Ling is a language app built from short games, and its site lists 80 languages, from Thai and Tagalog to Serbian and Sorbian. Ling's App Store reviews show learners looking for different kinds of help. One wanted to understand each sentence's grammar and followed along with a dictionary, another wanted to start Tagalog with the alphabet, and a third wanted to hear more than one voice.
Ling
Ling focuses on Asian and Eastern European languages, and it also teaches rare ones such as Taiwanese Hokkien and Pashto. Its lessons mix short games with dialogues, and its Culture Notes tell you about the cultures behind many of its languages.
- Native speakers recorded the audio, with no text-to-speech.
- Games include flashcards, tracing letters, and a speaking game.
- Star words in a lesson to keep them in My Vocabulary for review.
- Flashcards
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Bubblegum
Bubblegum is the best app for serious learners. You learn from text and audio you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Every lesson in Bubblegum comes from Poppy, your AI tutor. Tell her about a trip you're planning, and she writes a conversation for it at your level. Tap any word for its meaning, and ask her about the grammar of any line.
Bubblegum has no people to chat with, so for that, try HelloTalk further down.
- Poppy writes your lessons at your level, around the topics you care about.
- Hear each lesson read aloud, then try a story or a news piece when you want a change.
- Wondering why a sentence is built that way? Ask Poppy.
- Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™, and they can go to Anki as well.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Bubblegum has no videos, and an article you found online can't be turned into a lesson.
- 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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Mango Languages
Mango Languages builds each lesson around a real conversation recorded by native speakers. You break the conversation into pieces, then rebuild it and say it yourself, and Voice Comparison lets you hear your voice next to theirs.
- It teaches more than 70 languages, including Potawatomi.
- Grammar notes appear right where you need them in a lesson.
- Your library card may give you full access for free.
- Flashcards
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LingoDeer
LingoDeer's courses were made by language teachers, and its App Store page lists 20 languages, including Korean, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese. Its lessons take about five minutes each.
- Start from the alphabet, then build up to conversations.
- Grammar tips and notes sit inside each lesson.
- Downloaded lessons work without an internet connection.
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Drops
Drops teaches words and phrases in 55+ languages, including Māori, Yoruba, and Cantonese. Its site says it combines spaced repetition with pictures that help words stick.
- Learn words with pictures and quick games.
- Pick from more than 5,000 words and phrases on everyday topics.
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HelloTalk
HelloTalk is a language exchange app that matches you with partners by your native language and your level. Its App Store page lists 16 main languages plus more than 260 others.
- Send messages to people who speak your new language.
- Built-in translation helps when you're stuck on a message.
- Join live streams and voice rooms on topics you like.
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- uTalkKey words and phrases in more than 150 languages, voiced by male and female native speakers, and you can use it from more than 100 languages.
- DuolingoFree bite-sized lessons in 40+ languages, plus courses for chess, math, and music.
- PimsleurAudio lessons of about 30 minutes in 50+ languages, which you can keep playing in the car.
Which Ling 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 LingoDeer if you'd like grammar explained as you go, or with Drops if you want to begin with words.
Which of these apps teach rare languages?
Ling's own list includes Ilocano and Sundanese. Mango Languages has courses for endangered and Indigenous languages such as Yiddish, and uTalk lists more than 150 languages. Bubblegum teaches 62 languages, including Twi, Haitian Creole, and Maltese, and you can see them all on its list of languages.
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
- Ling: 80 languages, native speaker audio, games and exercises
- Ling: FAQs (review, flashcards, Ling Web)
- Ling: App Store listing and learner reviews
- Mango Languages: 70+ languages, free access through many libraries
- Mango Languages: How it works
- LingoDeer: App Store listing (20 languages, from the alphabet)
- Drops: Free language learning for 55+ languages
- HelloTalk: App Store listing (language exchange, 260+ more languages)
- uTalk: Learn 150+ languages
- Duolingo: App Store listing (free app for 40+ languages)
- Pimsleur: 50+ languages, Voice Coach, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Bubblegum
- LingoDeer
- HelloTalk
Checked on October 24, 2026 against each app's own pages.
