5 Best Apps to Learn Spanish (2024): Expert Tested and Reviewed
Chad Emery
Published on April 23, 2024
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Using the best apps to learn Spanish is the easiest way to make sure you enjoy your journey to Spanish fluency. But, finding the best app for you it’s not always as easy. To help you aprender español más rápido (learn Spanish faster), I created this list of the 5 best apps to learn the language. I tested 30+ apps to find the best, so I’m sure there’s an app on this list that can take your Spanish language skills to the next level. I’ll break down why each app stands out from the rest and share some pros and cons of each. There are also some honorable mentions at the end!
Let’s jump in with the top 5. ¡Vamos!
Table of Contents
Rocket Spanish: Why It’s The Best Overall Spanish App Why Pimsleur is the Best On-The-Go Spanish App Why Mondly is the Best Spanish App for Beginners Why Babbel is the Ultimate Spanish Conversation App Lingopie: The Best Spanish Immersion App Honorable Mentions: Which Apps Almost Made Our List Take Your Spanish to the Next Level with Langoly! Best Apps to Learn Spanish: FAQ1. Rocket Spanish: Why It’s The Best Overall Spanish App
Pros
- The lessons and activities are easy to follow and engaging
- In addition to language lessons, you also learn about culture and history
- The writing and speaking activities are excellent
Cons
- Most of the explanations are in English so you can’t fully immerse yourself
- If you complete multiple lessons in one study session, they can get a little repetitive
- Once you reach the higher levels, there isn’t a lot of advanced grammar
Rocket Spanish is the best overall app for learning Spanish because it covers all the skills you need to start communicating successfully. Most apps that attempt to teach more than a couple of areas usually end up not being helpful because they teach too much at once. But, with Rocket Spanish you learn at a comfortable pace and explore elements of Spanish that most language learning apps ignore. In fact, it enhances your Spanish learning experience with useful extra features like the ones below.
It Teaches You How People Actually Speak Spanish
In addition to traditional language, Rocket Spanish also helps you understand context and colloquial language. This is important because some Spanish words can change their meaning depending on the Spanish-speaking countries you visit. To help you communicate clearly, each lesson includes quick notes that introduce you to new colloquial phrases and explain their origins. This way, you’ll speak more naturally from the moment you start learning.
The Review Activities Help You Master Vocabulary
There are a lot of ways to learn Spanish, and some are better than others. The learning and review activities in Rocket Spanish are super effective in helping you remember what you learn. For example, you can use flashcards to test your vocabulary and listening comprehension, take a quiz to find out what you remember (or don’t), or practice writing with a short challenge. All these activities are easy to complete, interactive so you can practice using the language, and fun!
It Uses Highly-Accurate Speech Recognition Technology
At first glance, the voice recognition tool on Rocket Spanish can seem a bit basic, but it’s actually really accurate! It can tell you the exact percentage of accuracy for your pronunciation. This way, you can tweak how you speak to improve and reach that 100%. It’s a lot less intimidating to do this at home instead of having a native speaker correct your Spanish pronunciation!
The Lessons Help You Make Learning a Routine
With Rocket Spanish, you get points for each lesson and activity you complete and use them to compete on the leaderboard. The app also tracks your daily streak and shows you how much progress you’ve made (the amount of new words you’ve learned and how many lessons you’ve completed). It might not be the most important feature in the app, but it can be the push you need to keep coming back to your Spanish studies day after day. This is important because continuous practice is what you need to learn Spanish quickly. To see how long it will take you to learn Spanish, check out the fluency calculator below.
Clear Explanations Help You Master Grammar
In addition to its audio lessons, Rocket Spanish also includes text lessons. These always have clear explanations for topics like verb conjugations, usage, and pronouns. The notes break down the most important aspects of Spanish grammar to help you clear up grammar doubts without interrupting your learning process.
If you want to learn more about the app, read our Rocket Spanish review.
2. Why Pimsleur is the Best On-The-Go Spanish App
Pros
- Native Spanish speakers voice all of the audio lessons
- It includes interesting cultural and historical explanations throughout the course
- You can download the lessons to listen to them on-the-go
Cons
- They’ve started adding more reading and writing activities, but there could be a lot more
- The grammar explanations are short and simple but sometimes lack important details
- The pace of the lessons can be a little slow at times
Pimsleur is the best app to learn on the go because of how flexible it makes learning Spanish. The goal of this app is to get you to speak Spanish quickly. Its audio lessons are designed to teach you the Spanish you’re going to need the most to navigate daily scenarios like booking a hotel or shopping at the market. All the lessons are voiced by native Spanish speakers, so you can become familiar with their pronunciation and improve your own speaking skills. You can even choose between learning two different Spanish dialects!
You Can Take the Audio Lessons Anywhere
One of the features that makes Pimsleur so convenient is that you can use it to study wherever you go. You can study while you walk the dog, go grocery shopping, or work out at the gym. You can stop whenever and the app will save your progress so you can continue when it’s most convenient. With Pimsleur, you can even rewind to make sure you understand the content.
The Offline Learning and Driving Modes are Awesome
While a lot of Spanish apps require an internet connection, Pimsleur lets you download each audio track to the mobile app on your device. To be honest, this is a great addition if you’re using this app to quickly learn vocabulary and phrases to travel. Pimsleur also has a driving mode available, which you can use to listen to your lessons without having to worry about focusing on the app. You can practice your Spanish skills while you’re on the plane as a quick refresher or while you’re commuting to the next landmark on your list.
The Speak Easy Challenges are Perfect for Quick Practice
Speak Easy challenges are Pimsleur’s way to help you review what you learned in your Spanish lessons. Because Pimsleur’s lessons are podcast-style, finding the exact time when you heard a phrase can be complicated. But, with the Speak Easy challenges, you can review each phrase individually and practice using it in a conversation. Each phrase comes with audio, so you can listen and repeat after a native speaker.
The Lightbulb Moments are Essential for Travellers
Learning about culture is something most language apps completely ignore, but it’s super important if you want to understand Spanish. What’s great about Pimsleur is that, besides its Spanish lessons, you can also learn quick useful facts about the language. From explanations of local customs to cultural traditions from Spain and Latin America, Pimsleur gives you the information you need to take your Spanish experience beyond the language.
If you want to learn more about the app, check out this Pimsleur review.
3. Why Mondly is the Best Spanish App for Beginners
Pros
- You can pick and choose which lessons you want to study, which makes Mondly a lot more flexible than other apps
- It uses AI to make your learning experience more customized and effective
- The lessons are short and easy to follow, so it’s easy to complete at least one every day
Cons
- There is some grammar, but it could use more (especially for intermediate and advanced speakers)
- The lessons are more focused on beginners, which means it’s not super helpful if you already know the basics
- The structure of the lessons is the same and finishing them can feel repetitive at times
Mondly is the best Spanish app for beginners because it teaches you the basics without overwhelming you. There are no boring or heavy text explanations of difficult grammar. Instead, Mondly uses a mix of AI-powered technology and interactive games to make your Spanish learning experience as comprehensive as possible. You can practice your vocabulary, grammar, listening, and speaking skills without leaving the app, which means you’ll make the most out of your study time.
The Flexible Lessons Let You Focus on Your Interests
With Mondly, you can start by learning the most frequently used words and grammar, or study whichever topic you like. Most Spanish learning apps have set lesson plans or they only cover really specific topics like travel vocab. Mondly teaches you Spanish for a huge variety of situations, like going to the gym, visiting the hospital, or even talking about sports. All Mondly lessons are quick, so you won’t have to spend more than five minutes studying Spanish to be able to communicate.
AI-Powered Immersion Brings the Lessons to Life
Instead of simply relying on multiple-choice exercises and quizzes, Mondly has another feature to make your studies more engaging: artificial intelligence. The app uses AI to simulate different scenarios and immerse you in Spanish. For example, you can use Mondly’s augmented reality (AR) tool to scan your room and find out the Spanish names of objects around you. AI helps adjust the lessons to your needs and interests, so Mondly is a perfect choice regardless of why you choose to learn Spanish.
The Conjugation Tables Make Grammar a Breeze
Understanding Spanish grammar has a lot to do with identifying and memorizing patterns. But, you can’t carry your heavy Spanish book everywhere you go. To help you understand and speak Spanish correctly, Mondly has conjugation tables that you can easily find on the app. All you have to do is click on the verb and you’ll get a conjugation table with Spanish audio and English translations. This way, you won’t have to interrupt your conversations with other Spanish speakers to look for the correct verb forms.
Chatbots Reinforce Your Conversation Skills
To help you overcome the fear of speaking with native speakers, Mondly has a chatbot you can use to practice texting or speaking in Spanish. This tool is AI-powered and uses voice recognition to test your vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation skills. The chatbot is surprisingly intelligent, so it can tell if you’re pronouncing each word correctly or using the correct verb forms. It can improve your conversational skills quickly and give you the confidence you need for real-world interactions.
If you want to learn more about the app, check out this complete Mondly review.
4. Why Babbel is the Ultimate Spanish Conversation App
Pros
- Babbel offers both Latin American and European Spanish, so you can choose which one you want to learn
- It teaches grammar without interrupting your lessons
- The Spanish course focuses on natural-sounding language, not strange phrases that you’ll never use
Cons
- There is some flexibility in the course and you can choose to do different activities, but there could be more
- You need to pay for each Spanish dialect individually, so it’s best to choose one and stick with it
- I think there could be more review activities to help you remember what you learn
Babbel is the best app for Spanish conversation because it gives you the tools to learn authentic Spanish. The app has both Latin American and European Spanish courses that teach you how the language is spoken on these two continents. You can learn essential vocabulary and phrases, work on your pronunciation, and improve your listening comprehension. Babbel lessons are built to have everything you need to develop your skills, which makes this a good option if you only want to use one app.
Professional Linguists Create Each Course Individually
A lot of other apps just change the accent of their pronunciation to show the differences, but Babbel’s linguists give a much more accurate overview of how Latin American and European Spanish are different. This includes changes in word use, pronouns, and sentence structure, as well as other characteristics that make each dialect unique. You’ll notice changes based on cultural habits, like the pronunciation of “z” and “th,” how to address people, and verb conjugations. Keep in mind that you need a separate subscription for each Babbel course, so make sure to pick the variation of Spanish that interests you the most.
Extra Activities Focus on Teaching Natural Language
From games to podcasts and magazines, Babbel’s extra activities are designed to make exercising your knowledge fun. For example, there’s a “Sink or Spell” game where you have to spell Spanish words before the time runs out. All the games include audio voiced by native speakers and the podcasts come with transcripts so you can practice listening and reading. Babbel has different podcasts for all levels of learners, so you’ll learn something new no matter what level your Spanish is. (If you’re interested, there are actually quite a few other podcasts for Spanish learners that can add to your learning!)
You Can Learn Quickly with Bite-Size Lessons
Babbel’s Spanish lessons are concise so you won’t have to spend too much time improving your skills. Each lesson includes features like voice recognition, audio, memory games, multiple-choice questions, and writing exercises. They also include ingrained grammar explanations that teach you how to conjugate verbs, structure sentences correctly, and use articles without interrupting your study. The goal is to help you make progress, so instead of having you memorize information, Babbel teaches you to apply it. I love this approach!
Babbel Live: Practice Speaking with a Live Professional Tutor
Besides its regular lessons, Babbel also offers group live classes with a native-speaking Spanish tutor. The groups have up to six people so everyone can participate or ask questions. Group lessons are available for all levels of Spanish students, so you can take them even if you’re a complete beginner. You can also choose how many classes you take per week, which makes them a flexible option and a nice complement to what you learn in the app.
If you want to learn more about the app, check out this Babbel review.
5. Lingopie: The Best Spanish Immersion App
Pros
- You can study Spanish with authentic and entertaining content
- Lingopie automatically creates flashcards with useful vocabulary
- You can easily adjust each show to your level by slowing down the audio, turning on subtitles in English or Spanish (or both), and more
Cons
- The subtitles aren’t always 100% accurate
- It doesn’t include many additional learning activities to help you practice what you learn
- There aren’t any lessons, so it’s best if you already have a solid foundation in Spanish before using Lingopie
Lingopie is the best app to immerse yourself in Spanish because you don’t have to study to learn. That’s right! With Lingopie, you practice Spanish by watching your favorite movies and TV shows in Spanish. This is a cool way to put your Spanish knowledge to the test and increase your vocabulary while you enjoy your free time.
You Can Watch Shows from Netflix and More
What’s awesome about Lingopie is that it has its own catalog of Spanish series and movies you can watch, but it can also be used as a web plug-in. You can use Lingopie with Netflix and still access all the tools available on the app. This means that you can save the words you don’t know to review them later. You can watch telenovelas, Spanish or Mexican movies, or even watch series like Friends or Orange is the New Black in Spanish. If you want to study Spanish in a unique and entertaining way, Lingopie is definitely a handy tool.
The Built-In Playback Features Maximizes Learning
The goal of Lingopie is to make learning Spanish less stressful. To do this, the app has features like built-in playback, which you can use to rewind or slow down the video. These are helpful features if you miss a word or just want to listen to the pronunciation of a word again. You can make your learning experience as easy or as challenging as you desire, which is something many apps overlook when adding videos to their Spanish courses.
Immerse Yourself and Read Along with Scripts and Subtitles
Trying to understand spoken Spanish can sound hard, but it doesn’t have to be. To make your studies even more enjoyable, Lingopie includes transcripts for each show and movie available on the app. This is helpful if you’re struggling to understand the pronunciation, but it’s also an effective way to practice reading in Spanish without frying your brain.
AI-Powered Grammar Takes Watching Shows to the Next Level
While you’re watching a show or movie, you can click the lightbulb at the top of the screen to access quick grammar notes that explain concepts you just heard in the show. These notes cover how to apply and conjugate verbs, pronouns, and sentence structure so you can understand why a phrase was said in a particular way. Overall, this helps you truly understand why Spanish speakers build sentences the way they do, how they use colloquial language, and much more.
If you want to learn more about the app, check out this Lingopie review.
Honorable Mentions: Which Apps Almost Made Our List
Besides the apps on this list, we also looked at a bunch of other useful apps and courses for Spanish learners. We couldn’t include all of them in this list, but that doesn’t make them less worthwhile. In case you’re still looking for more alternatives, here are 6 more useful Spanish apps and why they’re worth checking out:
MosaLingua
MosaLingua is a flashcard-style app that focuses on quickly teaching you new Spanish vocabulary. It has a huge collection of videos, songs, and books that let you immerse yourself in Spanish. MosaLingua also includes cultural explanations to help you learn how to use colloquial Spanish.
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone is an app that offers you an engaging and immersive Spanish learning experience. You hear the words spoken by native speakers and the app’s voice-recognition technology helps you mimic their pronunciation. It gives you access to interactive exercises, multiple reading passages, vocabulary-building games, and even one-on-one tutoring sessions.
SpanishPod101
SpanishPod101 is a Spanish learning platform that includes video, audio, and text lessons. Its lessons cover a variety of topics, from grammar and vocabulary to more in-depth conversation practice. With this app, you can learn Spanish at your own pace from the absolute beginner to the advanced level. They also have one of the best YouTube channels for Spanish learners, which is available for free.
italki
italki is an app and platform that connects you with a Spanish tutor for online lessons. There are over 2,500 online Spanish tutors to choose from on italki. You can filter tutors by their native language, where they’re from, and more.
Drops
The Drops language app is designed to quickly expand your Spanish vocabulary. Besides the usual vocabulary lists, you can study words for less frequent topics like emergencies, gardening, sports, and household items. You only need to use Drops for at least 5 minutes each day to start increasing your Spanish vocabulary.
Duolingo
Duolingo has a complete Spanish language course that you can take for free. The app offers a structured lesson plan, so you’ll need to complete each study session before moving on to the next topic. It has a gamified approach to learning Spanish, and the activities are simple, fun, and engaging.
Take Your Spanish to the Next Level with Langoly!
Remember that learning Spanish is always easier when you’re using tools you enjoy. There are many options out there, and the apps included in this list are useful resources for all levels of Spanish learners. Whether you’re starting your Spanish journey or want to perfect your pronunciation for your next trip to Spain, there’s an app that can target the skill you need to reach your goal. Make sure to practice at least a couple of hours each week, and you’ll see a lot of progress in a little time!
To explore more ways to learn Spanish, be sure to check out Langoly’s Spanish Hub!
Best Apps to Learn Spanish: FAQ
The best app to learn Spanish is Rocket Languages. It covers all the skills you need to start communicating successfully. It has in-depth lessons that teach the most important parts of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and even has cultural notes that help you learn the language in context.
Duolingo is the best app to learn Spanish for free. You can start Duolingo’s Spanish course as a complete beginner and complete lessons up to the advanced level. There’s no limit to lessons per day, so you can complete as many or as few as you like.
Language learning apps are an effective way to learn Spanish, but they won’t make you fluent. An app is an excellent way to learn basic skills like grammar and vocabulary. Most apps include some speaking practice, but to become truly fluent, you’ll most likely need to practice speaking and conversation with other Spanish speakers.
11 Comments
ปั้มไลค์ says:
Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
Dracon says:
Try searching for Learn Spanish Verbs Game from Catalin Berta on App Store or Play Store. Very relaxing and helpful way to practice verbs and tenses 🙂
Chad Emery says:
Hi Dracon, will do! Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
Macelo says:
I want to learn
Chad Emery says:
These apps are a great place to begin learning 🙂 Best of luck, Macelo!
Kylei says:
Hi I would just like to say I haven’t tried this app yet but I love that it it free and this will her me with school and I just want to say thank you and these are the type of things we need in this world and these type of people and all this will help this world and make it a better place.
Anna says:
Thank you for these reviews n I’m going to check all these free trials out but free us in my price range. Thank you n blessings
Anthony W. Hodges says:
I’m having difficulty finding a Spanish language learning resource that I could begin at the intermediate or better level. Lifetime casual speaker, lived in AZ, a border state and traveled extrensively in Mexico. I am 1/4th Mexican. I was lazy and uncaring as a young person, but now want to try again with purpose. I was gifted with excellent pronounciation skills. I do not want to re- learn or practice elementary Spanish. I liked Duolingo and progressed for 2 years … then stopped for a few months. They dropped me and forced me to start over. I liked their audio visual and story telling.
Kelsey Wetherbee says:
I agree that most apps are geared toward beginners. You could try SpanishPod101. They have content up to an advanced level. Babbel is also good for intermediate learners. LingQ uses a different style, and you learn by watching/listening to autentic Spanish content. Let us know if you find one that you like!
Michele says:
Want to learn Spanish
Linda Lesser says:
Always wanted to learn Spanish.
Hope this is easy.