There’s a lot of hype in the language market about the best platforms to learn languages. Learning a new language is on everyone’s bucket list, but it can be hard to know where to begin.
In this article, I’ll highlight the best platforms to learn languages, including the pros and cons of each platform.
While some of the platforms listed in this post will cost you a few dollars, some are free. Therefore, stick around because there’s something for everyone in this article.
What are the best platforms to learn languages?
- Duolingo
- Living Language
- LingQ.com
- Babbel
- FluentU
- Live Mocha
- Verbalplanet.net
- Mango Languages
- Papora
- LearnaLanguage.com
- Mondly
- Lingualia
- Rocket Languages
- Busuu
- Lang 8
- Memrise
- Rosetta Stone
- Rype
1. FluentU
FluentU is another one of the best platforms to learn languages. This unique platform aims to provide language learners at all levels with language immersion.
Wanting to study world geography in Japanese or sing along to “All of Me” in Spanish? FluentU makes it easy.
The platform makes it easy to watch authentic, real-world videos in your target language, ensuring the content and all materials are intuitive.
It’s like having a tutor on hand while watching an endless stream of native speakers who are engaging and entertaining.
With a library of authentic video content like movie trailers, news, music videos, talk shows, and more — all with interactive captions or subtitles — it’s easy to make language learning a part of your routine without even trying.
Pros
- Offer a free trial
- The design of the site and app is fun and engaging
- Easy navigation for users at all levels
- The videos come with good subtitles
Cons
- There is no conversation practice
- Use the robotic text-to-speech audio flashcard
2. Babbel
Babbel is one of the best platforms to learn languages. It’s easy to use, fun, and affordable.
It is a great language-learning tool for students who want to learn Spanish, Norwegian, or any of the 12 other languages available on the platform.
It provides a way for users to practice their language skills through traditional methods and fun and engaging activities.
It’s hard to pick up a new language as an adult. With Babbel, you can learn French, Spanish, German, Italian, or English on your computer, iPhone, or iPad.
Babbel lets you focus on what matters: speaking and understanding the language.
Pros
- Pricing is affordable
- Includes language tips within lessons
- Lessons build upon previous knowledge
- Teaches applicable, usable language
Cons
- Limited language choice
- It doesn’t offer much for advanced learners
- Exercises can be somewhat dry
3. Verbalplanet.net
Most language sites rely on technology like auto-translation to get the job done. The student is subjected to unreliable translations and poor grammar, while the site loses out on an excellent teacher/student experience.
Verbalplanet is different. Their team of teachers specializes in teaching languages online and will give you expert support with each lesson.
Verbalplanet blows away the competition in language learning, ensuring that we can provide personalized and practical lessons for learners of all skill levels, from beginner to advanced.
Pros
- Offer a free trial
- Access to two trial lessons for free
- Some teachers also do trials for a reduced price
- You can check out the detailed profile of every tutor
Cons
- Charges for booking a tutor
- You have to book your lesson at least 24 hours in advance
4. Living Language
Living Language might be the program for you if you’re looking for a more accessible and less intensive option. With Living Language, you can learn a language from your couch at your own pace.
It is the perfect choice for beginners and those returning to their books after a long time. There are plenty of options when it comes to deciding on which language to learn.
Whether you’ve got your eye on Spanish, French, Italian, or Russian, this flexible program will only set you back a few dollars, a month making it one of the websites of choices most affordable and worthwhile options.
Pros
- Beginner-friendly
- It gets you to speak fast
Cons
- Fundamental grammatical explanations
- High price if you want to commit to several months of lessons
5. Mondly
Mondly is one of the best platforms to learn languages. It is perhaps the easiest app to use for learning languages.
Designed with a simplistic and modern interface, Mondly is perfect for beginners and advanced learners alike. It is an inventive gamified app for learning a language.
Through building sentences and translating, you’ll be able to learn basic vocabulary and master verb conjugations in no time. Mondly is free on iOS, Android, and desktop.
With this app, you’ll have a gamified basic vocabulary to make learning a language more engaging.
All of your [vocabulary exercises/conversations] are delivered with visuals and text messages in the context of a fun storyline.
Pros
- Offer a free basic access
- Innovative features to keep you interested
- Competitive element
- A large array of source and target languages
Cons
- Lack of differentiation between levels
- Some features feel contrived
6. Rocket Languages
Rocket Languages is a digital language learning platform. With an extensive range of audio lessons and a large library of Native Audio content recorded by confirmed speakers, Rocket Languages makes it easy to learn a new language interestingly and engagingly.
Featuring different teaching materials, both audio and video, Rocket Languages will get your Spanish, Chinese, or another language up and running so you can become fluent in just a few weeks.
This platform is also great for those studying a less common language like Polish or Arabic. You can even take free short assessments to determine which level is best suited to you.
Pros
- Easy-to-use platform
- Offer access to genuine native speakers
- No monthly subscriptions
- Content also covers relevant and important topics
Cons
- It is costly
- Lessons can sometimes be monotonous
7. Rype
Put learning a language into your own hands. Rype allows you to find native speakers and book lessons on your terms.
Sign up and answer a few questions about your schedule and proficiency level, and Rype can provide a blueprint for what you can achieve in the time available.
You can practice conversation with a native speaker in various settings, and always rest assured that you’re receiving an accurate assessment and effective lessons tailored to fit your schedule.
If you’re just looking to pick up some conversational basics, Rype can give you some focused lessons that will quickly get you up to speed.
Pros
- Inexpensive one-on-one tutoring
- Good tools for finding instructors
- Access to real native speakers
Cons
- Sessions are short
- Finding the right instructor takes time
8. Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone allows you to learn natural-sounding languages, including Spanish, French, German, and more.
With Rosetta Stone’s award-winning approach, one of the world’s best sought-after language learning solutions is now easier than ever to use and more affordable.
Rosetta Stone incorporates online lectures, games, and mobile apps to keep up with the latest language-learning trends.
This platform is better suited to long-term learners than those looking to construct a few phrases quickly. It comes in a variety of languages, including:
Offering a variety of programs from beginner to advanced levels, as well as unique products for families or team-based learning, you can take your first steps toward exposure to another language today.
Pros
- It is easy to use
- It offers both online and installed versions
- The course is fully based on the targeted language
- The approach of immersing in a language
Cons
- No guidance during the lesson
- It’s a bit pricey
9. Mango Languages
Ready to learn a new language? You can’t go wrong with Mango Languages. This free language learning site provides access to everything you need to learn—or improve—your foreign language abilities.
Offering over 70 languages, Mango Languages is dedicated to pushing the limits of digital learning to help you reach your goal.
With its game-like design, you can easily pick up phrases in new languages within your first week.
The best part of this language learning program is that the training is created with simplicity and convenience to make it super easy to get started and succeed.
Pros
- It is easy to use
- It covers dozens of languages
- High audio quality
- You can use it for free
Cons
- There is not enough practice in grammar
- Lack voice recognition
Best Free Platforms To Learn Languages
1. Duolingo
Best free platform to learn languages
Duolingo is one of the world’s most popular platforms for learning a language. It’s completely free, fun and science-based.
You can use Duolingo with your friends, and it’s more effective than going to a language class.
With Duolingo, you learn real languages like you speak them daily. It has more than 100 different language courses: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Irish, and many more.
Travel+Leisure, Forbes Magazine, Huffington Post, Lifehacker, the Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, The Motley Fool, and Business Insider have endorsed it.
Duolingo offers an effective way to repurpose unused time (like commuting or being stuck in line) and turn it into a language-learning experience.
Pros
- It’s easy to use
- Duolingo is free to use
- The reward system will keep you going
- You can learn on the go
- An ever-expanding repertoire of languages
Cons
- No course overview
- Sometimes the language and the example sentences are unusual
2. LingQ.com
LingQ.com is one of the best platforms to learn languages, and it is free. With over 120,000 registered members from more than 170 countries around the globe, this is a large community to learn.
The interface may look cartoonish, but you can use it as a language learner of any age – and at any stage of your learning (beginners to advanced).
Teachers and students will benefit greatly from this resource. There is one downside: unless you sign up for the premium account, you won’t have an unlimited vocabulary.
Pros
- Features spaced repetition
- Good combination of listening and reading
- Interactive and community approach to learning
- Wide variety of available lessons
Cons
- Distracting avatar and coins system
- Confusing the difference between gathering coins and points
3. Live Mocha
The secret to learning a language is immersion, but easily finding a place where you can speak your target language can be difficult.
Live Mocha is a game-changing way for you to connect with people and learn languages in real life.
Since its launch in 2007, Live Mocha has been one of the best online platforms offering language learning for free.
What is more? It connects you with native speakers, teachers, linguists, and language experts from over 150 countries worldwide.
Live Mocha revolutionary technology gives learners unprecedented access to real experts – anytime, anywhere.
Pros
- Free online courses
- Opportunity to get help from native speakers
- Conversation practice
- It has a relatively aesthetically pleasing interface
Cons
- Some of the lessons are created by the Live Mocha community, by members
4. Papora.com
Papora.com is an award-winning language-learning app about immersing yourself in a new language.
With over 100 languages to choose from, it caters to your needs with easy-to-follow steps on accelerating your learning process.
Papora’s team of experts has been carefully hand-picking the best learning resources from around the web and organizing them in-house so that you don’t have to waste your time searching or bookmarking every language blog, YouTube channel, podcast, or free site you find out there.
From Chinese and Japanese to Spanish and Russian, Papora offers a comprehensive catalog of all things language learning.
Pros
- It is easy to use
- Lessons incorporate grammar and tenses
- It has more lesson content than other language-learning apps
Cons
- The website interface is outdated
5. LearnaLanguage.com
As an alternative to expensive courses, books, or software for studying foreign languages, Learnalanguage.com contains many free language courses.
The website is a fun and straightforward method to gain a quick overview of several languages.
Best of all, it’s committed to providing free information in 19 languages so you can learn crucial words, phrases, and more.
Whether you are an executive, student, parent, or teacher, you will find a language course on LearnLanguage.com that’s right for you. The website focuses on teaching the languages most easily and effectively as possible.
Pros
- Easy navigation
- You can practice as you’re learning
- Offer different international languages
- You can also learn slang
Cons
- The interface is not appealing
6. Busuu
Busuu is free, as well as available across various mobile platforms, making learning a language fast, fun, and easy.
With Busuu you can practice on the go with interactive lessons that adapt to your needs – no matter your level.
The platform is similar to DuoLingo. However, it only offers 12 languages. One advantage of Busuu is that languages like Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese are complex to learn, and few platforms provide them, but Busuu does.
Busuu also has a sizable user base of over 100 million users. What is more? You can sign in with ease using your Google or Facebook accounts.
Pros
- The layout is engaging and easy to use
- Conversation lessons are very useful
- The social feature is awesome
- It also offers useful cultural tips
Cons
- Limited Language Options (12)
- Some exercises don’t have translations
7. Lang-8.com
This platform provides a basic service: it connects you with native speakers who try to put you right on whatever you write.
As a result, this is a platform for individuals who are already fluent in writing and reading a foreign language.
For instance, a master’s dissertation will assist you in writing in your home language, which you may then convert to a foreign language and have verified on Lang 8.
You may pay it forward by correcting people learning your native tongue. This is the platform to use if you’re trying to improve your writing skills in a specific language.
Pros
- Supports an active community of posters and correctors
- Offer a fun way to learn new languages
- Self-directed learning approach
- Get feedback from native speakers
Cons
- The quality of the corrections you get varies
- Not suitable for beginners
8. Memrise
Whether you want to learn one language quickly or master many, Memrise is the best way to get there. Imagine being able to speak a new language with confidence within weeks.
Memrise is easy to access on your computer via the web or mobile app to help you learn anytime, anywhere.
The platform has over 280,000 courses, which is quite a significant number and offers a wide selection of languages.
You can also have access to a free course on a certain nation’s history, culture, or geography if you’re interested. This is available as an app for Android and Apple smartphones.
Pros
- Its free version offers everything
- It uses a spaced repetition system
- It offers plenty of programs, languages, levels
Cons
- Exercises can get repetitive
- It is not user-friendly
What are the benefits of learning a new language?
While there are many reasons why you should learn different languages, here are some of the major advantages of learning new languages:
- Learning a new language means learning a new culture
- You will be able to communicate with more people
- Learning a foreign language increases your earning potential
- You will gain an insight into different life experiences
- It’s a great way to get in touch with your creative side
- Empower you with the ability to communicate with a broader audience
- It improves your negotiation skills
What are effective tips for learning new languages?
- Decide on a simple, attainable goal to start with
- Make language learning a lifestyle change
- Play house with the language
- Let technology help you out
- See language learning as a gateway to new experiences
- Make new friends
- Do not worry about making a mistake
FAQs
What are the best free language learning apps?
Duolingo, Busuu, and LingQ.com are the best free language-learning apps that provide various resources to help you build your language skills.
While each app has different types of lessons and curricula, you can use them for free.
What is the best language-learning app?
FluentU is the best language-learning app you can use. It takes videos like music videos, commercials, news, and inspiring talks and turns them into language-learning experiences.
Conclusion
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected and many of us have regular interactions with people who aren’t from our own country, it is becoming more important than ever to be multilingual.
This can open doors to exciting opportunities, boost confidence, improve your problem-solving skills and increase your general awareness of different cultures.
Any of the platforms listed can provide the tools you need to take advantage of these benefits.
The best platform to learn languages is FluentU, which is affordable. In addition, it offers a free trial for you to test the water.
However, if you’re looking to learn languages without spending a dime, Duolingo is the best platform that I will recommend.
Finally, since you’re looking for the best platforms to learn languages, here are the easiest languages you can learn pretty fast. I encourage you to check them out.
I hope you found this post helpful. Thanks for reading.
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