Best language learning apps for seniors
Babbel or Busuu on a computer's big screen, Pimsleur or the free Language Transfer to learn by ear, a tutor on Preply or italki who goes at your pace, and Mango Languages, free through many public libraries. Each of them teaches Spanish and French.
Prices checked 6 Sept to 16 Oct 2026 · How we check
Where each course works, and how a lesson goes
Each course that teaches Spanish or French: a lesson in a line, whether it runs in a web browser on a computer or only in a phone or tablet app, how to try it, and its cheapest yearly plan.
- Babbel
10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises.
- Busuu
Short lessons with dialogues, grammar tips and exercises; you can send spoken or written answers for the community, native speakers included, to correct.
- Duolingo
A few minutes of game-like exercises (translate, match, listen, speak), with English throughout.
- Pimsleur
A 30-minute audio lesson: you hear a prompt, answer aloud, then hear the right answer.
- Language Transfer
Listen as a teacher guides a student through building sentences, and pause to answer aloud before the student does.
- Michel Thomas Method
Join a teacher and two students in a recorded class: when the teacher asks for a sentence, pause and say it before the students do.
- Mango Languages
Hear a conversation, break it into phrases and repeat them, with notes on grammar and culture.
- Promova
A bite-sized lesson on your personal plan, then speaking aloud with feedback on your pronunciation and role-play with an AI tutor.
- StoryLearning
Listen to and read a chapter of a story told with native audio, watch short video lessons on its words, grammar and pronunciation, then go back to the story.
- Ling
Short game-style lessons with dialogues and a chatbot.
- 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.
Learning a sign language? The best apps to learn ASL, BSL and Auslan compare those courses.
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 to learn by ear
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
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Best with a library card
Mango Languages
Course app
FreeFree through many public libraries; otherwise a free trial and the first lesson of any language.
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.
Paid upgrade: About $120 a year ($10 a month, billed yearly · Individual)
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
26 of the 70 apps we cover are courses or audio courses you can follow on your own.
None of the apps we compare is made for older learners, so what decides it is how you like to learn: on a computer or on a phone, by reading or by ear, alone or with a teacher, and whether you want to pay at all. Almost every spoken-language course here teaches Spanish and French. The list above shows those courses, the ones named at the top first; the table below also lists every other course, the sign language ones included. Try one for two weeks before paying for a year.
Every course, compared
Grouped by type of app; within each, the courses named at the top come first. 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 | ||||||||||||
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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. | |
| StoryLearningCourse app | One long story per course, with video lessons on it | $297Uncovered Beginner course | — | $997 | Free trial No | 16 | — | StoryLearning VIP: a 10-week programme with two coaching sessions a week, sold apart from the courses. | Yes | A1 to C1by course | A 7-day free trial of each Uncovered course, then one payment with a 365-day money-back guarantee; bundles have 30 days. The StoryLearning App's page gives no trial or refund terms. | |
| HelloChineseCourse app | Mandarin from zero, with tones and characters | $69.99 a year$5.83 a month, billed yearly | $11.99 | — | Free sample Free to download, with free lessons to start; HelloChinese does not publish where the free part ends or what Premium and Premium+ each add. | 1 | Yes | — | Yes | — | Yearly plans bought on HelloChinese's website or through its customer service have a 30-day money-back guarantee; monthly plans are not refunded. Purchases in the iPhone or Android app are final with HelloChinese and follow Apple's or Google's rules. | |
| LingvanoCourse app | Learning ASL or BSL from Deaf teachers, in short video lessons | $119.99 a year$10 a month, billed yearly | $17.99 | — | Free sample A few lessons free, with no payment details; Premium unlocks every lesson, the vocabulary, fingerspelling and numbers trainers and the dictionary, after a 7-day free trial. | 3 | No · A signed language: nothing listens to your voice; the camera checks your fingerspelled letters. | Signing Practices led by a Deaf tutor, live: a group session or one to one, booked apart from the app, for learners in the US. | — | — | A 7-day free trial with any plan. Bought on Lingvano's website: a refund if you ask within 14 days of your last renewal, through a support ticket. App Store and Google Play purchases are refunded by Apple or Google, and Lingvano says a plan that began with the 7-day trial can't be refunded there. | |
| 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) | |
| Intersign ASLCourse app | Learning ASL free on your phone, in hundreds of short lessons, with ads | $49.99 a year$4.17 a month, billed yearly | $6.99 | — | Free to keep using Free to download, and its core lessons are free for good, with ads; Intersign does not say what Premium adds. | 1 | No · A signed language: nothing listens to your voice, and no camera check of your signing is described. | — | Yes | — | — | |
| 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. | |
| 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 and a one-time 7-day free trial in the app; no lasting free plan. | 25 | Yes | Coaching sessions with a Rosetta Stone certified tutor. | Yes | — | A one-time 7-day free trial in the app. Bought from Rosetta Stone: a 14-day money-back guarantee, refunded by its Memberships team by email or phone. App Store purchases go through Apple; a retailer's follow that retailer's policy. | |
| 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. | |
| 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 | |
| Intersign BSLCourse app | Trying British Sign Language free on your phone, with ads | $49.99 a year$4.17 a month, billed yearly | $6.99 | — | Free to keep using Free to download and use, with ads; Intersign says Premium is for deeper learning and does not say what it adds. | 1 | No · A signed language: nothing listens to your voice, and no camera check of your signing is described. | — | Yes | — | — | |
| Human JapaneseCourse app | Japanese explained step by step from zero, in your browser | $49 a year$4.08 a month, billed yearly | $5 | — | Free sample The first eight chapters of Human Japanese and of Human Japanese Intermediate, with a free account: no card and no time limit. | 1 | — | No · Written questions to the team in its Discussion feature; no live lessons. | — | — | The first eight chapters of each course are free, with no card and no time limit. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time; its pages give no refund terms. | |
| ASL BloomCourse app | Learning ASL from native Deaf signers, a few free lessons a day | $98.99 a year$8.25 a month, billed yearly | — | — | Free to keep using Two free lessons every day, with no time limit; Premium unlocks every lesson and the Collections. | 1 | No · A signed language: nothing listens to your voice, and neither its site nor its store listings describe a camera check of your signing. | — | — | — | ASL Bloom offers a money-back guarantee for up to 30 days after you buy, and nothing after that. App Store and Google Play purchases are refunded by Apple or Google. | |
| SignSchoolCourse app | Learning ASL free, on a computer | Free | — | — | Free to keep using Everything: the lessons on its website, the dictionary and the review games, with a free account. | 1 | No · A signed language: nothing listens to your voice, and the webcam is a mirror, not a check. | — | — | — | — | |
| Auslan WizCourse app | Learning Auslan in a full video course, made with a Deaf-owned Australian company | $99.99 a year$8.33 a month, billed yearly | — | — | Free sample A free version with limited features; Premium unlocks all the content and the Collections. | 1 | No · A signed language: nothing listens to your voice, and no camera check of your signing is described. | — | — | — | Auslan Wiz's help page offers a money-back guarantee for up to 30 days after you buy, and nothing after that. App Store and Google Play purchases are refunded by Apple or Google. | |
| Bright BSLCourse app | Learning British Sign Language from Deaf teachers, in short video lessons | $102.99 a year$8.58 a month, billed yearly | $14.49 | — | Free sample The first modules and lessons are free; Premium unlocks the rest of the course. | 1 | No · A signed language: nothing listens to your voice, and no camera check of your signing is described. | — | — | — | Bright BSL's help page offers a money-back guarantee for up to 30 days after you buy, and nothing after that. App Store and Google Play purchases are refunded by Apple or Google. | |
| 90 Day KoreanCourse app | Korean step by step to intermediate, with a coach who grades your homework | $299 a year$24.92 a month, billed yearly | $35 | — | No | 1 | Yes · VIP Membership only. | No · VIP's coach answers in writing, in a 1:1 text thread, and grades homework; there are no live lessons. | — | — | No free trial; a full refund if you email within 30 days of signing up, no questions asked. After 30 days its terms refund nothing for a change of mind. | |
| AuslearnCourse app | Practising Auslan between classes, with the first units free | Priced in the appfree to try first | — | — | Free sample The first 3 of its 12 units are free; Auslearn Pro unlocks the rest. | 1 | No · A signed language: nothing listens to your voice, and no camera check of your signing is described. | — | — | — | Auslearn refunds nothing itself: its terms send you to Apple or Google, under their own refund rules. | |
| 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 | — | A 7-day free trial on subscriptions. Pimsleur's 30-day money-back guarantee covers only a subscription bought on pimsleur.com or by phone without a free trial of 7 days or more, once per customer; App Store and Google Play purchases are not covered. | |
| 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. | |
| Michel Thomas MethodAudio course | Speaking from the first hour, with no writing or homework | $11.99Start course | — | $273 | Free sample A free lesson and a free booklet for every course (sign-up needed, no card); the app that plays the courses is free. | 19 | — | No | Yes | — | A refund or exchange within 14 days of buying, if you have not finished the course; the Start course is not refunded if you then buy Foundation. | |
| 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 | |
Which to choose
You would rather use a computer than a phone
Babbel or Busuu, in your web browser
Babbel and Busuu run in a web browser as well as in their apps, so you can study on a computer's big screen and make the text larger with your browser's zoom. Babbel's lessons take 10 to 15 minutes and explain the grammar in English; a subscription is $107.40 a year. Busuu's free account includes the complete course in each of its 14 languages; Premium is $72.99 a year. Duolingo also works in a browser, free with ads.
You would rather listen than read a small screen
Pimsleur, or Language Transfer for free
Pimsleur's lessons are 30 minutes of audio: you hear a prompt, answer aloud, then hear the right answer, and once downloaded they play without a connection. It costs $149.95 a year for one language after a 7-day free trial. Language Transfer's audio courses are free, with no sign-up, on its website or in its app. Michel Thomas courses are bought once, from $11.99 for the one-hour Start course.
You want a person to set the pace with you
A tutor on Preply or italki, or a small class on Lingoda
On Preply and italki you choose a tutor from their profiles and book one-to-one video lessons, so you can ask for the speed and the topics you want. Preply's tutors average $10 to $22 for a 50-minute lesson, depending on the language; on italki each teacher sets a price per lesson. Lingoda sells 60-minute live classes of 3 to 5 students, or private ones, following a course by level.
You don't want to pay
Mango through your library, Duolingo or Busuu
Mango Languages says many public libraries give their members its full courses at no cost, with nothing more than a library card, and its website lets you check whether yours does. Ask before you pay for any app. Duolingo's courses are free with ads and daily limits, Busuu's free account includes the whole course, and Language Transfer's audio courses are free.
Questions people ask
What is the best language learning app for seniors?
None is made for older learners, so choose by how you like to learn: Babbel or Busuu on a computer, Pimsleur or the free Language Transfer by ear, a tutor on Preply or italki to go at your own pace, and Mango Languages, free through many public libraries. Try one for two weeks before you pay for a year.
Can I learn a language without a smartphone?
Yes. Babbel, Busuu, Duolingo, Pimsleur, Mango Languages, Rocket Languages and Michel Thomas all run in a web browser on a computer, and the table says where each course works. Language Transfer's courses play on its website, and Preply and italki work in a browser too.
What is the best app to learn Spanish or French as an older adult?
The same choices hold for both: Babbel, Busuu and Duolingo teach both on a computer; Pimsleur, Language Transfer and Michel Thomas teach both by ear (Pimsleur sells Latin American and Castilian Spanish as separate courses); and Mango's library access covers both. The Spanish and French pages compare every course in each language.
Is Duolingo good for older learners?
It is free with ads and daily limits, it works in a web browser as well as on a phone, and a lesson is a few minutes of game-like exercises, which suits a daily habit. If you want each rule explained, Babbel or Busuu is the closer fit; the Babbel vs Duolingo page sets the two side by side.