How to choose a language app
Five questions narrow 99 apps down to two or three: does it teach your language, what does a year cost, what is free, does it make you speak, and is a person involved. The app picker on the home page asks the first of them for you, and the cost calculator works out the second for the months you will really study.
Prices checked 6 Sept to 20 Oct 2026 · How we check
1. Does it teach your language?
Check this first: it removes most of the field before you look at a price. The apps advertise from 1 (90 Day Korean) to 300 (Tandem) languages, and a big number does not mean yours is taught in depth. The list of languages shows every language and the app to start with; the pages for Spanish, French, Japanese and the other big languages list only the apps whose own pages name the language.
Then pick the kind of app for the job. The 99 apps are 7 kinds: course app, vocabulary and flashcards, tutor marketplace, immersion (video, audio, reading), audio course, language exchange and AI conversation practice. A trip needs phrases and listening (an audio course or a short course app); a conversation needs speaking with corrections (a tutor or an exchange partner); a named level needs a course that states its CEFR levels; reading for pleasure suits an immersion app once you know the basics. The app picker on the home page does this cut for your language, goal and level.
What a lesson looks like in each of the seven kinds:
How a lesson works in a course app
How a lesson works in an audio course
How a lesson works in a vocabulary app
How a lesson works in an immersion app
How a lesson works in an AI conversation app
How a lesson works in a tutor marketplace
How a lesson works in a language exchange
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to the app makers' own sites earn us nothing. Commissions never affect which apps we recommend. Affiliate disclosure and how the data is collected.
2. What does a year cost, and is monthly worth it?
Apps advertise the yearly plan divided by twelve, charged up front. The monthly plan, the one you would buy to try an app, is a higher number: the yearly plan saves 13% to 79% per month on the apps that sell both. A month of Babbel at $17.99 costs less than a year at $107.40 if you stop in week three; if you keep going, that month is paid on top of the year.
What will you actually pay?
Total billed over 12 months
$108.48 less on annual billingOne yearly payment of $107.40.
What each plan covers. Monthly: one language. Yearly: all languages.
| App | Type | Monthly plan | Per month, billed yearly | Annual total | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| uTalk | Vocabulary and flashcards | $3.99 | $2.08 | $24.99 | 48% |
| Language Reactor | Immersion (video, audio, reading) | $5.95 | $3.33 | $39.95 | 44% |
| Mondly | Course app | $9.99 | $4 | $47.99 | 60% |
| Readlang | Immersion (video, audio, reading) | $6 | $4 | $48 | 33% |
| Speakly | Vocabulary and flashcards | $15.99 | $4 | $47.99 | 75% |
| Human Japanese | Course app | $5 | $4.08 | $49 | 18% |
| Beelinguapp | Immersion (video, audio, reading) | $7.99 | $4.16 | $49.90 | 48% |
| Bunpro | Vocabulary and flashcards | $5 | $4.17 | $50 | 17% |
| Intersign ASL | Course app | $6.99 | $4.17 | $49.99 | 40% |
| Intersign BSL | Course app | $6.99 | $4.17 | $49.99 | 40% |
| Pocket Sign | Vocabulary and flashcards | $5.99 | $5 | $59.99 | 17% |
| SpanishDict | Course app | $12.99 | $5 | $59.99 | 62% |
| Studycat | Course app | $14.99 | $5 | $59.99 | 67% |
| Memrise | Vocabulary and flashcards | $24.99 | $5.17 | $61.99 | 79% |
| Drops | Vocabulary and flashcards | $11 | $5.83 | $69.99 | 47% |
| HelloChinese | Course app | $11.99 | $5.83 | $69.99 | 51% |
| Readle | Immersion (video, audio, reading) | $14.99 | $5.83 | $69.99 | 61% |
| SuperChinese | Course app | $11.99 | $5.83 | $69.99 | 51% |
| MosaLingua | Vocabulary and flashcards | $9.99 | $5.99 | $71.88 | 40% |
| Clozemaster | Vocabulary and flashcards | $12.99 | $6.67 | $79.99 | 49% |
| HelloTalk | Language exchange | $12.99 | $6.67 | $79.99 | 49% |
| Langotalk | AI conversation practice | $19.99 | $6.67 | $79.99 | 67% |
| Lingvist | Vocabulary and flashcards | $9.99 | $6.67 | $79.99 | 33% |
| Promova | Course app | $19.99 | $7 | $83.99 | 65% |
| Speak | AI conversation practice | $17.99 | $7 | $83.99 | 61% |
| Talk To Me In Korean | Course app | $16.99 | $7.12 | $85.40 | 58% |
| Satori Reader | Immersion (video, audio, reading) | $9 | $7.42 | $89 | 18% |
| WaniKani | Vocabulary and flashcards | $9 | $7.42 | $89 | 18% |
| ELSA Speak | AI conversation practice | $19.99 | $7.50 | $89.99 | 62% |
| Ling | Course app | $16.99 | $7.50 | $89.99 | 56% |
| Talk In Arabic | Immersion (video, audio, reading) | $12.95 | $7.95 | $95.40 | 39% |
| Fluent Forever | Vocabulary and flashcards | $11.99 | $7.99 | $95.88 | 33% |
| LingoDeer | Course app | $14.99 | $8 | $95.99 | 47% |
| Migaku | Immersion (video, audio, reading) | $10 | $8 | $96 | 20% |
| Teacher AI | AI conversation practice | $15 | $8.08 | $97 | 46% |
| Skritter | Vocabulary and flashcards | $14.99 | $8.33 | $99.99 | 44% |
| Yabla | Immersion (video, audio, reading) | $12.95 | $8.33 | $99.95 | 36% |
| Bright BSL | Course app | $14.49 | $8.58 | $102.99 | 41% |
| Babbel | Course app | $17.99 | $8.95 | $107.40 | 50% |
| Yoyo Chinese | Course app | $14.99 | $8.99 | per-month figure only | 40% |
| Jiveworld | Immersion (video, audio, reading) | $15.95 | $9.92 | $119 | 38% |
| Du Chinese | Immersion (video, audio, reading) | $14.99 | $10 | $119.99 | 33% |
| LingQ | Immersion (video, audio, reading) | $14.99 | $10 | $119.99 | 33% |
| Lingvano | Course app | $17.99 | $10 | $119.99 | 44% |
| Mango Languages | Course app | $13.99 | $10 | per-month figure only | 29% |
| Talkpal | AI conversation practice | $19.99 | $10 | $119.99 | 50% |
| Univerbal | AI conversation practice | $19.99 | $10 | $119.99 | 50% |
| Pimsleur | Audio course | $19.95 | $11 | $131.96 | 45% |
| Cambly | Tutor marketplace | $24 | $12 | $144 | 50% |
| FluentU | Immersion (video, audio, reading) | $29.99 | $12 | $143.99 | 60% |
| Hack Chinese | Vocabulary and flashcards | $18 | $12 | $144 | 33% |
| Langua | AI conversation practice | $19.99 | $12.50 | $149.99 | 37% |
| Transparent Language Online | Course app | $24.95 | $12.50 | $149.95 | 50% |
| Rosetta Stone | Course app | $19.99 | $13.25 | $159 | 34% |
| Rockalingua | Course app | $19 | $15.75 | $189 | 17% |
| Dinolingo | Course app | $19 | $16.58 | $199 | 13% |
| Glossika | Audio course | $19.99 | $16.58 | per-month figure only | 17% |
| Kwiziq | Course app | $31.49 | $16.75 | $200.99 | 47% |
| ChinesePod | Course app | $29 | $20.83 | $249.99 | 28% |
| 90 Day Korean | Course app | $35 | $24.92 | $299 | 29% |
Lifetime plans
28 apps sell a lifetime plan. It costs less than renewing only from the yearly bill that takes your total past its price, and only if the app still suits you then. The table sets each lifetime plan beside the yearly plan that covers the same languages, at regular prices, not sales. Every app you can pay for once is compared on its own page.
Compare lifetime with annual renewals
$299.99 once vs $107.40 per year
Month 25Lifetime costs less from the third yearly payment.
Month 25: annual bills reach $322.20.
What each plan covers. Lifetime: all languages. Yearly: all languages.
| App | Lifetime, one-time | Yearly plan | Lifetime costs less from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gus on the Go | $3.99Spanish, the vocabulary app | — | — |
| Endless Spanish | $11.99Spanish Word Packs 1 to 4 | — | — |
| Anki | $24.99any subject | — | — |
| Assimil | $44.99Spanish, the whole course | — | — |
| Pleco | $59.99Professional Bundle | — | — |
| Ouino | $95.76one language | $83.88a 12-month pass, one language | Month 13at the second 12-month pass |
| Renshuu | $109.99renshuu pro | $49.99a year, renshuu pro | Month 25at the third yearly bill |
| Langotalk | $149.99all languages | $79.99a year, all languages | Month 13at the second yearly bill |
| SuperChinese | $149.99the whole 8-level course and Discover | $153a year, the whole 8-level course and Discover | Month 1at the first yearly bill |
| Bunpro | $150Japanese grammar and vocabulary, every feature | $50a year, Japanese grammar and vocabulary, every feature | Month 37at the fourth yearly bill |
| Drops | $150all languages | $69.99a year, all languages | Month 25at the third yearly bill |
| Talk In Arabic | $197one language | $95.40a year, one language | Month 25at the third yearly bill |
| Lingopie | $229all languages | $83.88a year, all languages | Month 25at the third yearly bill |
| Migaku | $240all 11 languages and every feature | $96a year, all 11 languages and every feature | Month 25at the third yearly bill |
| Readle | $249.99all languages | $69.99a year, all languages | Month 37at the fourth yearly bill |
| Coffee Break French | $269one season of 40 lessons: audio, bonus audio and lesson notes, with video lessons in Seasons 1 to 3 | — | — |
| Coffee Break German | $269one season of 40 lessons: audio, bonus audio, lesson notes and video lessons | — | — |
| Coffee Break Italian | $269one season of 40 lessons: audio, bonus audio, lesson notes and video lessons | — | — |
| Coffee Break Spanish | $269one season of 40 lessons: audio, bonus audio and lesson notes, with video lessons in Seasons 1 to 3 | — | — |
| Jumpspeak | $269all languages | $79a year, all languages | Month 37at the fourth yearly bill |
| Michel Thomas Method | $273Five-course bundle | — | — |
| WaniKani | $299the whole course (all 60 levels) | $89a year, the whole course (all 60 levels) | Month 37at the fourth yearly bill |
| Yoyo Chinese | $299everything in Learn, for as long as Yoyo Chinese runs | — | — |
| Babbel | $299.99all languages | $107.40a year, all languages | Month 25at the third yearly bill |
| Memrise | $329.99all languages | $61.99a year, all languages | Month 61at the sixth yearly bill |
| Rocket Languages | $449.85Spanish, Levels 1 to 3 | — | — |
| Pimsleur | $798all languages | $164.95a year, all languages | Month 49at the fifth yearly bill |
| StoryLearning | $997Gold Bundle | — | — |
3. What is free?
79 of the 99 apps have something free, and the word covers four things: a whole product with ads and limits, the first lessons of each course, a few minutes of play a day, or a trial that ends. If ads or a daily cap would put you off, count the free tier as a trial and price the app at its paid rate. The free vs paid guide quotes each app's own wording.
4. Does it make you speak?
33 apps listen to you and score your pronunciation; for 43 the apps' own pages don't say. A pronunciation check is not a conversation. 16 apps have an AI that talks back: Duolingo (with Max, in some courses), ELSA Speak, FluentU, Jumpspeak, Langotalk, Langua, Memrise, MosaLingua, Pingo AI, Praktika, Promova, Speak, SuperChinese, Talkpal, Teacher AI and Univerbal. The AI apps page says how each one talks with you and what it costs.
5. Is a person involved?
Speaking with a person comes three ways: a marketplace where you pick a teacher and pay per lesson, a class subscription, or tutoring sold beside a course. Book a trial lesson before a package; the replacement terms are on each app's page. The 17 apps that sell time with a person (each compared on tutors and live classes):
| App | What is sold | Price |
|---|---|---|
| BaseLang | Every class is live and one to one, with no limit on Real World and up to 30 minutes a day on Real World Lite. | Real World, as many classes as you like, $179 a month; Real World Lite, one 30-minute class a day, $99 a month |
| Cambly | Every lesson is live: one to one, or in a small group on the cheaper plans. | $12 a month, billed yearly, small group |
| Fluent Forever | Online Coaching: one-to-one sessions with a coach on Google Meet, 20 minutes once or twice a week or 10 minutes every weekday, sold apart from the app. | $99 to $275 a month for Online Coaching, the app included |
| FluentU | Group classes in some languages, offered free with the subscription for a limited time; no one-to-one lessons. | In the subscription: $12 a month, billed yearly |
| italki | Every lesson is live and one to one; italki also sells group classes. | $4 to $10 per lesson |
| Jumpspeak | Live Tutoring through Rype (one-on-one sessions with human tutors), sold separately from Premium | Its own monthly packages of 4, 8 or 15 hours, with a 14-day free trial; no price published |
| Langua | Human tutors on LanguaTalk, booked separately from Langua; each tutor sets a price per lesson. | Set by each tutor; LanguaTalk says Spanish tutors typically charge $10 to $25 an hour |
| Ling | Live online tutors, booked separately through Ling Live. | No price published |
| Lingoda | Every class is live: in a group of 3 to 5 students, or private. | €54.99 for 4 group classes every 4 weeks (priced in euros) |
| Lingopie | Live group lessons on their own monthly or quarterly plan, for subscribers who pay by card; the first lesson is free. | Its own plan; no price published |
| Lingvano | 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 group Signing Practice $19 for an hour; one to one, $29 for 30 minutes or $45 for 45 |
| Preply | Every lesson is live and one to one. | $3 to $50 per lesson |
| Rosetta Stone | Coaching sessions with a Rosetta Stone certified tutor. | No price published |
| Speakly | LIVE© course: eight 45-minute sessions a month with your own tutor, the app included, sold apart from the app plans. | From €199 a month plus VAT, priced in euros only |
| StoryLearning | StoryLearning VIP: a 10-week programme with two coaching sessions a week, sold apart from the courses. | No price published; booked through a call |
| Transparent Language Online | Transparent Connect: six 30-minute one-to-one sessions with a tutor over two months, sold apart from the subscription, in 11 languages. | $249 for six 30-minute sessions over two months, with the course for those two months |
| Yabla | Yabla Live (Spanish only): unlimited small-group classes in Silver, plus 2 (Gold) or 4 (Platinum) private one-on-one classes a month | Silver, with the group classes, $59 a month or $420 a year; Gold ($79) and Platinum ($99) a month add the private classes |
For a child, Novakid sells live lessons too; the children's page compares it with the apps a child can use alone.
Before you pay: levels, offline use and refunds
Levels. CEFR runs from A1, a beginner, to C2, mastery. 19 apps state the range their courses reach: Assimil (A1 to B2), Babbel (A1 to C1), BaseLang (A2 to C2, course by course), Busuu (A1 to C1, course by course), Duolingo (A1 to B2), DW Learn German (A1 to C1), Glossika (A1 to C1, course by course), Gymglish (A1 to C2), Kwiziq (A1 to C1), Lingoda (A1 to C1, course by course), LingoDeer (A1 to B1, course by course), Mango Languages (A1 to B1, course by course), Mondly (A1 to B2, course by course), Novakid (A1 to B1), Promova (A1 to C1, course by course), Rocket Languages (A1 to B2, course by course), StoryLearning (A1 to C1, course by course), uTalk (A1 to A2, course by course) and Yabla (A1 to C1, course by course). The ceiling differs by language, so check the course you would take: each language page lists every course's own range. Past the beginner stage, a placement test saves weeks: 24 apps offer one (Babbel, BaseLang, Busuu, ChinesePod, Duolingo, DW Learn German, ELSA Speak, Glossika, Gymglish, Hack Chinese, italki, Kwiziq, Lingoda, Lingvist, Mango Languages, Novakid, Promova, SpanishDict, Speakly, StoryLearning, SuperChinese, Talk To Me In Korean, Transparent Language Online and Univerbal). Language levels explained has each app's range, language by language, and what the makers' own studies measured is in do language apps work?
- A1: Introduce yourself and exchange basic details with help.
- A2: Handle routine exchanges about familiar everyday needs.
- B1: Manage most travel situations and explain familiar experiences.
- B2: Discuss complex topics and explain the tradeoffs in a viewpoint.
- C1: Use language fluently and flexibly for work or study.
- C2: Bring together complex information and express fine distinctions.
The steps show order, not equal study time. An app’s stated course level does not guarantee an exam result. Summarized from the Council of Europe’s CEFR scale.
Offline use. 43 apps work offline; on a commute or a flight that is a hard filter, and the "Works offline" box on the full table applies it. Assimil, Auslearn, Beelinguapp, ELSA Speak, Endless Spanish, Fluent Forever, Gus on the Go, Intersign ASL, Intersign BSL, Jumpspeak, Ouino, Praktika and Speak have no web version.
Refunds. Read the refund line before paying for a year: some apps give a free trial and then no refund, some a money-back window on yearly plans only, and app-store purchases follow Apple's or Google's rules. The table of trial and refund terms has every app's.
Questions people ask
Is the most expensive app the best one?
Price tracks the kind of product, not its quality. Tutor marketplaces and class subscriptions cost the most because a person is paid; vocabulary apps cost the least because they do one narrow thing. Compare apps of the same kind on price, and compare kinds on what your job needs.
Should I use two apps at once?
Often, yes: a course app for structure and an exchange app or tutor for speaking is the usual pairing. Price the pair together at the annual per-month figures before deciding; two cheap subscriptions can cost more than one mid-priced one with tutoring included.
Do the prices differ by country?
Yes. Every price here is what the app's own page showed to a visitor in the United States when checked, or Apple's US App Store where the app's own pages show no price. Several apps price by region; open the app's own page from its entry here to see yours.
Why does an app show a dash instead of a price?
Because its own pages don't print that price: some apps sell only inside the app, and some show a price only after you sign in. The note on the app's page says which, and where an app-store price exists, it is shown instead.
How old are these prices?
Each page says, under its title, when its prices were checked against the apps' own pages, and the prices are checked again every week. Hover over a price in a table for its own date.
Where to go next
- Our picks, and every app in one table
- Every app in one sortable, filterable table
- Free vs paid: what you actually get
- Language levels explained: A1 to C2, and how far each app's courses go
- Do language apps work? What each maker's own studies measured
- Head-to-head comparisons
- How the data is collected