Ling is a game-style course app, and its site lists 80 languages, with a focus on Asian and Eastern European ones. Bubblegum is a reading and listening app. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes each lesson at your level about what you want to read, and your saved words return in later lessons.
| Ling | Bubblegum | |
|---|---|---|
| How you learn | Short lessons of games, such as tracing letters, sorting sentences, filling in dialogues, and speaking | Poppy writes lessons, stories, and news at your level, and you read and listen |
| How words come back | A Review tab with flashcards, an exam, and the words you starred | Regenerative Review™: saved words come back in new lessons |
| Phone apps | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android |
| On the web | Ling Web, for Ling Pro subscribers | Guides and alphabet courses |
| Languages | 80 | 62 |
| Languages you can use it in | 67 on its iPhone listing | 74 |
Ling
Ling's site says it teaches languages that other apps overlook, such as Māori and Sorbian. Its lessons start with the basics and build up step by step, with culture notes along the way. It suits learners who like quick games and want a set path through a less common language.
- Every lesson has audio recorded by native speakers.
- Lessons are short and built from games, so they feel like play.
- Streaks, achievements, and a leaderboard track how far you've come.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Bubblegum
Bubblegum is the best app for serious learners. You learn from text and audio you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Ask Poppy, your AI tutor, for a lesson about a family dinner or your first week at a new job, and she writes it at your level. Every line has audio, and you can stop at any line to ask her what it means.
- Each lesson Poppy writes fits your level and the topics you pick.
- Listen to a lesson while you read it, and switch to a story or the news when you like.
- Tap a word you don't know, and Poppy can explain the whole line for you.
- Saved words come back in fresh lessons with Regenerative Review™, and an Anki export is there if you like cards.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Bubblegum doesn't play videos or songs, and a book you own can't be turned into a lesson.
- You can't talk with a real person in Bubblegum.
- 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
Choose Ling if:
- You like learning through quick games with points and streaks.
- Ling teaches your language and Bubblegum doesn't, as with Khmer, Lao, or Mongolian.
- You want a set path that starts with the basics of a less common language.
Choose Bubblegum if:
- You want whole conversations and stories to read at your level, about things you like.
- You'd rather read your saved words again in new lessons than review them on cards.
- Bubblegum teaches your language and Ling's list leaves it out, as with Welsh, Haitian Creole, or Maltese.
Ling's games teach you new words and phrases. Bubblegum then gives you longer conversations and stories at your level, so you see those words used in whole sentences. Fit both into a few short sessions each week.
Which app 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 Ling if you'd like quick games that teach the first words and phrases.
Can I use Ling and Bubblegum in my own language?
Most likely. Ling's iPhone listing names 67 languages, and its help page says the app uses your phone's language for its buttons and translations. You can use Bubblegum in 74 languages, so you can learn through a language you already know.
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, app language)
- Ling: Pricing (Ling Pro)
- Ling: App Store listing (you can use it in 67 languages)
- Bubblegum: Every language you can learn
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 24, 2026 against each app's own pages.
