In Mango Languages, each lesson is a real conversation that you take apart and say back, in any of its 70+ languages. Bubblegum is a reading and listening app. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes each lesson about something you care about, and the words you save turn up again in the next ones.
| Mango Languages | Bubblegum | |
|---|---|---|
| How you learn | A set course of conversations you take apart, rebuild, and say out loud | Poppy writes lessons, stories, and news at your level, and you read and listen |
| How words come back | Review cards at spaced times, plus word lists you can turn into flashcards | Regenerative Review™: saved words come back in new lessons |
| Real-world reading | Mango Reader for web pages and Netflix or YouTube subtitles | Paste a passage or send a photo, and Poppy explains it |
| Phone apps | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android |
| On the web | Lessons on mangolanguages.com | Guides and alphabet courses |
| Languages | 70+ | 62 |
| Languages you can use it in | 2 on its iPhone listing | 74 |
Mango Languages
Mango starts with a placement check, then walks you through its course one conversation at a time. It suits learners who want a clear path with grammar and culture notes along the way.
- Every lesson is a conversation recorded by native speakers.
- Color-coded text shows which words match across the two languages.
- If your library offers it, your library card gets you the whole course at no cost.
- 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 something in your week, like a doctor's visit or a soccer game, and she writes one at your level. You can hear every line, tap the words you don't know, and ask her about anything that's unclear.
- Poppy writes each of your lessons for your level, on subjects you pick.
- Read each line while you hear it, then try a story or a news article.
- Tap a word to see its meaning, and ask Poppy about the grammar in any line.
- Each word you save comes back in a later lesson (Regenerative Review™), and the list can go to Anki too.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Bubblegum has no shows to watch, and an article you found can't become a lesson.
- There's no teacher or partner to talk with 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 Mango Languages if:
- You'd like a set course that takes you from one conversation to the next.
- Your public library offers it, so you can start with your library card.
- You're learning Cherokee, Hawaiian, Latin, or another language that Mango teaches and Bubblegum doesn't.
Choose Bubblegum if:
- You want lessons about your own interests, written at your level.
- You want every word you save to show up again in a lesson you haven't read yet.
- You want to ask your AI tutor about any sentence while you read.
Mango walks you through one conversation at a time. When you finish a unit on, say, ordering food, ask Poppy for a lesson on the same topic and read it at your level. A few 15- to 30-minute sessions a week leave room for both.
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 Mango Languages if your library offers it and you'd like a course that sets the order for you.
Does my library offer Mango Languages?
Mango's Find Mango page searches for libraries and schools near you that offer it. Our guide to getting Mango with a library card shows how to link your card.
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
- Mango Languages: 70+ languages, conversations recorded by native speakers
- Mango Languages: How it works (placement, spaced review, voice comparison)
- Mango Languages: Mango Reader for web pages and subtitles
- Mango Languages: Mango for Libraries
- Mango Languages: App Store listing (you can use it in 2 languages)
- Bubblegum: Every language you can learn
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 24, 2026 against each app's own pages.
