Dutch listening practice is easier when you can see the words, play a line again, and know who is speaking. This page compares eight apps on those points: the audio and the text, how you replay a line, what works offline, and whose voice you hear. Ear Drills NL and Erla hide the text until you choose to show it. For a wider look at reading, listening and watching, see our Dutch comprehensible input comparison. For courses, see our Dutch app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Dutch. You learn from Dutch you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Dutch 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.
- Every Dutch lesson has read-aloud audio beside its text.
- Poppy explains hard Dutch sentences in English.
- Words you save from a lesson come back in new Dutch lessons.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Unlimited custom Dutch lessons need Pro, 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™
Mobile
LingQ
LingQ suits learners who want to choose their own Dutch audio and read along. Its voices are a mix of library recordings, imported audio and AI voices.
- Dutch audio plays beside its text, from the library or from audio you import.
- Tap an unknown word to save it for later review.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Beelinguapp
Beelinguapp suits learners who want to follow a story with a translation in view.
- Dutch audiobooks with the English text beside them.
- The line being read is highlighted as it plays.
- Flashcards
Mobile
Language Reactor
Language Reactor suits learners who want to hear actors speak Dutch and read the lines as they go.
- Dutch and English subtitles beside each other on Netflix, with a pop-up dictionary.
- Precise playback controls let you go back to one line.
Browser extension
Other Apps We Looked At (5)
- Ear Drills NLDutch audio where the transcript stays hidden until you reveal words, with line replay and highlighting. You can switch between a Netherlands version and a Belgian version. The voices are synthesized, and the app works offline with no account. Its publisher lists A1, A2 and B1 as free in full and B2 to C2 with two free episodes each before one purchase, and the app is listed as coming to the App Store.
- Erla DutchAn Android app with listening scenes where the text is hidden, slow audio and sentence translations that you tap. The download is free, with in-app purchases.
- DutchPod101Dutch audio and video lessons with English translations and notes, and lessons you can download for offline use. New lessons, the first three lessons of every series and a word of the day are free.
- LingopieDutch films and TV with subtitles you tap, plus repeat listening and a transcript player. Its Dutch page offers a seven-day trial before a subscription.
- BNR DutchAn Android app with free beginner audio and word drills. It covers beginner words and phrases.
| App | English help | Audio and text | Replay and speed | Offline | Voices | Paid part |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Partly | Lessons with read-aloud audio | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Read-aloud voices | Unlimited custom lessons need Pro |
| LingQ | Yes | Library or imported audio beside text | Unconfirmed | Offline study listed | Recordings and AI voices | Premium |
| Beelinguapp | Yes | Audiobook with parallel text | Speed selector | Unconfirmed | Native narrators, say its makers | Subscription |
| Language Reactor | Yes | Dual subtitles on Netflix | Precise playback controls | Unconfirmed | Programme audio | Paid options |
| Lingopie | Yes | Subtitles you tap, transcript player | Repeat listening | Unconfirmed | Original cast | Subscription after a seven-day trial |
| Ear Drills NL | Unconfirmed | Hidden transcript you reveal | Line replay, natural speed | Fully offline | Synthesized, Netherlands and Belgian versions | B2 to C2 after two free episodes |
| DutchPod101 | Yes | Audio and video lessons with notes | Loop and speed control | Downloaded lessons | Teachers | Full library |
| Erla Dutch | Unconfirmed | Hidden-text scenes | Slow audio | Unconfirmed | Native voice, say its makers | In-app purchases |
Which Dutch listening app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Dutch, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with LingQ if you want to pick your own Dutch audio and read along.
Which apps hide the transcript until I choose to show it?
Ear Drills NL hides the transcript, and you reveal the words one at a time. Erla Dutch hides the text in its Android listening scenes.
Can I choose Dutch from the Netherlands or from Belgium?
Bubblegum lets you pick Netherlands or Belgian Dutch, and Ear Drills NL announces a version for each. In the other apps here the Dutch depends on the recording, the show or the narrator, so check a sample before you commit.
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.
