5 Best Language Learning Apps - 2025
Interested in learning to speak a new language, but not sure where to start? Over the last six months, I’ve tried some of the most popular language learning apps to learn Spanish, even building my own app to help me become fluent faster.
I created this list of the best language learning apps that are available to help you kickstart your language learning journey!
Memrise
From the language learning apps I’ve tried, this is one of the ones I’ve enjoyed the most. Every time you learn a new word or phrase there are videos of native speakers pronouncing it. The only issues I had, was when I tried some of the features focused on speaking practice, around 50% of the time I would try to say a phrase the transcriptions were incomplete or would fail to record any thing.
- videos to hear how native speakers would pronounce different words and phrases
- ability to skip words you already know
- can practice what you learn with AI buddies
- features to practice speaking are buggy and difficult to use
- free tier has ads and limited vocab and conversation practice
Duolingo
I would be remiss to exclude Duolingo from this list, like many, I started my language learning journey using this app. Generally, I found it useful for learning grammar and vocabulary in my target language through engaging lessons, but found it difficult to go beyond a beginner level when it came to speaking a new language.
- courses in 43 languages
- fun and engaging lessons that keep you coming back
- will help you improve grammar and vocabulary
- free tier has ads, and you can run out of hearts preventing you from practicing
- doesn’t focus on building communicative skills in your target language
Lingocat
The main reason I started learning Spanish was so I could travel and communicate with people I wouldn’t normally be able to using English. I ended up building Lingocat to help address some of the issues I was facing when trying to improve my spoken fluency with the existing apps on the market. Lessons on the app incorporate methods from Communicative Language Teaching that are proven to help learners become fluent faster than traditional methods that focus on grammar and vocab.
- completely free language learning app
- focused on developing communicative skills through communicative language teaching lessons
- tracks your progress as you try new vocabulary
- only available on iOS
- requires a basic understanding of grammar and vocab in your target language
Babbel
Before I had tried Babbel, I had read some reviews comparing the experience to what you might find at a language learning school. However, I found the core experience to be quite similar to Duolingo, there’s a lot of structured lessons that help you memorize different vocabulary and phrases. There is also a feature where you can join a language learning class, but I didn’t end up trying this as it requires a paid subscription.
- well structured lessons with a variety of activities
- makes it easy to learn new vocabulary and phrases
- feature to help you find language learning classes
- most lessons are locked behind a paywall
- doesn’t focus on building communicative skills in your target language
Anki
Using Anki has been instrumental in helping me expand my Spanish vocabulary. If you aren’t familiar with Anki, it’s an application that facilitates spaced repetition learning with collections of flash cards that you can create or find online. Anki is perfect for memorizing vocabulary, phrases, and grammar when you start learning a new language.
- free mobile and desktop app
- large collection of community created flash cards that cover most languages
- spaced repetition is a powerful memorization technique for expanding your vocabulary
- mostly unstructured / self-directed practice
- becomes repetitive very quickly
Conclusion
If you’re interested in learning a new language there are a lot of apps to choose from that can help you get there. When it comes to picking what one to use, it’s really dependent on what your goals are. If you want to master reading and writing, picking an app that focuses on vocab and grammar memorization would be best. While apps that prioritize spoken fluency are a better choice if you want to become conversational. Overall, consistency is key when it comes to learning a new language, and you’ll find yourself using more than one language learning app during your journey to fluency.
Sources
- Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash
Ready to speak your target language with confidence?
Download Lingocat for iOS to practice your target language with lessons that incorporate CLT exercises and track your progress as you improve!