Best language learning apps for beginners
Duolingo or Busuu to start free, Babbel for short lessons that explain the grammar, Pimsleur or Language Transfer to start by speaking, and LingoDeer for Japanese, Korean or Arabic, each with a whole unit on the alphabet.
Prices checked 6 Sept to 12 Oct 2026 · How we check
What the first lessons are like
A lesson on each course, in a line, how far its courses say they go, how to try it, and its cheapest yearly plan.
- Duolingo
A few minutes of game-like exercises (translate, match, listen, speak), with English throughout.
- Busuu
Short lessons with dialogues, grammar tips and exercises; you can send spoken or written answers for the community, native speakers included, to correct.
- Promova
A bite-sized lesson on your personal plan, then speaking aloud with feedback on your pronunciation and role-play with an AI tutor.
- Mango Languages
Hear a conversation, break it into phrases and repeat them, with notes on grammar and culture.
- Ling
Short game-style lessons with dialogues and a chatbot.
- Pimsleur
A 30-minute audio lesson: you hear a prompt, answer aloud, then hear the right answer.
- Babbel
10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises.
- LingoDeer
Short lessons that introduce words and a sentence pattern with native-speaker audio and a grammar tip, then quizzes and flashcards.
- Rocket Languages
Audio lessons built on conversations, with language and culture lessons and voice-recognition drills alongside.
- Rosetta Stone
Pictures and audio with no translation at all, and your pronunciation scored.
- Mondly
Short daily lessons with pictures and audio, plus a chatbot you can talk to.
- Glossika
Listen to whole sentences and repeat them aloud, with spaced review and little explanation.
- Language Transfer
Listen as a teacher guides a student through building sentences, and pause to answer aloud before the student does.
Our picks
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Best free start
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.
40 languages · offline lessons
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Best for grammar explained
Busuu
Course app
$72.99 a year$6.08 a month, billed yearly · Premium
Why it's here. A structured course gives you a path through lessons, with corrections from native speakers. You can start with a free account before deciding whether the paid extras are useful.
Free: Free account with the complete course in each language, community feedback and basic progress tracking.
Skip it if you want live conversation with a person; Busuu has no live lessons.
14 languages · offline lessons
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Best to speak before you can read
Pimsleur
Audio course
$149.95 a year$12.50 a month, billed yearly · Premium
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.
51 languages · offline lessons
13 of the 34 apps we cover are courses or audio courses that start from zero.
From zero, the course matters more than the app: one that gives you a path, explains why a sentence works and makes you say it. Start with something free for two weeks before paying for a year, and add a second tool only when the first leaves a gap, usually speaking.
Every course for beginners, compared
Recommended first within each type of app. Sort any column or filter by what matters to you.
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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). | 40 | Yes | No | Yes · Limited lessons available offline; progress syncs when connected | A1 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. | 14 | Yes | No · Live Lessons are exclusive to Busuu for Business, outside the consumer subscription | Yes | A1 to C1by course | 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. | 12 | Yes | No | — | A1 to C1by course | A free trial for new subscribers. Refunds for website and Google Play purchases are asked for by email; App Store purchases go through Apple. | |
| 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 | 73 | No | No | Yes | A1 to B1by course | Free trial on Individual and Family plans; cancel before it ends and you are not charged | |
| LingCourse app | Asian and less-taught languages | $149.99 a year$12.50 a month, billed yearly | $16.99 | — | Free to keep using Free tier with limited lessons and limited dialogue practice, with ads | 80 | 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) | |
| 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. | 20 | — | — | 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. | |
| BabbelCourse app | A structured course with grammar explained | $107.40 a year$8.95 a month, billed yearly | $17.99 | $299.99 | Free sample Free account; the first lesson of every course is free, and up to 80 free lessons depending on the language. | 14 | Yes | No · Babbel Live is no longer available to individual consumers | Yes · Downloaded lessons, vocabulary review and podcasts in the mobile app | A1 to C1 | Bought from Babbel in the US: no refund promised if you cancel early. Outside the US: 14 days to change your mind, less what you have used. App store purchases: the store's rules. | |
| Rocket LanguagesCourse app | Paying once per level, not a subscription | $99.95Rocket Sign Language | — | $449.85 | Free trial A free trial; the page does not say what it includes or for how long. | 13 | Yes | No | Yes · audio lessons download in the app; voice recognition needs a connection | A1 to B2by course | A free trial; 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases. | |
| 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; no lasting free plan. | 25 | Yes | Coaching sessions with a Rosetta Stone certified tutor. | Yes | — | 14-day money-back guarantee | |
| 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. | 41 | — | — | — | A1 to B2by course | 7-day free trial | |
| Audio courses | ||||||||||||
| PimsleurAudio course | Audio lessons for a commute | $149.95 a year$12.50 a month, billed yearly | $19.95one language | $798 | No | 51 | Yes | — | Yes | — | 7-day free trial on subscriptions; 30 Day money back guarantee on purchases | |
| 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 | 63 | No | No | Yes | A1 to C1by course | 7-day free trial with no credit card; monthly payments are non-refundable, annual plans refundable pro rata within 60 days of purchase | |
| Language TransferAudio course | A free audio course that explains as it goes | Free | — | — | Free to keep using Every course free, with no adverts and no sign-up; it runs on donations. | 11 | No | No | Yes | — | Free; nothing to buy. | |
Which to choose
You don't want to pay yet
Duolingo or Busuu
Duolingo's courses are free in full, with ads and daily limits, and its game-like lessons make a daily habit easy. Busuu's free account also includes the complete course in each of its 14 languages, with corrections from native speakers in its community.
You want to know why a sentence works
Babbel
Babbel's 10 to 15-minute lessons are built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises. The first lesson of every course is free; a subscription is $107.40 a year.
You want to speak before you read
Pimsleur, or Language Transfer for free
Pimsleur's 30-minute audio lessons have you answer aloud from the first minute, for $149.95 a year for one language after a 7-day free trial. Language Transfer's free audio courses build sentences step by step as you answer.
Your language has a new alphabet
LingoDeer, or Duolingo's Characters section
LingoDeer's Japanese, Korean and Arabic courses each have a whole unit on the alphabet, and every lesson carries a grammar tip, from absolute beginner to B1. Duolingo's free Japanese and Korean courses keep a Characters section to drill kana and hangul. The Japanese and Korean pages give each script's path.
Questions people ask
What is the best language learning app for beginners?
To start free, Duolingo, or Busuu, whose free account includes the complete course. To have the grammar explained, Babbel. To start by speaking, Pimsleur, or Language Transfer for free. Whatever you choose, try it for two weeks before paying for a year.
Is Duolingo enough for a beginner?
It is a good free start for the habit and the basics. Duolingo says its biggest courses (Spanish and French from English) reach B2, and its other courses stop between A1 and B2. Most learners add speaking practice with an AI app, a tutor or a language partner.
Which app should I start with if I have never learned a language?
One that gives you a path and explains it: Babbel or Busuu if you like reading the rule, Pimsleur if you would rather listen and answer. The finder on the home page gives you a starting pair for your language and goal.