Language levels explained: A1 to C2, and how far each app's courses go
Course apps describe their lessons with the six CEFR levels, from A1, a beginner, to C2. 14 of the 52 apps we cover state a range for at least one course, and 7 say a course goes to C1 or beyond. The ceiling differs from language to language, so the course you would take is what to check. 13 apps start you at your level with a placement test.
A stated level is the maker's description of what its lessons cover. It is not a test of you, and finishing the course does not certify the level.
The six levels, in plain words
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the CEFR, splits learning into three bands of two levels each: A for a basic user, B for an independent user, C for a proficient user. The steps show the order you climb them in; they are not equal in study time.
- 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.
What an app's level means, and what it does not
When an app says its Spanish course goes "up to C1", it means its makers wrote lessons for C1 material. It does not mean that a learner who finishes the course passes a C1 exam, and none of the makers' own studies tested learners at the top level a course claims. Read the level as a description of how far the course's content goes, which tells you two useful things: whether there is anything left for you to learn in it, and whether you will outgrow it.
Three things vary by app. Some state a range for the whole app; most state it course by course, and the same app can reach C1 in one language and A2 in another. Some use their own level names (Rocket Languages' Levels 1 to 3, Mango's units, Pimsleur's five levels) and say how those map to the CEFR, or do not. And an app built for practice rather than lessons, such as a video or reading app, may sort its material by level without teaching a course at all.
An exam taken under test conditions is what tells you your level. The makers' own studies show what learners reached after weeks of use, with the tests each one used.
Which apps go to B2 or C1 in your language
For each language, the apps whose course in it states a CEFR ceiling, grouped by that ceiling. Each language page lists every course with its own range and source.
An app missing from a row either states a lower ceiling, states none for that language, or does not teach it. For Spanish past the basics there is a page of its own: the best apps for intermediate Spanish.
Every app's stated range
The range each app's maker states, highest ceiling first. "By course" means the maker states it language by language, and the note gives each course's own range.
| App | From | Up to | In its maker's words |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babbel | A1 | C1 | Depends on the language: European Spanish reaches C1; some courses stop at A1. |
| Busuu | A1 | C1 | By course: Spanish and English A1 to C1; French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, Dutch, Polish and Turkish A1 to B2; Korean A1 to A2 |
| Glossika | A1 | C1 | By course: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Cantonese, Arabic, English, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Greek, Vietnamese, Finnish, Hindi and Swedish A1 to C1 |
| Lingoda | A1 | C1 | By course: English A1 to C1; Spanish A1 to B2 |
| Promova | A1 | C1 | By course: Spanish, French, German, Italian and English A1 to C1; Korean A1 to A2; Portuguese A1; Arabic A2 |
| StoryLearning | A1 | C1 | By course: Spanish, French, Italian and German A1 to C1; Japanese and Russian A1 to B2; Portuguese, Turkish, Arabic, Latin, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish A1 to A2 |
| Yabla | A1 | C1 | By course: Spanish, French, German, Italian and English A1 to C1 |
| Duolingo | A1 | B2 | Duolingo says its biggest courses (Spanish and French from English) reach B2; its other courses stop between A1 and B2. |
| Mondly | A1 | B2 | By course: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Korean A1 to B2 |
| Rocket Languages | A1 | B2 | By course: Spanish, French, German and Italian A1 to B2 |
| LingoDeer | A1 | B1 | By course: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, Polish, Turkish, Greek, Vietnamese and Hindi A1 to B1 |
| Mango Languages | A1 | B1 | Mango likens its top level, Skilled 3, to CEFR B1; by course: Spanish, French, German, Italian and Japanese A1 to B1 |
| Speak | Not stated | B1 | By course: Chinese up to B1 |
| uTalk | A1 | A2 | By course: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, Dutch, Turkish, Greek, Finnish and Hindi A1 to A2 |
Placement tests: start where you are
If you already know some of the language, a placement test skips the lessons you do not need. These apps state one, with the languages it covers where the maker says. Each is the maker's own test of where to start in its course, not a certificate.
| App | Languages with the test | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Babbel | Spanish, French, Italian and German | Babbel help: placement quiz |
| Busuu | Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish | Busuu help: the placement test |
| Duolingo | The maker does not list them | Duolingo blog: starting a new course |
| ELSA Speak | The maker does not list them | ELSA Speak: FAQ |
| Glossika | The maker does not list them | Glossika help: the placement test |
| italki | The maker does not list them | italki: home page |
| Lingoda | The maker does not list them | Lingoda: home page |
| Lingvist | The maker does not list them | Apple App Store: Lingvist listing |
| Mango Languages | The maker does not list them | Mango Languages: prices |
| Promova | The maker does not list them | Apple App Store: Promova listing |
| Speakly | The maker does not list them | Speakly: questions and answers |
| StoryLearning | The maker does not list them | StoryLearning: language level test |
| Univerbal | The maker does not list them | Univerbal: questions and answers |
Without a test, Jumpspeak, Praktika, Readle and Talkpal let you choose your level yourself when you start; choose one level below where you think you are, and move up if it is too easy.
Questions people ask
What do A1, B1 and C1 mean?
They are the six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), from A1, a beginner who can introduce themselves, through B1, who can manage most travel situations, to C2, who can bring together complex information and express fine distinctions. Most course apps and many exams use them.
Which language apps go up to C1?
By their makers' own statements, Babbel, Busuu, Glossika, Lingoda, Promova, StoryLearning and Yabla have at least one course that goes to C1 or beyond. The ceiling differs by language, so check the course you would take in the table on this page.
Which language apps have a placement test?
Babbel, Busuu, Duolingo, ELSA Speak, Glossika, italki, Lingoda, Lingvist, Mango Languages, Promova, Speakly, StoryLearning and Univerbal state one. Some test only some languages; the table on this page says which.
If I finish a course that goes to B2, am I at B2?
Not necessarily. A course's level describes what its lessons cover; only a test of you says where you are. The makers' own studies test learners after weeks or months of use, never at the top level a course claims; the page on what those studies measured has each one.