A GOOD PLACE TO START TALKING
The best language app? It’s the one that fits you.
Compare your options. Find your rhythm.
Get to the good part.
01 Your goals come first
02 The trade-offs are included
03 You make the call
THE SHORTLIST
For the way you actually want to learn.
Start with what matters to you.
A clear lesson plan, useful grammar, and everyday conversations. For people who like knowing what comes next.
Listen, respond, repeat. Audio-led lessons that get you answering aloud, with room to learn away from a screen.
A structured course with a social side. Send your writing and speaking exercises to the community for feedback.
Quick exercises, a clear path, and a reason to come back tomorrow. An accessible way to get a daily practice going.
Turn stories, articles, and audio into study material. Look up words as you go and spend more time with content you enjoy.
A dedicated path into Mandarin, with character writing, pronunciation practice, and videos of native speakers.
Try a different goal or reset the filters to explore all six apps. This is a starting selection, not a complete directory.
A starting shortlist based on published product features, checked September 20, 2026. These are editorial fit suggestions, not hands-on ratings. How we compare
THE SIDE-BY-SIDES
Sometimes the difference is the decision.
Here’s where these apps part ways.
A lesson plan, or a lesson plan
with community feedback?
Consider Babbel if you want guided lessons with grammar explanations and everyday dialogues.
Consider Busuu if feedback from other learners is a priority alongside your course.
For Japanese or Mandarin, Busuu is the option in this pair; Babbel doesn’t offer them for English speakers.
View the app profiles →
A few minutes of tapping,
or time spent talking?
Consider Duolingo if free access and short, game-like practice sessions help you show up each day.
Consider Pimsleur if you want audio-led listening and spoken responses, and can make room for its 30-minute lessons.
Try the free Duolingo course and a free Pimsleur lesson to compare the routines yourself.
View the app profiles →
Explore Mandarin through stories,
or follow a guided path?
Consider LingQ if you want to read and listen to material you choose, with vocabulary help along the way.
Consider HelloChinese if you want a Chinese-specific curriculum, character writing, and pronunciation exercises.
They can also complement each other: one for structured practice, the other for more reading and listening.
View the app profiles →A NOTE ON HOW WE DO THINGS
Learning a language is personal. Your app should match the conversations you want to have, the time you have, and the way you like to learn.
Let’s find your starting pointWe focus on the learning experience, the strengths, and the compromises. A decimal rating can’t tell you whether you’ll enjoy using an app.
Every app profile links to its official product information. This launch edition compares published features; hands-on testing is not yet part of these recommendations.
There are no affiliate links on this page. Prices and plans vary by country and promotion, so check the provider’s current terms before subscribing.
BEFORE YOU DOWNLOAD
Start with your goal. For a guided course, compare Babbel and Busuu. For audio-led speaking practice, look at Pimsleur. For reading and listening to material you choose, explore LingQ. Duolingo offers free, game-like courses, while HelloChinese focuses on Mandarin. Your preferred routine matters more than an overall ranking.
Duolingo offers free language courses supported by ads and optional subscriptions. A free course is different from a free trial: Pimsleur offers a free introductory lesson, for example. Always check what remains available after the introduction and whether a trial renews automatically.
Choose the skill you want more practice with. Pimsleur puts listening and spoken responses at the center. LingQ gives you reading and listening material beyond a lesson path. Busuu adds community feedback, and HelloChinese offers a dedicated Mandarin curriculum. Check the level of the specific language course before switching.
Two apps can serve different purposes: a guided course for structure and a reading or listening tool for extra exposure. Start with one sustainable routine, then add a second tool if you can name the gap it fills. More subscriptions don’t automatically mean more practice.
No. These initial comparisons are based on the providers’ published product information, with links in each app profile. We don’t present them as hands-on reviews or assign performance ratings. Future hands-on reviews should state the course, time spent, and testing method.
Your next conversation
starts with a hello.