You learn from reading when a page is a little hard and help with a new word is one tap away.
Each section below covers one way of doing that.
Stories Poppy Writes for You
Bubblegum
Bubblegum is the best app for serious learners. You learn from text and audio you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Bubblegum has lessons in 60 languages. Poppy, your AI tutor, picks topics from your interests, such as cooking or football, and writes each lesson so it fits how well you read. If a line stops you, ask her about it right inside the lesson.
To read a book or an article you picked yourself, try the tools in the next section.
- Tap a word, and you see its meaning in the sentence you're reading.
- Short stories and news sit beside your lessons, all at your level.
- Words you save show up again inside new lessons Poppy writes, so you review them by reading. Bubblegum calls this Regenerative Review™.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't load your own books, articles, or web pages into it.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Read Any Text You Find
These tools add a dictionary to text you bring, so you can read the articles and web pages you already enjoy.
LingQ
LingQ has a big library of podcasts, books, and articles, each with text and audio, and it keeps track of how your vocabulary grows. It supports 53 languages.
- Highlight a word you don't know, and LingQ helps you review it over time.
- Send an article or video to your lessons with the LingQ Importer browser extension.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Readlang
Readlang works in your web browser, on its own articles, on texts you upload, and on other websites. It covers ten main languages, from Spanish to Polish, plus 100 more.
- On any web page, click a word or phrase you don't know to see its translation.
- Readlang keeps every word you looked up, and you can practice them later with flashcards.
- AI explains a word or phrase in the context where you found it.
- Flashcards
WebBrowser extension
Migaku
Migaku's Chrome extension turns the websites you visit into reading practice. It covers 11 languages, from Cantonese and Korean to French and Vietnamese.
- Click a word on a website to see its meaning, how it sounds, and a picture.
- Make a flashcard from what you're reading in one click.
- Flashcards
MobileBrowser extension
Short Stories Sorted by Level
These apps hand you stories that are already written or adapted for your level.
Readle
Readle turns the news and short fiction into graded lessons, from level A1 to C1 in European languages. It teaches seven languages, such as Italian and Japanese.
- Tap any word to see what it means right there, with no dictionary to open.
- Native audio comes with every sentence.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Beelinguapp
Beelinguapp's library holds fairy tales, classics such as Sherlock Holmes, guides to world cities, and news, in 23 languages. Many stories come with a narrator you can follow along with.
- Peek at the translation in your own language whenever a sentence stops you.
- Add a story's key words to your glossary and practice them with flashcards.
- Flashcards
Mobile
Readers Made for One Language
Each of these apps covers one language only, with tools built for that language.
Satori Reader
Satori Reader has stories for intermediate learners of Japanese, in genres from fantasy to the news. A small team writes every story from scratch, and voice actors read each one aloud.
- Make a review card as you read, and it keeps the sentence where you met the word.
- Gray underlines mark notes that explain tricky expressions and cultural background.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Du Chinese
Du Chinese has Mandarin stories for beginners up to advanced readers, written, recorded, and translated by its own team. Many stories use a set number of characters, from 150 up to 2,500.
- Tap for pinyin, a word's meaning, or a sentence's translation without leaving the story.
- Show the stories in Simplified or Traditional characters.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Readable
Readable is for people learning English. Teachers simplify each story to level A1, A2, B1, or B2, and new news stories arrive every day.
- Every word has audio and a translation.
- Save a word as you read and learn it later in the Word Trainer.
- Flashcards
Mobile
News in Levels
News in Levels writes short world news for people learning English. The same words come up again and again in each level, so after a few months you know them.
- Each article comes in three versions, built on the 1,000, 2,000, or 3,000 most common English words.
- Listen to every article in an American or a British voice.
MobileWeb
How Many Languages Each Reading App Covers
| App | Languages to Read | Menu Languages |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 60 | 74 |
| LingQ | 53 | 17 |
| Readlang | 10 + 100 more | Not listed |
| Migaku | 11 | 4 |
| Readle | 7 | 23 |
| Beelinguapp | 23 | 22 |
| Satori Reader | 1 | Not listed |
| Du Chinese | 1 | 1 |
| Readable | 1 | 17 |
| News in Levels | 1 | 1 |
Other Apps We Looked At (4)
- The Chairman's BaoA graded reader for Mandarin built on the news, with thousands of articles and new ones added every day.
- Language ReactorA Chrome extension for computers that adds a machine translation to a text you bring and reads it aloud.
- NHK News Web EasyNews in simple Japanese from Japan's public broadcaster, written for people from abroad who live in Japan.
- DuostoriesA community project that translates Duolingo's stories into more languages, used under license from Duolingo.
Common Questions
Which reading app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning a language, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Readle if you'd like short news stories sorted by level, or with Beelinguapp if you'd like the translation right beside every line.
Can I read books and websites I already like?
Yes. LingQ, Readlang, and Migaku all work on text you bring yourself. Readlang also lets you practice or export flashcards from one book at a time.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Bubblegum: Every language you can learn
- LingQ: Learn languages online with real content
- LingQ: 53 languages
- LingQ: App Store listing (LingQ Premium, 17 menu languages)
- Readlang: Learn a language by reading (features and plans)
- Migaku: Home page
- Migaku: App Store listing (11 languages, 4 menu languages)
- Readle: Graded stories in seven languages
- Readle: App Store listing (23 menu languages)
- Beelinguapp: Learn languages with audiobooks
- Beelinguapp: App Store listing (22 menu languages)
- Satori Reader: Home page
- Satori Reader: Pricing
- Satori Reader: App Store listing
- Du Chinese: Home page
- Du Chinese: Pricing
- Du Chinese: App Store listing (1 menu language)
- Readable: App Store listing (17 menu languages)
- English News in Levels: App Store listing (1 menu language)
- The Chairman's Bao: Home page
- Language Reactor: Chrome Web Store listing
- NHK News Web Easy
- Duostories: Community-translated Duolingo stories
- Bubblegum
- LingQ
- Readlang
- Migaku
- Beelinguapp
- Satori Reader
- Du Chinese
- Readable
- News in Levels
Checked on October 15, 2026 against each app's own pages.
