Migaku has language courses and tools for learning from real shows and websites. You click words in subtitles and on web pages to look them up, and turn them into flashcards. Bubblegum is a reading and listening app. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about the topics you choose, and she brings your saved words back in new lessons.
How Migaku and Bubblegum Compare
Migaku helps you learn from shows and pages you already pick, and Bubblegum writes the material for you.
| Migaku | Bubblegum | |
|---|---|---|
| How you learn | Click words in shows and websites, plus courses for Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean | Poppy writes lessons, stories, and news at your level, and you read and listen |
| How words come back | Flashcards with the sentence, audio, and a screenshot, reviewed with spaced repetition | Regenerative Review™: saved words come back in new lessons |
| Shows and websites you pick | Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and more | No |
| Phone apps | iPhone and Android, with YouTube support | iPhone and Android |
| On the web | A Chrome extension, and flashcard review on the web | Free guides and alphabet courses |
| Languages | 11 | 60 |
| Menu languages | 4 on its iPhone listing | 74 |
Who Each App Is Best For
Migaku
Migaku's Chrome extension works with Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Rakuten Viki, and Animelon, and its phone apps work with YouTube. You can bring in Anki decks, use its dictionaries or upload your own, and point your camera at a book or a sign to make the text clickable. It works well for learners who want to turn the shows and pages they love into study time.
- Click words in subtitles and websites for definitions, sounds, pictures, and AI explanations.
- One click makes a flashcard with the sentence, the audio, and a screenshot of your show.
- A comprehension score shows how much of a page or show you already know.
- Beginner courses teach the most common words and grammar first.
- Flashcards
MobileBrowser extension
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 you like, such as a road trip or a favorite band. She writes it at your level. You can read along as you listen, and ask her about any sentence.
The trade-off is that Bubblegum can't help you understand a show you're watching. For learning from Netflix, YouTube, and websites, Migaku is the better choice.
- Poppy writes the lessons, so there's nothing to set up before you start reading.
- Each lesson has audio, and stories and news give you more to read at your level.
- Ask Poppy about a confusing line and get an answer right away.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back inside new lessons, with no deck to keep up.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- It can't look up words in shows, videos, or websites.
- You can't make cards from your own content.
- 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 Migaku if:
- You want to learn from the shows and websites you already enjoy.
- You'd like flashcards with audio and screenshots from real scenes.
- You use Anki and want to bring your decks along.
Choose Bubblegum if:
- You'd like reading and listening at your level without setting anything up.
- You'd rather read saved words again in new contexts than drill them through boring flashcards.
- You want a language outside Migaku's 11, such as Thai, Turkish, or Indonesian.
Using Both Together
Bubblegum gives you lessons you can follow while real shows still move too fast, and Migaku helps you take on those shows when you're ready. Split your week between them however you like.
Common Questions
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 a Migaku course if you're learning Japanese, Mandarin, or Korean and plan to watch shows soon.
Can I read Bubblegum lessons in Traditional or Simplified Chinese?
Yes. On Bubblegum's Mandarin and 
Taiwan Mandarin courses, you can switch between Simplified and Traditional characters and show pinyin or zhuyin above them. Its Cantonese lessons are written in Traditional characters.
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
- Migaku: Turn the shows you watch into your lessons
- Migaku: Getting started
- Migaku: Download for Chrome, iPhone and Android
- Migaku: Chrome Web Store listing
- Migaku: iPhone App Store listing
- Bubblegum: Every language you can learn
- Migaku
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 14, 2026 against each app's own pages.
