The best Indonesian vocabulary app depends on where you want your words to come from. LingQ saves the words from Indonesian texts you read, Drops, uTalk and Tobo give you word sets they made, and Anki holds cards you write yourself. This page compares how each app gets words to you, how it brings them back, and what stays free. For courses, tutors and speaking, see our Indonesian app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Indonesian. You learn from Indonesian you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Indonesian 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 you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
- Indonesian is written in the Latin alphabet, so you can read the words you save.
- Ask Poppy to explain an Indonesian sentence in English while you read.
- Saved words come back in new lessons through Regenerative Review™, and you can send them to Anki too.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't turn a whole Indonesian novel into a lesson. But Poppy will explain a passage you paste or a page you photograph.
- 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 is for learners who bring their own Indonesian texts or audio. Tap the words you don't know as you read and they are added to your review.
- Tap an unfamiliar Indonesian word in a lesson and save it as a LingQ.
- Saved words are reviewed with spaced repetition, next to the text and audio they came from.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Drops
In Drops, Indonesian vocabulary comes in topics, and every word has a picture, audio and a quick game. It fits visual learners who would rather not build a list.
- Each Indonesian word comes with a picture and its audio.
- Favorites and Quiz bring back words you have already met.
Mobile
Memrise
Memrise takes the Indonesian wordlist you choose and runs its words through learning and review activities. Tap a word for its meaning and an example.
- Pick an Indonesian wordlist and review its words on a schedule.
- Word Information shows meanings, examples and native-speaker clips where available.
MobileWeb
uTalk
uTalk sets Indonesian words out by topic, each with its English meaning, and follows them with recall games that get harder.
- Record yourself saying Indonesian words and compare your voice with native speaker audio.
- Downloaded topics work offline.
MobileWeb
Clozemaster
Clozemaster teaches an Indonesian word inside a whole sentence, so you learn what it sits next to. It shows English translations and can read the sentences aloud.
- You fill in the missing Indonesian word in a sentence, then see that sentence again later.
- Its sentences and translations come from Tatoeba.
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- ToboFlip through supplied Indonesian cards, swipe the ones you know, and favorite words to review later. It lists audio and pictures, and a paid subscription opens all content and removes ads.
- AnkiAny Indonesian word or sentence can go on a card, with sound or a picture. You write the words and meanings, and the cards come back on an SM-2 or FSRS schedule. Desktop Anki and AnkiWeb sync are free, and AnkiMobile on iPhone is a one-time purchase. For help setting up decks, read [Is Anki good for language learning?](/blog/is-anki-good-for-language-learning).
- QuizletBuild an Indonesian flashcard set yourself, or study one that someone else shared. Basic flashcards are free, and Quizlet Plus is paid.
| App | Word source | Review | Sentence and audio | English help | Free boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Lessons Poppy writes | Saved words return in new lessons | Words appear in new sentences | Partly | Lessons by other learners are free to read; unlimited custom lessons need Pro |
| LingQ | Text and audio you import | Spaced repetition | Matching text and audio | Yes | 20 saved words, 5 imported lessons |
| Drops | Topics made by Drops | Favorites, Quiz, Word Collection | Pictures and audio | Yes | 5 minutes every 10 hours |
| Memrise | Wordlists | Scheduled review | Examples and speaker clips where available | Yes | Limited free plan, Pro is paid |
| uTalk | Topics made by uTalk | Recall games | Native audio and your own recordings | Yes | Free starter words and one more topic at 100%; the rest is paid |
| Clozemaster | Sentences with a gap | Review of sentences you saw | English translations and read-aloud sentences | Yes | Free to start; Pro adds more |
| Tobo | Cards made by Tobo | Favorites and learned-word review | Audio and pictures listed | Unconfirmed | Free download; subscription opens all content |
| Anki | Cards you make | SM-2 or FSRS | Only if the card has them | Your own cards | Desktop and AnkiWeb free; AnkiMobile paid once |
| Quizlet | Sets you make or share | Learning and test modes | Only if the set has them; Quizlet can read terms aloud | Your own cards | Basic flashcards free; Plus is paid |
If you read Indonesian before you save words, our Indonesian comprehensible input app comparison covers reading and listening apps.
Which Indonesian vocabulary app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Indonesian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Drops works if you want a finished picture list, and Anki works if you would rather make cards from the Indonesian you come across.
Can I keep the sentence an Indonesian word came from?
Yes, in two of them. LingQ reviews a saved word with its context, and Clozemaster never separates a word from its sentence. Anki cards keep a sentence only when you add one, and Drops pairs each word with a picture and audio.
Do I need to pay to save Indonesian words?
Anki on a computer and AnkiWeb sync cost nothing, and Clozemaster is free to start. LingQ stops at 20 saved words and 5 imported lessons on its free plan, and Tobo opens all of its content with a subscription.
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.
Sources
- LingQ: what's free
- LingQ: learn Indonesian
- LingQ: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Drops: learn Indonesian
- Drops: what's free
- Drops: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Memrise: Indonesian course
- Memrise: help and FAQ
- Memrise: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Clozemaster: Indonesian sentences
- Clozemaster: FAQ
- Clozemaster: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- uTalk: Indonesian course
- uTalk: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Tobo: Indonesian Vocabulary, iPhone App Store listing
- AnkiMobile: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Anki: what's free
- Anki manual: scheduling and cards
- Quizlet: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Bubblegum
