Rosetta
Cantonese is the one to learn if you're starting university in Hong Kong or working in Macau, and Rosetta Stone has no course for it. Its 25 languages, which we read on October 24, 2026, include a single Chinese course, and that course teaches Mandarin.
CantoneseClass101, Glossika and words.hk are in our Cantonese comparison, and Is Cantonese on Babbel? covers Babbel.
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.
Your first week of classes in Hong Kong can be a Bubblegum lesson, because Poppy, your AI tutor, writes each Cantonese lesson around what you tell her.
- Learn to read Jyutping in its own course, so the readings over each word make sense.
- Practice what you'll say at dim sum with your aunties, out loud, in live voice chat with Poppy.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Your Hong Kong magazines can't become lessons. Photograph a headline you can't read, and Poppy breaks it down word by word.
- 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
Ling
Ling's Cantonese course runs on your phone or your computer, and its first lesson starts with sentences you'll need to get by.
- Audio drills and visual tone guides help with Cantonese tones.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Jyutping (partly)
MobileWeb
Drops
Drops builds your Cantonese one short, themed session at a time.
- You learn spoken Cantonese words and written Chinese side by side.
- Native-speaker audio for each word trains your ear for tones from the first lesson.
- Doesn't teach Jyutping
Mobile
| 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. |
| Drops | Free version | The free version lets you learn for five minutes every 10 hours. Drops Premium gives you unlimited time and all the content, and the yearly plan 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 begin with Ling if the tones worry you, or Drops if you'd like to build words in short sessions.
Is Rosetta Stone's Chinese course Cantonese?
No. Its Chinese page teaches Mandarin with pinyin and the four Mandarin tones. It lists Cantonese as a separate variety, spoken in Hong Kong and parts of southern China.
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
- Rosetta Stone: home page (language links, read October 24, 2026)
- Rosetta Stone Sapphire: App Store listing (25 languages, one Chinese course)
- Rosetta Stone: Learn Chinese (Mandarin)
- Ling: Learn Cantonese
- Ling: FAQs (free units)
- Ling: pricing
- Drops: Learn Cantonese
- Drops: Free vs. Premium
- Drops: Premium
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 24, 2026 against each app's own pages.
