BabbelCantonese is the one to learn if you have family in Hong Kong or plan to live there, and you can't learn it on Babbel. On October 24, 2026, Babbel's own site named 13 courses for English speakers, and none of them was any kind of Chinese.
Words.hk and other Cantonese dictionaries are in our best apps to learn Cantonese, and Is Cantonese on Duolingo? checks Duolingo. For Mandarin, see Does Babbel Have Chinese?
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Cantonese. You learn from Cantonese you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
If your grandma lives in Hong Kong, Poppy, your AI tutor, can write the phone call where you tell her about your week.
italki, Preply and HelloTalk, for practice with people from Hong Kong, are in our Cantonese comparison.
- Every lesson is in traditional characters, with Jyutping or Yale over the words if you want it.
- Ask Poppy something out loud in Cantonese, and she answers in Cantonese.
- Lessons write Cantonese the way it's spoken, with 嘅 and 喺 where Mandarin would use 的 and 在.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Comics and articles you find can't become lessons. Snap a speech bubble or a headline, and Poppy goes through what it says, one line at a time.
- 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™
- Teaches Jyutping
- Traditional characters
Mobile
Mango Languages
In Mango Languages, you can replay any Cantonese line at normal speed until you catch it.
- Hover over a word to see how it's said.
- Grammar Notes point out where Cantonese and English are built differently.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Jyutping
MobileWeb
ChineseSkill
ChineseSkill turns Hong Kong Cantonese into quick games, and a downloaded course keeps working offline.
- Your progress follows you from one device to another.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Jyutping
- Traditional characters
MobileWeb
Pimsleur
You listen to a Cantonese speaker and reply out loud for about 30 minutes, so a Pimsleur lesson fits a walk with the dog or a drive to work.
- Quick Match games go back over each lesson's key words.
- Doesn't teach Jyutping
MobileWeb
CantoneseClass101
CantoneseClass101 asks what you're learning for and gives you lessons that fit those goals.
- A Survival Phrases course of more than 50 lessons covers the basics.
- Each lesson comes with a transcript you can read as you listen.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Jyutping
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. |
| Mango Languages | Some lessons free | The first lesson of every language is free, and many public libraries give their members full access at no cost. The paid plans start with a free trial. |
| ChineseSkill | Free version | ChineseSkill has a free version with some lessons and features. ChineseSkill Premium opens the rest of the courses and tools. |
| Pimsleur | Free trial | You can try Pimsleur free for 7 days. After that, you pay for one language or for all of them. |
| CantoneseClass101 | Free version | A free CantoneseClass101 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. |
Which Cantonese app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Cantonese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or try ChineseSkill first if you like short games, or CantoneseClass101 if you want a teacher to explain things.
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)
- Mango Languages: Learn Chinese (Cantonese)
- Mango Languages: pricing
- Mango Languages: home page
- ChineseSkill: App Store listing (Cantonese course as spoken in Hong Kong, speech recognition)
- ChineseSkill: terms (free version and Premium)
- Pimsleur: Learn Chinese (Cantonese)
- CantoneseClass101: home page
- CantoneseClass101: pricing
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 24, 2026 against each app's own pages.
