The 7 Best Language Learning Apps 2025
Whether for work, school, or simply to discover new cultures – learning a new language can open many doors. Luckily, today you don't necessarily have to hit the books to learn a new language. Language learning apps allow you to learn a new language playfully in between. But with the multitude of apps, it can be difficult to make the right choice. This article introduces you to the best language learning apps and their different features.
Duolingo: The playful introduction to new languages
1. Duolingo: The playful introduction to new languages
Duolingo is one of the most widely used language learning apps and supports a wide variety of languages. The app currently has over 500 million downloads in the Google Play Store and an average rating of 4.6 stars, which is very good.The app uses a gamification concept to motivate you: collecting points, unlocking levels, and earning rewards. The lessons are short and cover a combination of vocabulary, grammar, and listening comprehension.
Which languages are available?
- English, French, Italian, English
In German, there are only the languages mentioned above. Depending on your source language (usually English), Duolingo offers over 42 languages, including less common languages such as Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), and Ukrainian. This means that if you know English, you have many more languages available to learn.
Duolingo Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✓Gamified exercises with reward systems | ✗Less suitable for advanced learners |
| ✓Free access to basic features (ad-supported) | ✗Many languages are only available in English |
| ✓Daily reminders and competitions | ✗Focus on vocabulary and less on conversational skills |
2. Babbel: the big brother of Duolingo
Babbel is one of the best-known language learning apps and is aimed at learners who want to apply their language skills practically. The app offers courses focused on topics such as travel, work, or everyday conversations and places great emphasis on grammar and sentence structure. You can choose from a wide variety of languages and continuously track your learning progress.
Overall, Babbel feels less playful, less animated, and simply more mature than Duolingo. Lessons consisting of elements such as listening, writing, reading, and matching or classifying words (positive, negative) await you with Babbel. The lessons are followed by exercises that include writing, speaking, and reviewing vocabulary. Babbel also offers a speech recognition feature to check users' pronunciation.
Which languages are available?
- Spanish: Courses up to level C1 plus Babbel live online classes up to C1, French: Self-study courses up to level B2, Babbel live online classes up to C1, English: Both self-study courses and Babbel live online classes up to level C1, Italian: Self-study courses up to level B2, Babbel live online classes up to C1
- Portuguese (Brazilian Portuguese): Courses up to level B1, Polish: Courses up to level A2, Russian: Courses up to level A1 plus content up to A2, Dutch: Courses up to level B1 plus content up to B2
- Turkish: Courses up to level A2, Danish: Courses up to level A2 plus content up to B1, Norwegian: Courses up to level A2, Swedish: Courses up to level B1 plus content up to B2, Indonesian: Courses up to level A2
Babbel offers language courses in 13 different languages, including Spanish, French, Italian and Swedish, with each language available up to a certain level:
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✓Lessons by language level (A1-C1) | ✗Less gamification than other apps |
| ✓AI conversations and pronunciation improvement | ✗Slightly more expensive than other language apps |
| ✓Offline mode available | |
| ✓Many languages available with German translation |
3. Busuu: Learning with a global community
Busuu combines traditional language courses with a community feature that lets users have their exercises checked by native speakers. Busuu has 10 million downloads on the Play Store and also a rating of 4.6 stars (as of September 2024).The app offers courses in 14 languages and covers a variety of topics and difficulty levels, from beginner to advanced (A1-C1). In addition, as a premium user you have the option to receive a language certificate upon completion of a learning level.
Which languages are available?
- English, Spanish, French, German
- Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish
- Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Korean
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✓Community-based corrections by native speakers | ✗Lessons cannot be skipped in the free version |
| ✓Language certificates (premium) for completed learning levels | ✗Offline learning is only possible with Premium |
| ✗Course material may be too easy for advanced learners |
4. Mosalingua: The efficient vocabulary trainer
Mosalingua focuses on rapid vocabulary building and uses the Spaced Repetition System (SRS), a proven method for improving long-term retention. There are different Mosalingua apps in the Playstore, depending on the language you want to learn. However, I don't quite understand why the language can't simply be switched within the app. Overall, the app focuses less on grammar and more on learning the most useful words and phrases.Overall, I like the learning principle of flashcards, writing, and speaking. But the app is mainly based on self-control. You have to listen to your own spoken sentence and evaluate whether it is similar to the given example, which is not always easy and can lead to self-deception. I like the flashcards with German sentences that, e.g., need to be translated into English.
Which languages are available?
- French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
- German, Russian, Mandarin Chinese
- Japanese, English
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✓SRS-based vocabulary learning for effective repetition | ✗Less focus on grammar and language comprehension |
| ✓Short | ✗More suitable for learners with prior knowledge |
| ✓Focused lessons for targeted learning | ✗App sometimes a bit buggy |
| ✓Customizable learning plans for individual pace | |
| ✓Offline mode available |
5. Memrise: Visual learning and cultural insights
Memrise combines visual learning with authentic video and audio content from native speakers to improve pronunciation and listening comprehension. The app offers thematically structured courses aimed at expanding vocabulary and grammar. The Memrise app has over 10 million downloads on the Playstore and a 4.4 star rating.The app's user-friendliness is very good, and it's fun to collect points for correct exercises. The videos from native speakers might be a bit too demanding for beginners, though. If you don't have the Premium version, you're also annoyed by advertisements (Temu), which quickly leads to turning off the app.
Which languages are available?
- English, Spanish, French
- Russian, Korean, Italian
- Japanese, Chinese, Turkish
With German as your starting language, Memrise offers the opportunity to learn 11 different languages. With English as your starting language, over 23 languages are available.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✓Authentic video and audio content from native speakers | ✗Ads in the free version |
| ✓Visual learning methods to support understanding | |
| ✓Free and paid versions available |
6. Tandem: Learning with language partners
The language learning app Tandem has established itself as an innovative platform for language learning. Tandem allows you to communicate with native speakers via video conference. The basic idea is simple but effective: people from different countries connect to practice their target languages together and support each other in learning.The app combines elements of social networks with didactic tools designed to make language learning easier. Users can create profiles, specify their language skills, and search specifically for partners who want to learn their native language.
These and more languages are available:
- English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Hebrew
- (Mandarin), Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Turkish, Dutch, Swedish, Hindi
- Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Greek, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese
The Tandem app has a huge selection of languages you can learn! 🎉 Currently, over 300 languages are available, incl. 12 sign languages. Of course, you need to know the basics of a language (or English) to communicate with native speakers. This gives you the opportunity to choose from more than 11,000 different language combinations for exchanging with other users!
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✓Direct contact with native speakers | ✗Some premium features are paid |
| ✓free basic version available | ✗Dependence on language partners |
| ✓intuitive user interface | ✗no structured lessons |
| ✓Correction options by native speakers | ✗sometimes misused as a dating app |
7. italki: Learning with native speakers
italki, unlike Tandem, offers paid booking of lessons with certified teachers. With Tandem, you pay for extra features in the app, while with italki you pay for the hours with the teacher. Founded in 2006, the app connects language learners directly with native-speaking teachers and professional language instructors from around the world.The difference from Tandem is therefore that more professional instructors are available and, as a rule, no language partners (mutual learning) are sought. Learners can choose from thousands of verified teachers and book lessons via a calendar.
Which languages are available on italki?
- English, French, Spanish
- German, Portuguese, Japanese
- Korean, Arabic, Hindi, Italian, Russian
This is only a small selection of languages, italki offers a total of over 150 languages.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✓Lessons can be easily rescheduled | ✗Fees for payment methods |
| ✓Over 150 languages | ✗Relatively few teachers from Germany |
| ✓Easy way to speak with native speakers without traveling |
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