I’ve been using language learning apps for a decade — French in adulthood, Spanish via Babbel, a serious attempt at Mandarin via Pimsleur and Anki. The space has matured significantly since 2020, and the apps that genuinely help build conversational skill are now distinct from the ones that mostly build streaks.
Below is what I’d use in 2026 for each role in a language-learning stack.
Duolingo — best for habit and exposure
Cost: Free with ads; Super Duolingo £6–£10/month. Best for: daily habit, vocabulary exposure, early-stage language learners.
Duolingo in 2026 is gamified to a degree that’s both its strength and weakness. It’s the best app for showing up daily — the streaks, leaderboards, and 5-minute lessons reduce the friction to almost zero. The weakness: you can hit a 500-day streak and still not be able to hold a basic conversation.
Use Duolingo as your “I will not skip a day” tool, not as your main learning method.
Babbel — best for structured grammar
Cost: £10/month or £60/year. Best for: grammar-led learners, intermediate progress.
Babbel’s lessons are designed by linguists and focus more on practical conversational structures than Duolingo. The dialogues are realistic. Pace is faster than Duolingo. Best for learners who want to understand the grammar mechanics rather than absorb by exposure.
Available languages are more limited than Duolingo, but the core European languages (French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese) are well-covered.
Pimsleur — best for pronunciation and listening
Cost: £15–£20/month. Best for: auditory learners, commute learning.
Pimsleur is audio-first, no screens required. Each 30-minute lesson is purely listen-and-respond. The method is research-backed (spaced retrieval, anticipation). Great for car or train commutes — I’ve done full Pimsleur courses on London Underground commutes.
The downside: dated lesson scripts (“Pardon me, are you American? Yes, I’m an American businessman”).
Anki — best for vocabulary retention
Cost: Free (Mac/PC/Android); £25 one-time (iOS). Best for: serious learners building vocabulary at scale.
Anki is a spaced-repetition flashcard app, not a complete language course. You add words/phrases yourself (or download community decks) and Anki schedules reviews based on your retention. Boring but unbeatable for long-term vocabulary retention.
The “Refold” community decks for Spanish, French, Japanese, and Mandarin are excellent starting points.
italki — best for actual speaking practice
Cost: £8–£25 per 1-hour lesson depending on tutor. Best for: intermediate learners who need conversational practice.
italki connects you with tutors worldwide for 1-on-1 video lessons. This is the missing link most app-only learners never bridge to — speaking with real humans. Tutors range from “Community Tutors” (cheap, conversation-focused) to “Professional Teachers” (more expensive, structured lessons).
I’d recommend one 30–60 minute italki lesson per week starting around month 3 of any app-based learning.
LingQ — best for input-heavy approaches
Cost: £10–£15/month. Best for: learners following Stephen Krashen’s “input hypothesis” approach.
LingQ presents you with articles, podcasts, and videos in the target language with click-to-translate vocabulary. Best for intermediate+ learners who want to consume real content at their level. Less useful for absolute beginners.
What language apps don’t do
- Make you conversational without real speaking practice
- Teach cultural nuance or register (formal vs informal speech)
- Replace immersion if you have access to it
- Replace genuine motivation — most language app users quit within 3 months
The realistic timeline to conversational fluency
The US Foreign Service Institute classifies languages by difficulty for English speakers:
- Category I (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese): roughly 600 hours to professional proficiency
- Category II (German): 750 hours
- Category III (Russian, Hebrew, Polish): 1,100 hours
- Category IV (Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese, Korean): 2,200 hours
For “conversational” (lower than professional), divide by 2–3. For “tourist basics”, divide by 6–8.
At 45 minutes/day, conversational French is roughly 9–12 months. Conversational Mandarin is 3+ years. Apps alone get you to about 60% of the way; real speaking practice gets you the rest.
The stack I’d actually recommend
For a UK or US adult learning French/Spanish from scratch:
- Months 1–3: Duolingo daily (15 min) + Pimsleur on commute (30 min)
- Months 3–6: Add Babbel for structured grammar (15 min) + start italki weekly (60 min)
- Months 6–12: Drop Duolingo; keep Babbel, italki + add LingQ for input
- Months 12+: Consume real content (Netflix dubs, podcasts) + italki + Anki for advanced vocab
Total monthly cost at peak: roughly £80–£120 if doing weekly italki.
Tips that move the needle
- Watch shows in target language with target-language subtitles (not English)
- Change your phone settings to the target language
- Get a language partner via Tandem (free) for casual chat practice
- Use the language in real situations — restaurants, holidays, even ordering coffee
- Track time, not streaks — total hours predicts fluency better than consecutive days
Related reading
For broader free learning resources, see the best free learning platforms for adults. For habit formation around new study routines, how to build a habit that sticks. And for time management around 30+ minutes of daily practice, the best productivity apps.
FAQ
Q: Can I become fluent with apps alone?
No — you need speaking practice with real humans. Apps get you to maybe 70% of the way.
Q: Best app for absolute beginners?
Duolingo + Pimsleur combination for months 1–3.
Q: What about ChatGPT/Claude for language practice?
Useful for written practice and grammar questions. Voice mode is improving but still feels less natural than a human tutor.
Q: Should I learn multiple languages at once?
Not as a beginner. Reach intermediate in one before adding another.
Q: Is school-style grammar study still useful?
Yes, in moderate doses. Babbel and the grammar sections of Anki cover most needs.
