Pick one app from each group below to build your week.
Bubblegum
Bubblegum is the best app for serious learners. You learn from text and audio you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
When you start, pick a goal such as passing the DELE exam or the JLPT. Then Poppy, your AI tutor, keeps that goal in mind when she suggests lessons and plans your quests.
- Add your friends to a Bubble, and the lessons you all finish each week earn Stars.
- Your Review screen counts the words you've read and the words you've saved in each language.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Bubblegum doesn't send reminders on the days you plan to study, so put your study times in your own calendar.
- 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
Busuu
Busuu's Study Plan starts with the level you'd like to reach, such as B1, and the days you'll study each week.
- Once your plan is set, Busuu shows the date you're likely to finish it.
- Most Busuu courses go up to B2, and its English and Spanish courses go on to C1.
MobileWeb
Lingoda
Lingoda is an online language school with live classes. You choose how many to take each week, and a group class has two to four other students.
- A placement test shows which level to start at.
- When you finish a level, Lingoda gives you a certificate for it.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Preply
After a trial lesson on Preply, you pick how many hours a week to study with that tutor, from one to five.
- Paying every 28 days holds the same lesson times for you each week.
- You can pause your plan or change your hours at any time.
MobileWeb
italki
On italki, you book each lesson with the teacher you choose, and you can take as many a week as you both have time for.
- The italki Language Test checks your speaking in about 15 minutes, and one purchase covers four tries, so you can take it again as you improve.
MobileWeb
LingQ
LingQ counts how many words you know. Look at the number at the end of each week to see how many you added.
- Flashcards
- Import your own
- Audio
- Tracks known words
MobileWeb
Anki
Anki's Calendar graph shows which days you reviewed over the past year, so you can check how each week went.
- The Future Due graph shows how many cards will come up on each day ahead, so you can plan your week.
- Save your statistics as a PDF to share them.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- BabbelCourses fit your level and the time you have, and progress trackers show how far you've come.
- GlossikaGlossika builds a learning plan from your level and interests. You repeat whole sentences out loud, then record yourself to hear how you sound.
- Migii JLPTMigii JLPT has timed mock tests for every JLPT level from N5 to N1, set out like the real test.
Most weeks, study for three to five hours. The table shows one way to spend four of them.
| Part of your week | Time | Apps for it |
|---|---|---|
| Read and listen to things you mostly understand | 2 hours | Bubblegum, LingQ |
| A lesson with a tutor, or a class | 1 hour | Preply, italki, Lingoda |
| The next lessons in your course | 30 minutes | Busuu |
| Review the words you saved | 30 minutes | Anki, or a Bubblegum lesson that brings them back |
With an exam coming up, use your course time for that exam's own sample questions. Find your test in our list of exam guides.
What if I'm just starting?
If you are serious about learning a language, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our apps for beginners page groups more ways to begin.
What if I fall behind on my plan?
Start again the next week with a smaller plan, such as one tutor lesson and one hour of reading. Add the other parts back once that feels easy.
Which level should I aim for?
Aim for the level your goal names. Many courses and exams use the six CEFR levels, A1 through C2, and our CEFR guide says what each level means and which exams give you one.
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
- Busuu Help: What's a Study Plan? How do I make one? (goal level, study days and time, reminders, estimated completion date, Premium Plus, selected courses)
- Busuu: course configuration (levels for each course: English and Spanish to C1, most others to B2, Korean A1)
- Lingoda: Home and FAQ (online language school, 2 to 4 fellow students per group class, placement test, a certificate for each level, languages and levels)
- Lingoda: App Store listing (choose how many classes you take each week)
- Preply: How it works (plans of 1 to 5 hours a week, weekly lesson slots, pause or cancel anytime, 12-hour cancellation)
- italki: Home and FAQ (as many lessons as you and your teacher have time for)
- italki Language Test (about 15 minutes, 4 attempts per purchase, speaking test in 7 languages, results aligned with CEFR)
- LingQ: About (known words tracking system)
- LingQ: Home (everything you do on LingQ is measured)
- Anki: Home (flashcards that come back when you are likely to forget them)
- Anki Manual: Statistics (Future Due, Calendar, Save PDF)
- Babbel: Home (course material for your level, interests and time; progress trackers)
- Glossika: Home (personalized learning plan from your level and interests)
- Migii JLPT: App Store listing (timed mock tests for N5 to N1)
- Bubblegum
- Busuu
- Preply
- LingQ
Checked on October 26, 2026 against each app's own pages.
