# The Best and Worst Language Learning Apps in 2026 **Channel:** Brian Wiles **Source:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w7sK2GYw54 **Transcript page:** https://www.withtranscript.ai/video/_w7sK2GYw54 ## Chapters - 0:00 — Best Apps for Language Beginners - 1:37 — Choosing Effective Speaking Platforms - 3:40 — Vocabulary and Audio Learning Tools - 6:07 — Reading Practice and Fluency Strategy - 7:40 — Worst Language Apps to Avoid ## Transcript **[0:00]:** Over the last 10 years, I've learned to speak five languages from scratch. Noto mining una classe ni pasai mes j' apre avec mo portable. **[0:13]:** And here's the big secret. **[0:23]:** So let's talk about what those apps are and why you should use them. The best app for absolute beginners. You wanna learn a new language but you don't quite know where to begin. Perfect. Let's pause right there. Because that curiosity you're feeling, we wanna nurture it, not overwhelm it. In other words, you need an app that can build up your motivation to learn without making your head spin. It should be fun, simple and structured. And on those terms, Duolingo is absolutely number one. But keep this in mind. **[0:52]:** Duolingo is designed to be first and foremost enjoyable. It's not a great learn a language long term. It's not even a good way. The Internet is littered with stories of people who finished multi year streaks only to discover that they couldn't even order a coffee in the real world. So give Duo a few weeks, dip your toe in the water with Italian or Polish or High Valyrian, whatever you're into, and then ask yourself a very important question. **[1:20]:** Am I in this for the long haul? Because if you're on the fence after two weeks with Duolingo, you probably shouldn't waste your time or money on a more advanced product. But if you're ready for a long term commitment. Amazing. Let's talk about some apps that can help you reach your goals much, much faster. **[1:37]:** The best all around language app. I've got a hot take on this, so stay with me. Most of the big name language apps pitch themselves as a one stop shop for learning a new language and they make some pretty outrageous claims. Speak X language in a month, all it takes is 10 minutes a day. Get fluent on your way to work. **[1:56]:** It's mostly pardon my French or Le Bull. Here's why. Apps like Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, Babbel, Busuu, Mondly, et cetera all tend to operate more or less the same way. They're what we call tap and match apps or tappers. Basically you get a visual or audio cue and you need to tap the screen to keep making progress. **[2:17]:** Well, that's a slick way to design an app, but it's a terrible way to learn a language when in the real world are people ever presented with multiple choice style problems. Wanna take a taxi to the airport, Just picture of an airplane and there you go. It doesn't work like that. You want to Be able to speak creatively on your feet without guideposts that make everything so easy. But how? **[2:42]:** Well, there are a few ways to skin this cat, but your best option is to use a one to one tutoring platform. These are sites where you learn directly with a native speaker of your target language. Look, if you take nothing else away from this video, take this the most effective way to learn a new language, short of living in another country, is by speaking regularly with someone who can guide and correct you in real time. Full stop. Because that will force you to use language the way we do in real life, creatively and improvisationally. Now look, there are a handful of tutoring platforms out there, but Preply is the gold standard. It has the most teachers. The video client is very stable and I've personally used it for about nine years. If you'd like to try it for yourself, click the link in the description box below and you'll get a discount on your first lesson. **[3:28]:** Option 2. **[3:29]:** You can also use a free language exchange platform. The quality tends to be a few steps, steps down across the board, but if you find someone really great, it can absolutely be worth your time. **[3:40]:** The best app for building your vocabulary Sometimes it's just about memorizing more words. So let's talk about the app that will help you do that as quickly and efficiently as possible. And FYI, it's completely free. **[3:53]:** Anki. Anki allows users to upload their flashcard decks to a portal called ankiweb, and then other users can then download those decks onto their own devices. And because Anki is infinitely customizable, there are literally thousands of fantastic decks that you can take advantage of without spending a dime for flashcards. That's as good as it gets. The best app for daily progress. **[4:18]:** We all want that little dopamine hit that comes from seeing yourself get a tiny bit better each day. The streak, the star, the little green check, whatever it is that says you did a thing today, we thrive on that. And and app companies know it. It's why every major language app is gamified out the wazoo to help you overcome boredom. At least in theory. Because here's the problem. Tap and match apps require you to stay constantly engaged with your phone screen and even with every bell and whistle under the sun. That can get pretty boring after 20 or 50 or 100 hours. So what happens? You're gonna lose focus and get distracted. **[5:00]:** And that is the only ultimate progress killer. So what should you do? Use an audio based app. Because if you're listening as you learn you can do something genuinely enjoyable like going for a walk in the park at the same time. Which audio based app is the best? Again, you've got two to choose from, one free, one paid. First we have language transfer. This series is 100% no strings attached, free, and you can choose to learn any of these languages from a beginner level. Each lesson features the voice of a teacher and a student. It's kind of like you're listening in on a private class. **[5:36]:** The only drawback to Language transfer is that there aren't that many lessons available. Even the most complete courses have less than 12 hours of content, so your progress is somewhat limited. Option number two is pimsleur, which is similar to Language Transfer in some ways, but it's got many more languages to choose from, far more content, and even some of those snazzy gamification features to keep you thirsting for more. Pimsleur does require a subscription, but I'll put a link for a seven day free trial in the description box below so you can try it for yourself and see what you think. **[6:07]:** The Best App for Reading comprehension but maybe you're more interested in learning to read a new language versus speaking it well. Thankfully there's a whole subset of apps dedicated to developing your reading skills and generally speaking, the best one on the market is Beelingua. Basically, it gives you parallel versions of a text in English and in whatever language you're learning. Beelingua has a massive library of reading material to choose from. You'll find everything for from kids stories to newspaper articles to classic literature. And there are a few nifty features like being able to listen to native speakers, read stories out loud. But on the whole, it's all about high quality parallel translation. The Best App for Becoming Fluent so how do you become fluent? Truly comfortable in a new language? No more translating in your head. No more. **[6:53]:** I'm sorry, could you say that again? It just flows and the answer is input, input, input, Exposing yourself to your new language as much as you can. And the easiest way to do that on your own is by listening to podcasts. But here's where most people go wrong. You can't just passively listen to something as you go about your day. You need to be consistently looking up words and phrases that you don't understand. And that's not hard to do. Just open up Google Translate and use the Voice to Text feature. That's it. The app automatically records your search history, so you can easily review everything later on. Now look, is the system perfect? The no so you should still double check your definitions from time to time with a native speaker. But for the rock bottom price of $0, the power combo of podcasts plus Google Translate is pretty tough to beat. **[7:40]:** The worst Apps and now it's time for the hall of Shame. These apps are, in my opinion, not worth your time, money or effort, so don't use them. Here we go. In third place we have Rosetta Stone, the granddaddy of tap and match apps. And if you're looking for the most boring learning experience possible, well my friend, you. Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, but the Rosetta Stone of today is basically the same platform it was 30 years ago, with some visual upgrades and a handful of lackluster features tacked on. It was innovative in the 90s, but the industry's moved on and so should you. In second place we have and I'll probably get some heat for this in the comments. Drops now Drops Looks amazing. The design is killer, but content wise it's pretty thin. Think Duolingo, but with less material and the same annoying ads. **[8:29]:** Yes, there's a flashcard angle, but it's nothing that Anki doesn't do better for free. **[8:33]:** So unless you really love the visuals, skip it. And finally, the number one spot in the hall of Shame goes to Jumpspeak. And if you haven't seen one of their scammy ads yet, consider yourself lucky. Jumpspeak is one of several AI based conversation apps that have come out in the last few years and frankly, they're all fairly glitchy. But Jumpspeak stands alone for reports of sketchy business practices, overcharging users, using AI to generate testimonials, refusing to honor refunds, etc etc. If you're interested in testing out an AI based platform, Langua is a better option on all counts. For more language learning tips, be sure to hit that subscribe button and if you have any questions or thoughts, please let me know in the comments. As always, thanks for watching and I'll see you soon.