Pimsleur is an audio course in 51 languages, where you listen, answer out loud, and build up phrases one 30-minute lesson at a time. On Reddit (r/languagelearning), one Spanish learner who wanted practice on the go asked for other voice-only courses. Another wanted more time to think before the answer plays, and asked whether Mango Languages would suit them.
The apps below are grouped by the kind of practice they give, with Pimsleur first.
What Pimsleur Does
Pimsleur
Pimsleur suits learners who want to speak from the first lesson and like learning while they move. Its site lists hands-free learning with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Pimsleur Method uses spaced repetition to help new words stay in long-term memory.
- Listen and answer in 30-minute conversational lessons.
- Reading lessons help you match sounds to written words.
- One All Access plan has room for up to four users.
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Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
Bubblegum is the best app for serious learners. You learn from text and audio you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
In Bubblegum, Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons you read and listen to. You go at your own speed, so you can pause on a line as long as you like.
Poppy builds a flexible journey around your interests and level, so you get lessons at your level without having to search for them. The trade-off is that Poppy is not a person to talk with. For audio lessons with recorded speakers, try Mango Languages or Glossika below.
- Hear each lesson and read the words at the same time.
- Poppy writes lessons at your level about the topics you choose.
- Ask Poppy about a line you heard, and she explains it.
- Regenerative Review™ folds the words you save into your next lessons.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Podcasts, books, and shows you pick yourself can't be added.
- 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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Learn Through Conversations
Mango Languages
Mango Languages calls its way of teaching Intuitive Language Construction. You hear a phrase, learn why it's built that way, and say it back. One subscription includes all of its more than 70 languages.
- Each lesson works on a real conversation, from listening to culture.
- Recall exercises ask you to write the phrase yourself.
- Phrases appear in the script the language really uses.
- Flashcards
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Practice Whole Sentences
Glossika
Glossika teaches through whole sentences in more than 60 languages, including 
Taiwan Mandarin and Moroccan Arabic. Its spaced repetition picks the sentences you're most likely to forget for review.
- Every sentence is recorded by a person who speaks the language.
- Choose a listening-only mode or a full practice mode.
- Record yourself to hear your accent change over time.
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Speak With an AI Tutor
Speak
Speak is an app for speaking practice. Its App Store page lists courses in Spanish, English, French, Italian, Japanese, and Korean, and says you speak out loud on day one.
- Repeat phrases from a lesson until they come out easily.
- Get feedback on your pronunciation, intonation, and fluency.
- Practice real-life scenes out loud with the AI tutor.
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Practice With a Teacher
italki
italki lets you book lessons with a teacher you pick, for more than 150 languages. Its site lists more than 20,000 teachers.
- Teachers for English, Japanese, Spanish, and many more.
- Book lessons when they suit you, with no subscription.
- Group classes are there too.
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- Language TransferFree audio courses that run on donations, with no ads and no sign-ups.
- Rosetta StoneChat Missions for practice talks, and TruAccent speech feedback, across 25 languages.
- MemriseShort videos of real people saying phrases, which you can repeat and compare with your own recording.
Common Questions
Which Pimsleur 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 Mango Languages if you want another course that has you speak each phrase, or with Language Transfer if you'd like a free audio course.
Which apps can I use while driving or walking?
Pimsleur has a hands-free mode, and Glossika has a listening-only mode. In Bubblegum, every lesson has audio, so you can listen to a lesson you read earlier.
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
- Pimsleur: 51 languages, 30-minute lessons, Voice Coach
- Pimsleur: App Store listing (offline, hands-free, reading lessons)
- r/languagelearning: Modern alternatives to Pimsleur?
- r/languagelearning: Is Mango a good alternative to Pimsleur?
- Mango Languages: Intuitive Language Construction in 70+ languages
- Glossika: Sentence practice in 60+ languages
- Speak: App Store listing (AI speaking lessons in six languages)
- italki: Teachers for 150+ languages
- Language Transfer: Free audio courses
- Rosetta Stone: TruAccent and Chat Missions
- Memrise: Short videos of real speakers
- Bubblegum
- Speak
Checked on October 14, 2026 against each app's own pages.
