HelloTalk is a language exchange app, where you chat with people who are learning your language while you learn theirs. On Reddit (r/languagelearning), learners who look past it mostly want steady practice. One French learner wanted partners who were there to practice. Another wanted people who would keep the conversation going.
Here are other ways to practice, grouped by what they offer, starting with HelloTalk.
What HelloTalk Does
HelloTalk
HelloTalk suits learners who want to make friends while they practice. It matches you by your first language and your level. Voicerooms and Livestreams let you join group talks, and built-in translation and transliteration tools help you along.
- Its site lists more than 260 languages to practice.
- Filter partners by age, location, and more.
- Share posts in Moments and get replies from people who speak the language.
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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 about the topics you'd talk about with a friend, like music or weekend plans. Reading and hearing them gives you words to use when you do chat.
The trade-off is that Bubblegum is not a chat partner. Pair it with Tandem or a Preply tutor for real conversation.
- Poppy is ready whenever you open a lesson.
- Lessons fit your level, so you understand most of what you read and hear.
- Ask Poppy what a phrase means or when people use it.
- Regenerative Review™ weaves your saved words into the next lessons.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- There's no person on the other side to chat with.
- 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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Try Another Language Exchange
Tandem
Tandem pairs you with people who want to learn your language. Its site says it reviews every application to join, to keep the community safe and fun. You can search for partners by interests as well as by language.
- Join Parties, Tandem's group audio rooms.
- Help each other with message corrections and comments.
- Meet partners for messaging, calls, or even in person.
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Book a Tutor
Preply
Preply is a place to find and book a one-on-one tutor. You can browse tutors on its site in many languages, from Thai to Ukrainian.
- Its site lists more than 100,000 experienced tutors.
- Tutors have more than 300,000 five-star reviews between them.
- Book lessons on its app or on the web.
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Speak With an AI Tutor
Praktika
Praktika teaches 13 languages, including Arabic, Japanese, and Dutch, at any level. Its App Store page lists more than 1,000 lessons and role-plays, like being a tourist or a sports commentator.
- Talk with AI tutors that listen, answer, and correct you as you speak.
- Get pronunciation and fluency feedback after each conversation.
- Your tutor can explain things in the language you already speak.
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Other Apps We Looked At (3)
Common Questions
Which HelloTalk 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 Praktika if you want speaking practice where your tutor can explain things in your first language, or with Preply if you'd like a tutor to guide you.
Can I practice speaking without another person?
Yes. Praktika and Talkpal let you talk out loud with an AI tutor and get feedback. Praktika's App Store page says you can practice at any hour, in quick five-minute chats or longer sessions.
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
- HelloTalk: Find language exchange partners (70M+ learners, 260+ languages)
- HelloTalk: App Store listing (Voicerooms, Livestreams, Moments)
- r/languagelearning: Is it just me or are HelloTalk and Tandem basically Tinder 2.0 now?
- r/languagelearning: Is HelloTalk useful to learn languages
- Tandem: How Tandem works
- Tandem: App Store listing (300+ languages, Parties)
- Preply: Find your tutor
- Praktika: App Store listing (AI tutors, 1,000+ lessons)
- italki: Teachers and group classes
- Busuu: Feedback from the Busuu Community
- Talkpal: App Store listing (AI conversation in 130+ languages)
- HelloTalk
- Bubblegum
- Praktika
Checked on October 14, 2026 against each app's own pages.
