, which is enough for a daily vocabulary habit and not enough for anything else. LingQ's free account is capped at 20 saved words, so it is a preview rather than a free tier.
You want to try a paid course before paying
Babbel's free lessons, Busuu's free account, Rosetta Stone's samples
Babbel states that the first lesson of every course is free and up to 80 lessons depending on the language. Busuu describes a free account with limited features. Rosetta Stone offers sample lessons rather than an ongoing free plan. Use them to pick the method, then pay for the one you kept opening.
You want to talk to real people for free
HelloTalk or Tandem
HelloTalk and Tandem are language-exchange apps: you help someone with your language, they help you with theirs. Both have free accounts with limits and paid tiers that lift them. They are not courses, and they are the only free way in this table to practise with a person.
Questions people ask
What is the best free language learning app?
For a whole course free, Duolingo; with a library card, Mango Languages; for free vocabulary practice without limits, Clozemaster; to talk to native speakers free, HelloTalk or Tandem. The table quotes what each vendor says is free.
Is Duolingo really free?
Yes: its free tier is the full set of courses with ads and daily limits. The paid tiers (Super, Max) remove ads and add features; their prices are not published on duolingo.com and are sold in the app.
Is Babbel really free?
Partly. Babbel states that the first lesson of every course is free, and up to 80 free lessons depending on the language. The rest of the course is paid; the 12-month plan works out to $8.95 a month.
Which free language app has no ads?
Clozemaster states unlimited free play with no mention of ads on its plans page, and Mango Languages is free through many public libraries. Duolingo's free tier carries ads.