A good Arabic listening app plays Modern Standard Arabic, shows you the text, and lets you hear a line again. Arabic has a written standard and many spoken dialects, so check which one you are hearing. This page compares seven tools by where the audio comes from, the transcript, replay and speed, offline use, and the Arabic you hear. For other ways to learn, see our Arabic apps comparison, Arabic speaking apps, Arabic vocabulary apps and Arabic reading and listening apps.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Arabic. You learn from Arabic you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Arabic lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
- The Arabic journey is Modern Standard Arabic, and the lesson text is the transcript for the audio.
- Ask Poppy to explain any Arabic sentence you heard but did not follow.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Learn every letter in the free Arabic Alphabet course, with a picture to help you remember each one.
- The audio comes from the read-aloud voices, and Bubblegum plays no shows or videos.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches the Arabic Alphabet
Mobile
Other Apps We Looked At (6)
- FasahaAn iPhone and iPad app with graded texts and media. Each has a synchronized Arabic transcript, tappable meanings and aligned audio, and you can change how many vowel marks show. Lessons and the dictionary can be downloaded for offline study. It covers modern and classical Fusha.
- PlayalingReal Arabic videos with interactive caption transcripts and a Modern Standard Arabic filter. It has a trial, and wider access is paid.
- Lingualism Arabic VoicesListening segments with an Arabic transcript and an English translation beside it. The MP3 audio is free to download, and the PDF book is paid. Some segments are in named dialects, so pick the Modern Standard Arabic tracks.
- LingQA library of audio and text, plus your own imports, with tap-a-word lookups. Its Arabic library mixes Modern Standard Arabic and dialects. The free account limits saved words, imports and playlists, and Premium removes the limits.
- BeelinguappAudiobooks with the Arabic text beside English text, highlighted as it plays. Its publisher describes native-speaker narration.
- Language ReactorA free browser extension that shows two subtitles at once on Netflix, with a popup dictionary and precise playback controls. The subtitles and the spoken Arabic depend on the title.
| App | Audio From | Transcript | Replay and Speed | Offline | Arabic You Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | The read-aloud voices | The lesson text | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Modern Standard Arabic |
| Fasaha | Unconfirmed | Synchronized Arabic text with tappable meanings | Synchronized text; speed unconfirmed | Downloadable lessons and dictionary | Modern and classical Fusha |
| Playaling | Original video speech | Interactive captions | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Modern Standard Arabic filter, plus dialects |
| Lingualism Arabic Voices | Original speakers | Arabic text with English beside it | Your own MP3 player | Free MP3 download | Modern Standard Arabic and named dialects |
| LingQ | Library and imported recordings, plus AI voices | The lesson text | Audio playlists | Offline study; free access unconfirmed | Mixed |
| Beelinguapp | Native-speaker narration, says its publisher | Arabic and English text, highlighted | Unconfirmed | Downloaded text works offline; audio unconfirmed | Unconfirmed |
| Language Reactor | Original programme audio | Two subtitles at once | Precise playback controls | Unconfirmed | Depends on the title |
Which Arabic listening app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Arabic, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. To follow an Arabic transcript with an English translation beside it, add Lingualism Arabic Voices, whose MP3 audio is free to download.
How do I avoid dialect when I want Modern Standard Arabic?
Playaling has a Modern Standard Arabic filter for its videos, and Lingualism names the dialects it includes. LingQ's Arabic library mixes both. Beelinguapp and Language Reactor depend on the story or title, so check before you press play.
Which apps let me listen offline?
Fasaha lets you download lessons, and its dictionary works offline too. Lingualism's MP3 files are a free download. LingQ includes offline study, and its free account is restricted.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
