BabbelBabbel has no Afrikaans course. Its 13 courses for English speakers, which we read on October 24, 2026, include Dutch, a sister language of Afrikaans.
These apps teach Afrikaans. RSG radio and the VivA dictionary portal are in our Afrikaans comparison. For Duolingo, see Is Afrikaans on Duolingo?
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Afrikaans. You learn from Afrikaans you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Starting a job in Pretoria? Ask Poppy, your AI tutor, for the small talk in the office kitchen, and she writes it at your level in Bubblegum.
HelloTalk and the tutors in our Afrikaans comparison can give you someone to talk with.
- Try your office small talk out loud with Poppy before your first Monday.
- Read the news in Afrikaans too.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- A recipe or a magazine page you bring can't become a lesson. Send Poppy a photo of it, and she explains what it says.
- 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
Ling
Ling teaches Afrikaans through quick games, with audio recorded by Afrikaans speakers. Words you've met come back at spaced times so they stick.
- Role-play scenes let you try out an Afrikaans conversation.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
AfrikaansPod101
AfrikaansPod101 teaches with short audio and video lessons, and you can pick ones for travel or for love.
- Word lists, slideshows and flashcards bring new words back.
- A list of 2,000 core Afrikaans words and phrases comes with Premium.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Mondly
Mondly's Afrikaans lessons use speech recognition when you practice speaking. Afrikaans is also one of the 41 languages in the main Mondly app.
- Conversations recorded by professional voice actors.
- Tap a verb to see all its forms, with translations.
MobileWeb
| App | Free? | What's Free |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Free version | The lesson library is free for everyone. Your first custom lesson is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. |
| Ling | Some lessons free | The first two beginner units are free in every language. Ling Pro opens all the lessons, and the yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial. |
| AfrikaansPod101 | Free version | A free AfrikaansPod101 account gives you a survival phrases course and the first 3 lessons of every pathway, with new lessons each week. Paid plans open every lesson, and Premium starts with a 7-day free trial. |
| Mondly | Free version | Mondly gives you free lessons every day. A subscription opens all of its courses and features. |
Which Afrikaans app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Afrikaans, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Mondly for its verb helper, or AfrikaansPod101 if hearing a teacher explain things helps you most.
Can Babbel's Dutch course help with Afrikaans?
It gives you a head start, since Afrikaans is a sister language of Dutch. Still, the spelling and pronunciation differ, and some words look alike but mean something else. Stellenbosch University's Afrikaans course for Dutch speakers spends its language lessons on those differences.
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
- Babbel: home page, "What languages can I learn with Babbel?" (read October 24, 2026)
- Babbel: App Store listing (13 languages plus English, Babbel Speak)
- Stellenbosch University Language Centre: Afrikaans for Dutch-speaking students (Afrikaans is a sister language of Dutch)
- Ling: Learn Afrikaans
- Ling: FAQs (free units)
- Ling: pricing
- AfrikaansPod101: home page
- AfrikaansPod101: pricing
- Mondly: App Store listing (41 languages, Chatbot, voice recognition)
- Learn Afrikaans – Mondly: App Store listing
- Mondly: free vs. Premium
- Bubblegum
- Mondly
Checked on October 24, 2026 against each app's own pages.
