About 1.1 million people speak Estonian, the official language of Estonia. It is a Finno-Ugric language, closely related to Finnish, and its nouns change in 14 cases. Many big language apps do not teach it, and Duolingo has no Estonian course. Estonia's own free courses fill part of that gap, and few apps give you things to read and listen to once you know the basics.
Here are the apps and services that teach Estonian, grouped by what they help you do. You can start with one and add another when you need it.
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
Bubblegum suits learners who want Estonian built around their own lives. Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, what you want to learn. She writes lessons for your level and helps you understand the words and grammar. You can read and listen, and ask her about anything that is unclear. News and stories give you more Estonian to read about music, food, family, and other things you care about.
The trade-off is that Bubblegum does not replace real Estonian voices. For recorded speakers, uTalk is the better fit, and for conversation, try the apps in Learn With People.
- Read Estonian lessons for free.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to news and stories in Estonian about things you care about.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so you review them by reading instead of using flashcards.
- Lesson audio uses AI voices, not recordings of Estonian speakers.
- You cannot import your own books or articles.
- The free plan includes one new custom lesson each day.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Follow an Estonian Course
If you want someone to choose what comes next, start here. This app gives you an ordered path through Estonian words and sentences. Estonia's free official courses are in Free Courses and Resources From Estonia, below.
Ling
Ling teaches Estonian with short lessons and bite-sized games. It suits learners who want a ready-made course on their phone.
- Audio lessons recorded by native speakers, with grammar tips.
- Lessons are grouped by theme, from beginner to advanced.
- Speaking practice is with a chatbot, so you will need a tutor or partner for feedback from a person.
- Flashcards
Mobile
Practice Speaking and Listening
Glossika
Glossika builds Estonian through full sentences that you hear and practice, so you meet grammar inside real sentences. You can take a placement test or start from zero. It suits learners who want a lot of listening practice.
- More than 5,000 words, from A1 to C1.
- Practice with full sentences, or switch to a hands-free listening mode.
MobileWeb
Build Vocabulary
Drops
Drops teaches Estonian words through short, illustrated games. Its Estonian lessons are made with local translators and native speakers.
- More than 2,500 Estonian words and phrases, each with a picture.
- Review with Favorites, Review Dojo, Quiz Mode, and Word Collection.
Mobile
uTalk
uTalk helps you learn Estonian words through short lessons and memory games. Its reviews focus on the words you get wrong.
- More than 2,500 words and phrases.
- Audio recorded by native Estonian speakers.
MobileWeb
Clozemaster
Clozemaster shows an Estonian sentence with one word missing, and you pick or type the missing word. It starts with the most common words, so you learn the most useful ones first.
- Learn Estonian words inside real sentences.
- Sentences come back for review right before you would forget them.
MobileWeb
Read Estonian Texts
Readlang
Readlang lets you read Estonian articles, books, and web pages with a translation one click away. Its library also has shared Estonian texts for beginners.
- Click any word in an Estonian text to see what it means.
- Turn the words you click into flashcards.
- You choose your own Estonian texts, so you need to find ones at your level.
- Flashcards
WebBrowser extension
Learn With People
Choose a tutor if you want teaching and correction. Choose a language exchange if you want a practice partner and are happy to help with English in return.
italki
italki lists 10 Estonian tutors. You can read each tutor's profile and book a trial lesson first.
- Choose an Estonian tutor and book lessons around your schedule.
- Get feedback while you speak.
MobileWeb
Preply
Preply lists 76 Estonian teachers, including tutors based in Estonia. Read profiles to find a tutor who fits your level and goals.
- Compare tutors by profile, reviews, and price.
- Practice the Estonian you need with a tutor.
MobileWeb
HelloTalk
HelloTalk has a page for finding Estonian language partners. Exchange calls give each of you equal time to practice.
- Meet Estonian speakers who want to practice with you.
- Practice with messages, voice rooms, and voice calls.
- Partners are volunteers and may not be trained teachers.
Mobile
Tandem
Tandem lists Estonian among its languages, and its Tallinn page shows partners who are learning or teaching Estonian. Agree with your partner on how to split time between your two languages.
- Find a partner who matches your goals and interests.
- Practice with text, audio, and video.
- It can take a few tries to find a partner who matches your interests and time.
MobileWeb
Free Courses and Resources From Estonia
Two free web courses made in Estonia help adults use Estonian in everyday situations. Keeleklikk takes you from your first words to A2, with 16 chapters, more than 100 grammar videos, and about 1,200 exercises. You can also exchange messages with an Estonian teacher. Keeletee continues to B1, with 13 chapters of interviews, grammar videos, exercises, and tests. Both courses work in English and Russian, and Keeleklikk also works in Ukrainian.
If you live in Estonia, the Integration Foundation offers free Estonian courses from A1 to B1 for adults with an Estonian personal identification code, in person and online. Registration opens twice a year. Its Language Friends program connects learners with native speakers for conversation practice.
For reading and listening, ERR, Estonia's public broadcaster, publishes Lihtsad uudised, a selection of the week's news in simple Estonian that you can read and listen to. Estonian words change a lot, so a good dictionary helps. Sõnaveeb is the language portal of the Institute of the Estonian Language. Its Learner's Sõnaveeb shows 6,000 basic words in a simpler way for A2 to B1 learners, and you can hear many common words and their forms.
Learn Estonian in Your Language
These counts cover menu-language choices, including script variants. Other apps’ counts and full lists come from their iPhone listings. Lesson explanations and other platforms may differ.
| App | Supported Display Languages | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Full list
|
| Ling | 67 | Full list |
| Glossika | 2 | Full list |
| Drops | 16 | Full list |
| uTalk | 1 | Full list |
| Clozemaster | 37 | Full list |
| Readlang | 1 | Full list |
| italki | 19 | Full list |
| Preply | 19 | Full list |
| HelloTalk | 16 | Full list |
| Tandem | 14 | Full list |
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- LingvistAn Estonian course for English speakers with more than 3,700 of the most-used Estonian words, on the web, iPhone, and Android. Its AI adjusts to your pace, and a short Essential Estonian course teaches 100 Estonian phrases.
- SpeaklyLists Estonian among its languages and teaches words and sentences in the order people use them, with spaced repetition on your phone and computer.
- Memrise word listsWord lists made by other learners, such as Estonian by Topics and a list that follows the Colloquial Estonian textbook.
Common Questions
Which Estonian app should a beginner choose?
Start with Keeleklikk if you want a free course, or Ling if you want a course on your phone. Add uTalk or Glossika when you want more listening practice, and a tutor from italki or Preply when you want feedback. Bubblegum suits learners who want lessons around their own interests. Estonian uses the Latin alphabet with a few extra letters, like õ and ü, so you do not need to learn a new script first.
Can I learn Estonian for free?
Yes. Keeleklikk and Keeletee are free courses, and the Integration Foundation's courses are free for adults living in Estonia. ERR's Lihtsad uudised and Sõnaveeb are free to read too, and so is Bubblegum's lesson library.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. You can read the free lesson library and ask Poppy for one new custom lesson each day on iPhone and Android. Become a Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons and to support our team.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Estonian language
- Language and Cognition: Many ways to decline a noun, children's noun inflection in Estonian
- Duolingo: Language courses
- Keeleklikk: Estonian language course
- Keeletee: Estonian language course
- Integration Foundation: Language learning
- ERR News: Estonian Language Friends program open for new learners
- ERR News: Lihtsad uudised
- Sõnaveeb: About
- Bubblegum
- Ling
- Glossika
- Drops
- uTalk
- Clozemaster
- Readlang
- italki
- Preply
- HelloTalk
- Tandem
Checked on October 4, 2026 against each app's own pages.
