AllApps

The best language learning apps.

Babbel is the top pick for anyone who wants a structured course with a clear lesson path and doesn't mind paying a subscription for it. It has the cleanest lesson flow of the group, though you should watch the cancellation process closely. If you specifically want AI conversation practice, Memrise or Praktika go deeper on speaking, but both carry the same subscription-trap complaints.

The filter. Every app here is rated 4.2 or better, has been updated in the last eighteen months, and has no significant number of reviewers reporting it broken. Price is not the rule on this list — some are free, some are not.
Top pick

Babbel - Language Learning

Babbel GmbH
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Free4.7★ (753,289)Updated Sep 14, 2026unverified
Verdict
Babbel gets praised for a clean, structured lesson flow, but a steady stream of reviews complain about subscription costs, confusing cancellation, and weak customer support.
Best for
Someone who wants a structured, guided course with a clear lesson path and is fine paying a subscription for it.
The catch
Cancelling and getting help from support are both reported as painful, and several reviewers felt the subscription pricing was a paywall trap rather than a fair deal.
Native app

Memrise: Language Learning App

Memrise Limited
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Free4.8★ (216,829)Updated Sep 7, 2026unverified
Verdict
Memrise has real content depth—native speaker clips, AI conversations, video—but a meaningful slice of reviewers hit crashes during lessons and billing problems that support doesn't resolve.
Best for
Someone who wants native-speaker audio and AI conversation practice and is willing to watch their subscription and cancellation dates closely.
The catch
Multiple reviewers report the app freezing mid-lesson, plus recurring complaints about being charged after cancelling with no autorenew reminder and slow or unresponsive customer support when disputing it.
Native app

Praktika – AI Language Tutor

Praktika.ai Company
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Free4.8★ (163,228)Updated Sep 14, 2026unverified
Verdict
Praktika offers AI conversation practice that many users find genuinely useful for building speaking confidence, but a recurring cluster of complaints centers on aggressive subscription tactics and difficulty getting refunds or canceling.
Best for
Someone who wants AI-driven conversation practice and is comfortable committing to a subscription without needing an easy exit if they change their mind.
The catch
A meaningful number of reviewers report the app makes canceling or refunding a subscription deliberately hard, and customer support often doesn't respond or refuses refunds outside a narrow window.
Native app

EWA: Learn Languages

Lithium Lab Pte Ltd
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Free4.7★ (195,275)Updated Jul 26, 2026unverified
Verdict
EWA teaches English, Spanish, and French through short stories, but the review record is dominated by subscription billing complaints rather than praise for the learning method itself.
Best for
Someone curious about story-based language learning who reads the subscription terms carefully before starting a trial and sets a calendar reminder to cancel it.
The catch
A large share of reviews describe surprise renewal charges, no advance notice before billing, and support (via chatbots and third-party billing handlers) that doesn't resolve refund or cancellation requests.
Native app

Lingvano - Learn Sign Language

Lingvano GmbH
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Free4.9★ (116,488)Updated Sep 14, 2026unverified
Verdict
Lingvano teaches ASL with video-based lessons that users describe as easy and unhurried, but the free portion is short and the subscription needed to continue is repeatedly called overpriced.
Best for
Someone who wants a gentle, video-driven introduction to ASL basics and is willing to pay a monthly subscription once the free chapters run out.
The catch
The free tier only covers the first couple of chapters; after that, lessons are paywalled behind a subscription that many reviewers call too expensive, and a few report lesson freezing or lost progress.
Native app

Who should skip this entirely.

Skip this whole category if you're not willing to actively manage a subscription — checking renewal dates, cancelling before trial periods end, and disputing charges if support ignores you. Every app on this list has a real cluster of complaints about billing, cancellation, or unresponsive support. If that sounds exhausting, use free resources instead: library apps, YouTube channels from native speakers, or a language exchange app that doesn't bill you at all. Paying for structure only makes sense if you'll actually stay on top of the account.

Questions.

Which app is best for learning to actually speak, not just read?Memrise and Praktika both emphasize spoken practice, with native audio clips and AI conversation partners. Babbel is more reading- and exercise-driven with a fixed lesson structure. Neither approach guarantees fluency; they just differ in what skill they drill.
Is there a free option that doesn't involve a subscription trap?None of these apps are fully free long-term. Lingvano offers a short free intro before paywalling the rest, and the others use free trials that convert to paid subscriptions automatically. If avoiding billing risk matters most, none of these five are a clean fit.
Why do so many of these apps have subscription complaints?The language-learning app category leans heavily on auto-renewing subscriptions, and several of these companies route support through chatbots or third-party billing handlers that are slow to resolve disputes. It's a pattern across the category, not isolated to one app.
What if I only want sign language, not a spoken language?Lingvano is the only app here built specifically for ASL, using video-based lessons. It suits someone wanting a gentle start, but expect to pay once you're past the first couple of chapters.