Best Free Language Learning Apps in 2026

Quick answer

Many language apps let you learn without paying, and each one gives away something different. For a whole course, try Duolingo or Language Transfer. For reading, try Readlang. For words, try Clozemaster or Anki, and to chat with people, try HelloTalk or Tandem. For lessons Poppy writes about what you like, try Bubblegum.

Some apps give away a whole course, and others give away a reader, a word game, or a chat partner.

The 15 apps below are sorted by what they help you do.

Lessons 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 teaches 60 languages, including Korean, Portuguese, Swahili, and Icelandic, and its menus come in 74 languages. Poppy, your AI tutor, makes every lesson fit your level.

If you want to study a text you picked yourself, try Readlang or LingQ further down.

Get Bubblegum ↓

  • Pick a topic you care about, like cooking or a trip, and the lesson is about that.
  • Tap any word for its meaning, and ask Poppy about grammar that puzzles you.
  • Save a word, and Poppy puts it into a later lesson so you read it again. That's Regenerative Review™.
  • Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
  • It can't turn a book, article, or show you found into a lesson.
  • 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™

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Courses You Can Start for Free

Each of these courses has lessons in a set order, and you can begin without paying.

Duolingo

Duolingo says, "Every course is free." Its quick, bite-sized lessons feel like a game.

  • Lessons build your reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
  • Courses run from Spanish and Welsh to Hawaiian and High Valyrian.
  • Ads go away with Super Duolingo, the paid plan, which also adds perks like Unlimited Energy.

    MobileWeb

    Busuu

    Busuu offers courses in 14 languages, and you can start for free.

    • Lessons are planned by language experts and build step by step.
    • Once you know the basics, extra courses cover topics like manga and travel phrases.
    • A subscription opens the features that aren't free.

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      Language Transfer

      Language Transfer is a set of audio courses built on what it calls The Thinking Method. Language Transfer says, "Everything is free. Genuinely free." Its courses include Spanish, Greek, Swahili, German, Arabic, Turkish, Italian, French, and English for Spanish speakers.

      • There are no ads and no sign-up.
      • Download tracks ahead of time to listen offline.

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        Mango Languages

        Mango Languages teaches over 70 languages. You can get free access through a group that subscribes, like a public library.

        • Voice Comparison plays your recording next to a fluent speaker's, so you can hear the difference.
        • Download lessons to study offline.
        • Without a library or school that subscribes, you need your own plan, which starts with a free trial.
        • Flashcards

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        DW Learn German

        DW Learn German comes from Deutsche Welle and teaches only German. DW says you can learn German "easily and free of charge," and it has courses for every level.

        • A placement test helps you find the course that fits.
        • Learn from the news and from music, as well as from lessons.

          MobileWeb

          Read Without Paying

          These apps help you read texts in your new language and look up the words you don't know.

          LingQ

          LingQ turns books, podcasts, and shows into reading lessons in 53 languages. You can get started for free.

          • Follow the text while the audio plays in Karaoke Mode.
          • Make an audio playlist to listen hands-free.
          • Its AI features are part of LingQ Premium, the paid plan.
          • Flashcards

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          Readlang

          Readlang's free plan gives you as many single-word translations as you want.

          • Read with the Web Reader extension on any site you visit.
          • Upload your own texts, or pick an article from its library.
          • Free accounts get up to 10 phrase translations and 10 AI explanations per day, and Premium lifts those caps.
          • Flashcards

          WebBrowser extension

          Practice Words for Free

          Clozemaster

          Each Clozemaster round is a real sentence with a gap where one word belongs. Clozemaster says, "Everything you need to get fluent faster is free and always will be."

          • Get a wrong answer, and the Explain button tells you about the grammar behind it.
          • Try Radio, a beta feature that plays sentences and their translations.
          • Clozemaster Pro adds more features for people who want them.

            MobileWeb

            Anki

            With Anki, you make or download your own cards, so you can study any language. The computer version and AnkiDroid for Android are free, and AnkiWeb syncs your cards for free.

            • Hard cards come back more often and easy ones less, so you spend your time on what you don't know yet.
            • Add-ons let you give Anki new features.
            • AnkiMobile, its iPhone app, is a one-time purchase.
            • Flashcards

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            Memrise

            Memrise says you can start learning for free, and its paid plan adds extra features. It teaches Spanish, Korean, Japanese, and 136 other languages.

            • Pick a course built around a goal, like passing an exam or speaking at work.
            • Practice with an AI in private before you talk to people.
            • The Free Plan limits vocab lessons, videos, and conversations, and it has ads.

              MobileWeb

              Drops

              Drops teaches vocabulary in more than 55 languages, including Hawaiian and Greenlandic. Drops says over 50 million people use it "for free language lessons."

              • Its word list has over 5,000 words and phrases to learn.
              • Voice artists record each word in the right accent.
              • Drops Premium removes the time limit and opens every game mode.

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                Talk and Chat for Free

                HelloTalk and Tandem connect you with other learners, and Talkpal lets you talk with an AI.

                HelloTalk

                HelloTalk says you can "find language exchange partners and practice for free." You chat with partners around the world by text, voice, or video.

                • Post in Moments to ask questions and get answers from people who speak the language.
                • Join Voicerooms to listen and talk in a live group.

                  MobileWeb

                  Tandem

                  On Tandem, two people help each other with their languages. You sign up for free, and Tandem reviews each new member before they join.

                  • Correction and translation tools sit right inside the chat.
                  • Many features are free, and Tandem Pro opens all of them.

                    MobileWeb

                    Talkpal

                    Talkpal is an AI language coach for more than 130 languages.

                    • The difficulty adjusts as you go.
                    • Talkpal Premium removes the limits of the free plan.

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                      How Many Languages Can You Learn in Each App?

                      AppLanguages TaughtMenu Languages Offered
                      Bubblegum6074
                      Duolingo40+33
                      Busuu1415
                      Language Transfer9Not listed
                      Mango Languages70+2
                      DW Learn German12
                      LingQ5317
                      Readlang10 and 100 moreNot listed
                      Clozemaster50+37
                      AnkiAny25
                      Memrise13922
                      Drops55+16
                      HelloTalk16 and 260+ more16
                      Tandem300+14
                      Talkpal130+51
                      Other Apps We Looked At (2)
                      • BabbelA free account opens lesson one of each course, and some languages come with up to 80 free lessons.
                      • PimsleurAudio courses you learn by listening and speaking, and your first 30-minute lesson is free.

                      Common Questions

                      Which free language 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 pick Duolingo for a free course that plans each step, or Language Transfer if you'd rather learn by listening.

                      Can I practice speaking without paying?

                      Yes. HelloTalk and Tandem let you call or send voice notes to other learners, and HelloTalk covers 16 main languages plus 260 more. Mango Languages has speaking practice too, and you may get free access to it through your public library.

                      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
                      1. Bubblegum: Every language you can learn
                      2. Duolingo: App Store listing ("Every course is free", 33 menu languages)
                      3. Busuu: App Store listing ("A lot of the features are free", 15 menu languages)
                      4. Language Transfer: Home ("no price tags")
                      5. Language Transfer: About ("Everything is free")
                      6. Language Transfer: Get the app (links its App Store and Google Play listings; English menus)
                      7. Language Transfer: Courses
                      8. Mango Languages: App Store listing (free access through a public library, 2 menu languages)
                      9. DW Learn German: Learn German free online
                      10. DW Learn German: App Store listing (2 menu languages)
                      11. LingQ: Home ("Get started for free!")
                      12. LingQ: App Store listing (LingQ Premium, 17 menu languages)
                      13. Readlang: Home and free plan
                      14. Clozemaster: App Store listing (free to play, 37 menu languages)
                      15. Anki: Downloads and features
                      16. AnkiMobile: App Store listing (25 menu languages)
                      17. Memrise: App Store listing (Free Plan, 22 menu languages)
                      18. Drops: App Store listing (16 menu languages)
                      19. HelloTalk: App Store listing (16 menu languages)
                      20. Tandem: App Store listing (Tandem Pro, 14 menu languages)
                      21. Talkpal: App Store listing (51 menu languages)
                      22. Babbel: Home (first lesson of every course free)
                      23. Pimsleur: List of languages (free first lesson)
                      24. Bubblegum
                      25. Duolingo
                      26. Busuu
                      27. Mango Languages
                      28. LingQ
                      29. Readlang
                      30. Clozemaster
                      31. Memrise
                      32. Drops
                      33. HelloTalk
                      34. Tandem
                      35. Talkpal

                      Checked on October 15, 2026 against each app's own pages.

                      Your Next Lesson

                      Real lessons at your level, with word lookups, grammar notes, and audio. Save what you learn and pick up where you left off.

                      Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

                      Read a Real Lesson in Your Language

                      Every guide opens a complete Bubblegum lesson you can read and listen to at your level.

                      Canadian French

                      1 guide

                      Cantonese

                      7 guides

                      Catalan

                      1 guide

                      Cebuano

                      1 guide

                      Chinese (Mandarin)

                      6 guides

                      Dutch

                      1 guide

                      Egyptian Arabic

                      1 guide

                      European French

                      2 guides

                      All languages

                      • App Comparison
                      • Free Apps
                      • Duolingo
                      • Language Transfer
                      • Clozemaster
                      • Anki
                      • HelloTalk
                      • Tandem
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                      Published Oct 15, 2026