Duolingo is a free app with quick, game-like lessons in more than 40 languages, and it also teaches math, music, and chess. On Reddit (r/languagelearning), learners who look for other apps want different things. One wanted to practice speaking without more tapping. Another had finished the Spanish and French courses, wanted a next step, and needed grammar explained to get further in German.
Each section below covers one of those needs, and Duolingo has the first card.
What Duolingo Does
Duolingo
Duolingo suits learners who like short lessons that feel like a game. Its App Store page lists courses from Irish and Welsh to Latin and High Valyrian, and the same app has courses in math, music, and chess.
- Practice speaking, reading, listening, and writing in bite-sized lessons.
- Its App Store page says every course is free, from Spanish and Korean to Hawaiian.
- Leaderboards let you learn next to a global community of learners.
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Custom Lessons Made 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.
In Bubblegum, Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons around what you like. Tell her you're planning a trip or that you love soccer, and your next lesson is about that, at your level.
Poppy builds a flexible journey around your interests and level, so you can focus on what's most useful to you. The trade-off is that Bubblegum is not a person to talk with. For a set course that runs from lesson one to the end, try Babbel or Busuu below.
- Poppy writes each lesson for your level, about topics you pick.
- Read stories and the news when you want something different.
- Ask Poppy about any line, and she explains the grammar in it.
- Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Books and shows you pick yourself can't be imported.
- 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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Get Grammar Explained in a Set Course
Babbel
Babbel teaches 14 languages, and its App Store page says more than 200 language experts build its lessons. An English speaker learning Spanish gets different lessons than a French speaker does. When you're ready to talk, Babbel Speak gives you an AI conversation partner.
- Courses are made for speakers of your own language.
- Grammar is explained right when a lesson needs it.
- Download lessons to learn offline.
- Flashcards
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Busuu
Busuu has full courses in 14 languages, including Japanese, Korean, and Arabic. Tell its Study Plan when you want to study and for how long, and it sends you reminders.
- Get feedback on your practice from fluent speakers in the Busuu Community.
- Lessons run from level A1 to C1.
- Smart Review keeps the grammar and words you learned in one place.
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Practice Speaking Out Loud
Pimsleur
Pimsleur is an audio course, so you learn by hearing a phrase and saying it back. Its site offers 51 languages, and the lessons work offline, while you cook, work out, or drive.
- Each core lesson is 30 minutes of listening and speaking.
- A hands-free mode works in the car with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
- Voice Coach gives feedback on your pronunciation.
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Chat With People Who Speak It
HelloTalk
HelloTalk is a language exchange app. You meet people who are learning your language, and you help each other. Its site says more than 70 million learners use it, across more than 260 languages.
- Chat with language partners by text, voice, or video.
- Built-in tools help with translation, pronunciation, and corrections.
- Join Voicerooms to speak and listen in live group talks.
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Read and Listen to Books and Shows
LingQ
LingQ suits learners who finished a course and want real books and shows next. Its site lists 53 languages.
- Pick a lesson from its library, or import something you found.
- Learn from books, podcasts, movies, and TV shows.
- Highlight the words you don't know yet.
- Flashcards
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Other Apps We Looked At (4)
- ClozemasterFill in the missing word in thousands of real sentences. Its FAQ says it was made to answer the question "What should I do after Duolingo?"
- MemriseLearn words and phrases from thousands of short videos of real people, then record yourself and compare.
- DropsVocabulary games with a picture for each word, in more than 55 languages.
- Mango LanguagesCourses in more than 70 languages, each lesson built around a real conversation.
Common Questions
Which Duolingo alternative 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 Babbel or Busuu if you want a set course with grammar notes, or with Pimsleur if you'd rather learn by listening.
Can I keep using Duolingo with these apps?
Yes. Each one does a different job, so many learners pair two of them. For example, you could keep your Duolingo lessons and add HelloTalk to chat with people, or LingQ to read a book in the language you're learning.
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
- Duolingo: App Store listing (40+ languages, bite-sized lessons, Math, Music and Chess)
- r/languagelearning: Duolingo alternative for speaking that does not feel like more tapping?
- r/languagelearning: What alternatives would you recommend to Duolingo?
- Babbel: App Store listing (14 languages, Babbel Speak, grammar in context)
- Busuu: Learn languages for real life (A1 to C1, feedback from the Busuu Community)
- Busuu: App Store listing (14 languages, Study Plan, Smart Review)
- Pimsleur: 30-minute audio lessons in 51 languages
- Pimsleur: App Store listing (offline mode, learn while driving or cooking)
- HelloTalk: Language exchange with text, voice and video chat
- LingQ: Learn from books, podcasts, movies and TV shows in 53 languages
- Clozemaster: FAQ (What should I do after Duolingo?)
- Memrise: Short videos of real people speaking
- Drops: App Store listing (illustrated vocabulary games)
- Mango Languages: 70+ languages
- Duolingo
- Bubblegum
- Babbel
- Busuu
- HelloTalk
- LingQ
Checked on October 14, 2026 against each app's own pages.
