Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, Portugal, and seven other countries, and more than 265 million people speak it. Many apps teach it, but they differ in which variety they teach, and fewer give you Portuguese to read and listen to at your level.
Here are the apps and services that teach Portuguese, 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 Portuguese 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 Portuguese to read about the things you care about.
The trade-off is that Bubblegum does not replace real Portuguese voices. For recorded speakers, Pimsleur and uTalk are the better fit, and for conversation, try the apps in Learn With People.
- Separate Brazilian and European Portuguese journeys, with lessons written and voiced for the variety you choose.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to news and stories in Portuguese 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 Portuguese speakers.
- You cannot import your own books or articles.
- The free plan includes one new custom lesson each day.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Brazilian and European Portuguese
The two main varieties are often understood by speakers of both, and the written language is mostly the same. Brazilians say você for informal "you" and ônibus for bus, while people in Portugal say tu and autocarro. Where an app's own pages say which variety it teaches, its card says so too, and our guide to learning European Portuguese covers the European side in more depth.
Follow a Portuguese Course
If you want someone to choose what comes next, start here. These apps give you an ordered path through Portuguese words and sentences.
Duolingo
Duolingo has a free Portuguese course for English speakers that teaches Brazilian Portuguese. It is a good way to start with words and sounds. Add a tutor or a conversation partner when you want to talk with real people.
- Lessons go up to B2 on the CEFR scale.
- Stories give you short Portuguese texts to read and hear.
MobileWeb
Busuu
Busuu's Complete Portuguese course teaches Brazilian Portuguese. You practice speaking, listening, reading, and writing. It suits learners who want a course that takes them from the first words to upper-intermediate Portuguese.
- More than 140 lessons from A1 to B2, about 64 hours of study.
- Feedback from Portuguese speakers on your practice.
MobileWeb
Memrise
Memrise has an official Portuguese (BR) course and an official Portuguese (EU) course, each with its own lessons. Choose the one that matches where you will use your Portuguese.
- Practice listening to native speakers.
- Practice speaking with an AI language tutor.
- Brazilian and European Portuguese are separate courses, so you choose one variety at a time.
MobileWeb
Mango Languages
Mango Languages teaches Brazilian Portuguese through everyday conversations, with notes on grammar and culture. Check your local library first, since many libraries include Mango.
- Five units, plus extra units on soccer, tourism, and romance.
- Reaches about B1 on the CEFR scale.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Babbel
Babbel guides you through listening, speaking, and writing. Its lessons use conversations you might have at work, while traveling, or with friends.
- Short lessons built around everyday conversations.
- Grammar explanations and review exercises.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Rosetta Stone Sapphire
Rosetta Stone directs new learners to Sapphire, its current app and web course. Its lessons use pictures and recorded speakers to teach reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
- Connect pictures with words and phrases through guided lessons.
- Pronunciation feedback from its TruAccent speech tool.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
50LANGUAGES
50LANGUAGES teaches short phrases for situations such as a hotel, a restaurant, and the doctor. You can follow the lessons online or use its mobile apps.
- 100 basic lessons with text and native-speaker audio.
- Download the audio files free from its website.
MobileWeb
Practice Speaking and Listening
Pimsleur
Pimsleur has one course for Brazilian Portuguese and another for European Portuguese. You listen to a conversation, answer the prompts out loud, and hear the right answer. It suits learners who want to start speaking before they read much.
- Five levels of 30-minute lessons for each variety.
- Reading lessons in every level to go with the audio.
MobileWeb
PortuguesePod101
PortuguesePod101 lets you study through short recordings and lesson notes. Choose a lesson pathway and work through it at your own pace.
- Audio and video lessons taught by real teachers.
- Lesson notes explain the words and grammar in each dialogue.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Build Vocabulary
Drops
Drops helps you learn words through quick games with pictures. It has one course for Brazilian Portuguese and another for European Portuguese.
- Sessions are short, about five minutes.
- Pictures and spaced repetition help new words stick.
Mobile
Clozemaster
Clozemaster shows you a Portuguese sentence with one word missing, and you choose or type the word. Its Portuguese course uses Brazilian Portuguese sentences.
- Fill in the missing word in Portuguese sentences.
- Sentences start with the most common words, so you learn the most useful ones first.
MobileWeb
uTalk
uTalk helps you learn words through games and audio. Its Brazilian Portuguese version is recorded by speakers from Brazil, and its European Portuguese version is recorded by speakers from Portugal. The starter words are free, so you can try it before you pay.
- More than 2,500 words and phrases across 60 topics.
- Compare your pronunciation with a native speaker.
MobileWeb
Read and Watch Portuguese
LingQ
LingQ gives you Portuguese lessons to read and listen to, from its own Mini Stories to lessons from teachers such as Portuguese With Leo. Pick a course in the variety you want.
- A large library of Portuguese courses, from beginner to advanced.
- Mini Stories in Brazilian and European Portuguese, each with 62 lessons.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Language Reactor
Language Reactor adds a popup dictionary to Netflix and YouTube, so you can click a word in a Portuguese show and see what it means. Its language list includes Portuguese (Brazil).
- Dual subtitles show Portuguese and your own language together.
- Replay a line as often as you like with the playback controls.
Browser 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's tutors teach Portuguese online. Read tutor profiles to find a teacher whose accent matches the Portuguese you want.
- Choose a Portuguese tutor and book lessons around your schedule.
- Tutors teach conversation, grammar, and business Portuguese.
- Lessons are paid, and prices depend on the tutor.
MobileWeb
Preply
Preply has a page of Portuguese tutors. Compare their profiles and reviews to find a tutor who fits your level and goals.
- Filter tutors for European or Brazilian Portuguese.
- After each class, get a short summary with feedback and next steps.
MobileWeb
Tandem
Tandem is a language exchange app with Portuguese learners and speakers in many cities. Agree with your partner on how to split time between your two languages.
- Practice Portuguese with native speakers who want to learn your language.
- Find partners in cities such as São Paulo.
- You arrange practice with a partner; it is not a guided course.
MobileWeb
Free Courses, Podcasts, and Dictionaries
UT Austin's Tá Falado has 46 free podcast lessons on Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation and grammar, made for people who already speak Spanish. Dicionário Priberam is a free online dictionary with more than 181,500 entries, verb conjugations, and synonyms, and Ciberdúvidas answers questions about Portuguese words and grammar. For news, Folha and G1 publish in Brazilian Portuguese, and RTP broadcasts from Portugal.
Learn Portuguese 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
|
| Duolingo | 32 | Full list |
| Busuu | 15 | Full list |
| Memrise | 22 | Full list |
| Mango Languages | 2 | Full list |
| Pimsleur | 3 | Full list |
| Drops | 16 | Full list |
| Clozemaster | 37 | Full list |
| uTalk | 1 | Full list |
| LingQ | 17 | Full list |
| Language Reactor | 27 | Full list |
| italki | 19 | Full list |
| Preply | 19 | Full list |
| Tandem | 14 | Full list |
| Babbel | 9 | Full list |
| Rosetta Stone Sapphire | 6 | Full list |
| 50LANGUAGES | 58 | Full list |
| PortuguesePod101 | 1 | Full list |
Other Apps We Looked At (10)
- GlossikaListen to and say thousands of Portuguese sentences, with separate courses for Brazilian and European Portuguese from A1 to C1. It is made for learners who already know some of the basics.
- LingoDeerA Portuguese course that teaches grammar one step at a time from A1 to B1, and the whole course can be downloaded to study offline.
- LingShort Portuguese lessons with speaking practice, a dialog feature where you choose replies in real conversations, and an AI chatbot.
- BeelinguappParallel texts and bilingual audiobooks with Portuguese and your own language side by side, read aloud by native speakers, from classics to news and children's books.
- MigakuA tool for learning from videos and web pages, with Portuguese listed among its supported languages.
- TalkpalWrite or speak with an AI tutor about many topics and hear realistic voices, with Portuguese pages for learners of Brazilian Portuguese.
- PraktikaSpoken conversations with AI tutors who give feedback on pronunciation and grammar, and who understand both Brazilian and European accents.
- HelloTalkA language exchange where you can text, send voice messages, and meet partners from Brazil, with a built-in correction tool.
- Semantica PortugueseA video course that teaches Brazilian Portuguese through a story filmed in Brazil with native speakers, plus a practice module of flashcard-style questions.
- Practice PortugueseMade for learners of European Portuguese, with step-by-step lessons and a library of dialogues.
Common Questions
Which Portuguese app should a beginner choose?
Start with Duolingo if you want a free course, or Mango if your library offers it. Add Pimsleur if you want to speak from the start. Bubblegum suits learners who want lessons around their own interests. Decide first whether you want Brazilian or European Portuguese, since some courses teach only one. Portuguese uses the Latin alphabet, so you do not need to learn a new script first.
Can I learn Portuguese for free?
Yes. Duolingo's Portuguese course is free, and 50Languages has 100 free Brazilian Portuguese lessons. Tá Falado and Dicionário Priberam are free too. Bubblegum's lesson library is free to read as well.
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
- UNESCO: World Portuguese Language Day
- Mango Languages: What are the main differences between Brazilian and European Portuguese?
- Babbel Magazine: What's the Difference Between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese?
- Preply: Online Portuguese tutors
- 50Languages: Learn Portuguese BR for free
- COERLL, UT Austin: Tá Falado
- Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa: About the dictionary
- uTalk: Starter Words now free in all 130+ languages
- Babbel: current iPhone listing
- Rosetta Stone Sapphire: current iPhone listing
- 50LANGUAGES: current iPhone listing
- PortuguesePod101: current iPhone listing
- Innovative Language: mobile app study tools
- Bubblegum
- Duolingo
- Busuu
- Memrise
- Mango Languages
- Babbel
- Rosetta Stone Sapphire
- Pimsleur
- PortuguesePod101
- Drops
- Clozemaster
- uTalk
- LingQ
- Language Reactor
- italki
- Tandem
Checked on October 5, 2026 against each app's own pages.
