10 Best Language Learning Apps for Adults and Kids (2024)

We know learning a new language can be challenging, especially when you don’t know where to start. There are various apps available nowadays that can help you learn a new language, and some of them are also free. To ease this process, we’ve compiled a list of the best language learning apps so you can choose the one that suits your needs the most.

Is a visual interface more effective for your progress? Does music help you remember words better? Or do you need to socialize with locals to master a language? Choose the right app for your needs and learn a new language today!

Let’s get started!

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Best for: individuals eager to master a language through a diverse blend of learning techniques in a gamified environment
Price: $0-$6.99 / month

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Best for: learners seeking a traditional, structured approach to language learning; also great if you’re on a budget
Price: $0-$3.33 / month

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Best for: people who appreciate traditional learning models and prefer an app with simple and straightforward appearance
Price: $0-$4.95 / month

Best language learning apps in 2024 📱

Before presenting each app in detail, here’s a short summary of all the solutions that we’ll cover in this post (in no particular order). Most of them work on both mobile and desktop:

Duolingo

Duolingo is one of the most popular free language learning apps that uses a gamified method of teaching. It has a playful interface that makes your lessons fun and enjoyable. With Duolingo, you won’t feel like you’re taking courses; actually, the way the lessons are structured motivates you to complete the tasks in order to unlock new challenges.

This is one of the best language learning apps because it mixes complex content with engaging techniques. After picking a language out of the 35+ available, the app will lead to all the categories one must master to become a pro. As you progress on your way to learning a new language, you get achievements and rewards.

With Duolingo, you learn how to spell and pronounce words, improve your vocabulary, understand native speakers, construct sentences, and therefore carry a conversation in different life situations.

Apart from lessons, Duolingo also gives you stories from common real-life situations – which you can either read or listen to – dictionaries, contests, and podcasts. If you’re a social person, you can visit the forum or attend live events held in the language that you want to learn (e.g. webinars, debates, chatting, entertainment, etc.)

The dictionary is particularly useful because it won’t only translate a word for you, but it will also show all its variations. For example, singular/plural and masculine/feminine forms of a noun or all the conjugation forms of a verb.

Duolingo is also available for schools and educational institutions that want to use a modern method to teach students. It truly is one of the best language learning programs on the market.

👨‍🎓 Best for

• Duolingo is a language learning app that combines a variety of teaching methods that give you the full skill set to become fluent in a language. This makes it an excellent choice for those who want to master all the aspects of a language by mixing multiple learning techniques.

💵 Pricing

• Free: learning content
• Plus – $6.99 / month: learning content, practice mistakes, no ads, quizzes, unlimited test-outs, and unlimited hearts

Busuu

Busuu is another language learning software that comes with valuable lessons. This app addresses not only casual users but also businesses and schools/educators. It uses a more formal learning method and a less playful interface compared to Duolingo.

When it comes to content, Busuu offers several cool learning packages: personalized study plans, vocabulary, grammar, and practice with native speakers.

A unique feature of this app is that when you sign up, it tells you an approximate date by which you will reach the language level that you’ve committed to, during the onboarding stage.

In order to achieve your goal, you need to complete all of the courses the app generates as part of your language learning program. These courses cover the essential aspects of a language, including grammar, vocabulary, conversation, listening, etc.

You can also learn a new language using Busuu by taking advantage of some of their other features:

• Listening to the Busuu podcast
• Reading news articles via the app’s dashboard
• Exercising with travel phrases
• Conversing with native speakers

Just like Duolingo, Busuu provides live group lessons about any topic, where you can practice by talking with native speakers and other students. Another neat aspect about this language learning software is that it gives you short exercises, which are later corrected by people who speak the language as their mother tongue. For example, you can answer a question that was asked by using the language, and then ask for feedback on how well you answered it.

👨‍🎓 Best for

• People who prefer a more formal, school-like approach to learning a new language. Even though the courses use sound and images for each lesson, they still follow a more traditional teaching formula.
• Those who are on a limited budget or only need limited functionality because there is a free version.

💶 Pricing (for one year)

• Free: One language
• Premium – €2.92 / month: One language, offline mode, grammar lessons, AI-powered review
• Premium Plus – €3.33 / month: 12 languages + the features in Premium + personalized study plan, community of native speakers, and official tests

Babbel

Babbel is an app that also approaches learning a new language in a more traditional way. The lessons start with the most fundamental details including letters, greetings, and introductions.

Using this software, you can find courses that cater to common real-life scenarios. These include business, traveling, culture, daily life, etc. If you want to skip the beginner courses, you are welcome to do so.

If you landed on this page looking for the best free language learning apps, then you’ll be happy to know that there is a free version of Babbel. However, the free version doesn’t come with all of the courses. If you try it and find yourself loving it, then you can always upgrade to the premium version and get access to everything Babbel has to offer.

The first impression you’ll get if you do end up trying it, is that uses an old-school interface. It’s not as flashy or eye-grabbing if you were to compare it to Duolingo. It also doesn’t offer the most intuitive way of learning because the courses do not follow a clear hierarchy or order. As for incentives, you do not get any for completing lessons or categories of lessons.

Despite some of the drawbacks, the language lessons are still very engaging. They use voice, images, puzzles, and improvised chats to keep you playing. The app does provide podcasts and a few quick word games, too, if you thirst for a more engaging alternative to classic learning.

Much like the other language learning software featured thus far, Babbel also lets you attend live classes if you want to socialize with native speakers and learn from conversing with them.

Overall, it’s a cool app, but it doesn’t provide a mix of all the engaging teaching methods that the other programs have under their belt.

👨‍🎓 Best for

• People who get easily distracted by immersive apps and need something simple in appearance, but engaging enough to keep their attention during lessons.

💶 Pricing

• Free
• 1 Month – €9.9
• 3 Months – €6.65 / month
• 6 Months – €5.55 / month
• 12 Months – €4.95 / month

Mondly

Mondly is a language learning program that uses imagery to help you learn 40+ new languages. It provides courses that teach you how to deal with common life situations, vocabulary builders, real conversations, grammar, and quick daily lessons. When it comes to everyday scenarios, you have 50 topics to choose from.

If playing simple games is not enough for you, you can experiment with augmented reality and virtual reality features. You can also learn a language in a non-conventional way if you don’t like the usual, standard online classes.

Mondly does not only address regular users but also dedicates its courses to companies that want to use them for professional purposes.

The downside of this app is that you can’t access the topic categories unless you upgrade to the premium version. You can take daily lessons, though, along with weekly quizzes and monthly challenges. You can also chat with various chatbots to engage in a conversation.

👨‍🎓 Best for

• People who prefer lessons that use imagery to assimilate concepts in a new language.
• Those who want to learn a new language in unique ways like augmented and virtual reality.

💵 Pricing

• Free
• 1 Month – $9.99 (one language)
• 12 Months – $4.99 / month (one language)
• 12 Months – $47.99 / month (33 languages)

Memrise

Memrise uses a modern, visual interface that offers over 20 languages for you to learn. For each listening session, you get to hear and see locals speaking to you. This language learning software is designed to keep you playing and completing lessons by using an engaging method of teaching.

For each lesson you complete, you unlock a new one and also get rewards like discounts for the premium versions of the app. There’s also a friendly competitive aspect to it, because they show a weekly leaderboard of students who are in the process of learning a new language using the app.

The program provides a lot of courses that teach you how to handle real-life situations in a new language. You can also learn basic-to-advanced details such as numbers, grammar, idioms, and difficult words. Each course includes progressive levels that, taken together, can last up to eight hours or even longer.

With Memrise, you can create groups where you can add your friends and discuss various topics together. However, unlike many of the other language learning programs on this list, Memrise does not provide podcasts and live classes.

👨‍🎓 Best for

• People who need an engaging language learning app that is mostly composed of short audio and video clips. It’s a software best suited for those looking for quick lessons in a self-study format.

💵 Pricing

• Free
• Monthly – $8.49
• Annual – $2.50
• Lifetime – $119.99

LingoDeer

LingoDeer is an app that offers you an easy and practical way of learning a language. With LingoDeer, you can customize your whole learning experience by choosing the narrators you like, the type of script, and the background color of your dashboard.

This app comes with flashcards that help you exercise your memory. You can download the cards into your phone to get back to them when you need to practice. Apart from written lessons, you can test your listening and speaking skills via engaging stories. You can even challenge other users to take part in various tests.

LingoDeer lets you learn lessons offline and join time-limited quizzes to test your knowledge. Set your daily goals, go through the hierarchy of courses, and solve quizzes to test out your new skills. You start with the alphabet of a language and progress with each complete level.

👨‍🎓 Best for

• People who want to prepare for a test, join contests, and improve vocabulary by using offline flashcards.

💵 Pricing

• Month – $14.99
• Quarter – $39.99
• Year – $79.99
• Lifetime – $159.99

Rosetta Stone

This is one of the best language learning apps that address individual learners, schools, and enterprises. It provides lessons for 25+ languages, but it doesn’t offer any for free. You will need to subscribe to the premium plans to be able to use the program.

Rosetta Stone teaches you a new language by offering real-life scenarios, interactive activities, and audio from native speakers. Moreover, it provides live coaching with native speakers, so you can practice your new skills through active conversations.

Once you sign up for a plan, you can access a dashboard where you can find all the lessons that belong to that respective pricing plan. Each lesson carries you through many different teaching methods: visual, writing, listening, and speaking.

The content that Rosetta Stone is offering is interactive and makes you want to continue until you finish your lessons. It has many courses that teach you how to deal with various situations in a new language, live coaching, stories (that you can listen to or read aloud), audio files with native speakers (that you can download to your computer or phone), and a separate lesson about mastering the alphabet.

👨‍🎓 Best for

• People who want the full learning experience and do not mind paying for a premium app.

💶 Pricing

• 3 months – €11.99
• 12 months – €9.99
• Lifetime – €179

HelloTalk

HelloTalk is a language learning program that offers a different approach to acquiring a new language. Through it, you can chat live with native speakers from around the world to improve your skills. So, if you are more on the social side of learning, you’ve just found an app that might fit your style.

HelloTalk supports 150+ languages and has 30+ million members that you can chat with. Apart from practicing your linguistic skills, you have fun and make friends from different countries. The app makers see it as a way to exchange experiences and explore new cultures.

When you chat with someone, you can choose to do it via text, voice, or video. For each option, the HelloTalk app offers built-in corrections, translations, and pronunciation to help the conversations run smoothly between students.

If you love engaging with communities, you can use the app to post Moments. These are public posts that are seen by the native speakers of the language you want to learn. They can jump in to edit and comment on your messages.

So HelloTalk is more than one of the best language learning apps. It’s actually an experience exchanging app.

👨‍🎓 Best for

• People who are looking to learn by socializing, making friends, joining communities, and exchanging cultural experiences.

💵 Pricing

• Free

Drops

Drops is another cool language learning app that focuses on the visual side of the teaching process. Get started and explore the 35+ languages that this app has in store for you. Once you sign up, you will love the visually immersive interface that turns your learning into a fun challenge.

While this app is not free forever, you can try it out for seven days without being charged. Drops uses the drag-and-drop technique, making the experience enjoyable and easy.

Before starting a lesson, you get to choose the categories that you are interested in and the time you are willing to spend each day on the app. Based on your choices, Drops will guide you through a visual course that involves illustrations, animations, and audio. Just like in a game, you can unlock achievements and join various challenges that the app suggests.

What’s cool about this app, apart from the interface, is the huge number of categories and topics that it provides. You can learn words and phrases from 90+ topics that depict almost any real-world situation.

Apart from individual learners, Drops is also available for businesses who want to hold language learning courses for their employees.

👨‍🎓 Best for

• People who want to learn new words and practice a new language in simulated real-life situations via an easy-to-grasp visual interface.

💶 Pricing

• Monthly – €8.49
• Yearly – €5
• Lifetime – €149.99

Lirica

Lirica is probably the most unusual of the best language learning apps because it teaches you through an original method: music. Everybody listens to music, but have you ever thought of it as a source of assimilating or improving a language?

How does this app work? You download it for free, select a language, get to listen to hit songs in that language, and then get tested from your understanding of the lyrics/story.

Lirica plays a song for you, explains the lyrics, gives you grammar lessons (like verbs from the song), and then asks questions to verify your understanding of the story. In short, you’ll get an analysis of the text with which you need to interact afterward. Based on your progress, you can join challenges and collect achievements.

One limitation of this language learning software is that it only covers Spanish, English, and German. But the developers plan to add more languages soon. What you might find to be another downside is the fact that the app only works on mobile – Android and iPhone.

👨‍🎓 Best for

• Music lovers who want to use their hobby as a means of learning a new language in a fun way.

💵 Pricing

• Free
• 1 Month – $10
• 3 Months – $23
• 12 Months – $32

Learn a new language and have fun doing it 🇺🇸↔️🇫🇷

Even the issue of cost isn’t a factor, since many of the featured options are free language learning apps. Each one comes with an original touch on language learning and adopts a different teaching style.

Check the apps, try them out, and stick with what seems to be the most appropriate and effective for you. They will help you improve in areas where you need it the most – grammar, vocabulary, spelling, speaking, listening, conversing, exchanging experiences, or learning about new cultures.

What do you think is the most effective app to learn a new language? We would love to hear from you. Answer via the comments section below.