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17 Best Apps to Learn Russian Quickly and Fluently (2021)

Chad Emery August 1, 2021 Learning Guide

Are you looking for apps to learn Russian? Learning a new language can be difficult and time-consuming, but language learning apps have changed the game. They make it easy to learn on your own schedule and at your own pace, and they also make language learning fun and engaging.

On this list of the best Russian learning apps, you’ll find apps that teach vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, conversation skills, and more. I’ve researched them, read reviews, and even tried them myself to make sure they’re worth your time. So whether you want to brush up before a trip or become completely fluent in Russian, these 17 apps will get you speaking in no time!

What Are The Best Apps to Learn Russian?

Here are the 17 best apps to learn Russian that can help you become fluent quickly and from the comfort of your own home. As one of the most spoken languages in the world, there are a lot of tools you can use to learn Russian online, but these are the ones that will actually help you.

Disclaimer: Langoly articles may contain affiliate links. This allows Langoly to thoroughly test the products listed.

Rocket Languages

Overall Best App to Learn Russian

The Rocket Languages app is the overall best app to learn Russian. It’s a comprehensive course that will guide you through the Russian language from beginner to advanced levels.

It has clear explanations of the more difficult parts of the language, and is packed with voice recordings from native speakers. The app is easy to navigate and the lessons focus on making you conversational quickly.

Key Features

• Follow the lessons and learn at your own pace
• The lessons are straightforward and easy to follow
• The course covers every aspect of the Russian language
• You’ll learn about Russian culture as you learn the language

Pricing

The Rocket Languages Russian course costs $149.95, but you can also choose to pay $27.00 per month for 6 months. Rocket Russian is a one-time purchase, so you have access to the course forever. Most other apps charge a monthly subscription, which can be more expensive in the long-run.

Try Rocket Russian for free today.

MosaLingua

Best App for Russian Immersion Online

If you want to throw yourself head first into the Russian language, you need to find Russian content to immerse yourself in. MosaLingua is the best way to do that.

MosaLingua is mainly a flashcard app that teaches you vocabulary and phrases, but it has evolved into more than that.

It has a huge library of Russian videos, songs, articles, and more to really help you dive in and study native Russian content. You can also add words and phrases to your vocabulary list from any website you find, which is something no other apps offer. Read more about the app in this MosaLingua review.

Key Features

• Efficiently learn useful Russian vocab and phrases
• Huge resource lists let you immerse yourself in Russian
• Use MOSADiscovery to import your own words and phrases into MosaLingua
• Offers more value for money than most other apps

Pricing

A subscription to MosaLingua costs $4.99 per month or $59.90 per year. Compared to a lot of other apps, this is pretty cheap. To get an idea of what MosaLingua has to offer, you can take advantage of a 15-day free trial.

Sign up and try MosaLingua free for 15 days.

Mondly

Best Beginner Russian App

The Mondly app is perfect for those looking to learn the basics of Russian without getting overwhelmed by more advanced topics. The lessons are designed so you can complete them in any order you want, and they’re easy to follow for beginners.

With Mondly, you can track your progress with detailed statistics and it uses learning methods that will help you stay motivated as you learn the language. Learn more about Mondly in this review.

Key Features

• It covers the basics of Russian in short, manageable lessons
• The app is well-designed and easy to navigate
• The learning statistics are more advanced than other apps
• It’s the only major language app that uses augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to teach you Russian

Pricing

Mondly offers a limited free version as well as a premium version. Monthly payments for the premium version start at $9.99. You can get a discount on the pricing for longer subscription periods too.

Sign up for a free Mondly account to start learning Russian.

italki

Best Russian App for Speaking

italki is a popular language learning app that allows you to find high-quality Russian tutors online. You can easily filter the tutors to find the perfect one for you, and you’re in complete control of what you want to study.

Some tutors offer simple conversation classes while others offer more formal Russian courses. No matter what type of lesson you choose, practicing with a native Russian tutor will improve your skills in just a few lessons.

Key Features

• Study Russian with native-speaking tutors
• You can filter tutors by different characteristics to find a good match
• Learn only what you want to learn
• italki is a well-known platform that is safe and secure

Pricing

Italki tutors set their own lesson prices, but they typically range from about $6.00 per hour to over $35.00. Conversation classes tend to be on the lower end of that range and more specialized lessons are often higher. Most tutors also offer trial lessons at half-price for your first session to see if they’re a good fit for you.

Take a trial lesson on italki to practice with a native Russian tutor.

Busuu

Best Russian App with a Structured Course

The Busuu app will hold your hand and guide you as you study Russian. The app is a complete course that lets native-speaking Russians correct your writing and speaking exercises. It also offers language certificates so you can showcase what you have learned for the world to see.

Busuu is a great app for those who want to speak, read and write Russian quickly. This app provides fresh, engaging content to help you learn the language more naturally. You can learn more about the app in this Busuu review.

Key Features

• The course starts from zero and will help you become an intermediate speaker
• Native speakers can correct your exercises and help you speak more fluently
• The language certificates are a great way to beef up your resume and job applications

Pricing

Busuu subscriptions start from $9.99 per month, and it’s cheaper if you get a longer subscription. If you want to try Busuu before committing to it, sign up for a free account and test some of the lessons and features. This is an excellent way to see if Busuu is right for you before buying it.

Sign up and try Busuu for free today.

RussianPod101

Best Russian Podcast App

Learning Russian can be a challenge, but RussianPod101 makes it a lot easier with its video, audio and text lessons. The quality of the content is high compared to a lot of other apps, and they’re always adding new lessons.

The audio files are always voiced by native speakers, and you can access a lot of additional resources to reinforce what you learn. These include flashcards and vocabulary lists, grammar explanations, and more.

Key Features

• There are thousands of lessons to explore
• The additional features and resources help you remember everything you learn
• The content is fresh and updated regularly so there’s always something new to learn

Pricing

RussianPod101 offers different subscription packages ranging in price from $8.00 to $47.00 per month. The features included in each subscription vary, so you can compare them and pick the one that’s best for you. If you want to explore RussianPod101 before subscribing, you can sign up for a free account and access some of the lessons.

Try RussianPod101 for free today to improve your Russian skills.

Babbel

Best Russian App with Interactive Lessons

If you learn by doing, you’ll love Babbel. Its interactive lessons keep you engaged as you study different aspects of the Russian language. From grammar and vocabulary to pronunciation, reading, and writing, Babbel covers everything.

The lessons start from absolute zero and help you become completely conversational by the end of the course. Developed by linguists, Babbel’s Russian course teaches you how to speak like a native. Read more about Babbel in this review.

Key Features

• Lessons are quick and easy to complete
• The content is useful and the activities are fun
• The app adapts to you and helps you review what you’re struggling with
• Professional linguists developed the course

Pricing

A subscription to Babbel costs $12.95 per month, but you can get it for less if you buy a longer subscription. Babbel also offers a 20-day money-back guarantee if you end up buying a subscription and change your mind.

Learn to speak like a Russian with a free trial of Babbel.

Preply

Best Russian App for Talking to Natives

Preply connects you with online Russian tutors around the world. You can take individual lessons or work with a tutor long-term. Talking to native Russian speakers is the best way to learn the language quickly, and Preply makes it easy by letting you filter tutors by different characteristics.

Preply also guarantees that you’ll love your first lesson. If you don’t, they’ll arrange a lesson with a different tutor for free!

Key Features

• Preply only accepts high-quality tutors to teach Russian
• It’s easy to find a tutor available whenever you want
• You decide what you want to study and don’t have to follow a curriculum
• Preply is safe to use and your payments are secure

Pricing

Tutors set their own lesson prices on Preply, but they typically range anywhere from $4.00 to $45.00 per hour. If you only want to practice conversational Russian, your lessons will be on the lower end of that range. If you want to study with a more specialized tutor, expect to pay a little more. Every tutor offers a discounted trial lesson though, so give it a try and find your perfect Russian tutor!

Find a Russian tutor on Preply to start speaking Russian like a native.

FluentU

Best App to Learn Russian Culture

FluentU is the best app to learn Russian if you want to completely immerse yourself in the language. It not only improves your vocabulary and grammar, but it also gives you a lot of cultural insight as well.

FluentU is a language learning platform with transliteration, subtitles and translations for all of its content. The app teaches you Russian through video immersion: by watching videos in Russian, listening to native audio, and engaging with interactive captions. Learn more in this FluentU review.

Key Features

• Interact with content straight from Russia to learn the language
• Speak Russian more naturally by absorbing it through entertaining videos
• Learn about Russian culture and humor while you study
• Subtitles, transliterations, and translations move in real-time with the content you’re watching

Pricing

FluentU is one of the more expensive apps to learn Russian, costing $30 per month or $240 per year for a subscription. You can sign up for a trial before purchasing a subscription though, so it’s definitely worth checking out.

Try FluentU free for 14 days and immerse yourself in Russian.

Pimsleur

Best Russian App with Audio Lessons

Pimsleur is an audio-based app to learn Russian that lets you jump right into speaking the language. The lessons use audio from native speakers beginning in the very first lesson, something which makes it different compared to most other Russian learning apps.

The lessons gradually build on each other so that you constantly review what you’ve already learned, too. For people who are looking for a quick but thorough way to start learning Russian, Pimsleur is perfect because it provides 30 minutes of daily instruction. Since it’s only audio, you can also complete the lessons anywhere you want!

Key Features

• You start speaking Russian during your first lessons
• Pimsleur’s accurate speech recognition technology improves your pronunciation in real time
• The course builds on what you already learned, so the lessons are easy to follow
• Your comprehension skills will improve really quickly since the Pimsleur app focuses on audio

Pricing

There are two ways to gain access to the Pimsleur Russian course: buy the course upfront or subscribe to the app. A subscription to the Pimsleur app costs $19.95 per month. If you prefer to buy the course upfront, the price ranges from $119.95 to $550.00, depending on how many levels you want (there are 5).

Sign up for a free 7-day trial of the Pimsleur Russian course to start speaking today.

Rosetta Stone

Most Comprehensive Russian App

Rosetta Stone is one of the most popular apps for learning Russian because it immerses you in the language from the moment you start using it. The app has an adaptive learning system that adjusts to your needs, and it also uses spaced repetition to help you remember words and phrases long-term.

The activities are straightforward and engaging, and they’re designed to help you think in Russian instead of your native language.

Key Features

• The app immerses you in Russian but holds your hand as you navigate the activities
• The technology adapts to you and helps you practice more efficiently
• Spaced repetition helps you remember vocabulary you already learned

Pricing

The shortest subscription to Rosetta Stone is 3 months, and that’s because it takes about 3 months to start having basic conversations. The subscription starts at $12.00 per month, but gets cheaper if you choose a longer plan.

Try Rosetta Stone free for 3 days and immerse yourself in Russian.

LingQ

Best App to Read Russian

If you’re looking for an app to improve your reading skills, LingQ is a great choice. You can create vocabulary lists and review new words from content available on the app. You can also import your own content!

If you like any specific podcasts, videos, or books in Russian, you can import them directly into LingQ and automatically create your own Russian lessons.

Key Features

• It’s easy to create vocabulary lists and review what you’ve learned
• LingQ helps you learn words in different contexts
• It’s the only app that lets you create your own lessons, so you can focus on what you actually want to learn.

Pricing

There are two different types of LingQ subscriptions: Premium and Premium Plus. Plans start at $12.99 per month, and the price goes down if you get a longer subscription. The Premium Plus subscription starts at $39.99 per month. Each subscription has different features, so take a look to see which is best for you.

Sign up for free to LingQ to read Russian like a native.

Russian Cyrillic in 3 Hours

Best App to Learn the Russian Alphabet

Like its name suggests, you’ll learn the Cyrillic alphabet super quickly with Russian Cyrillic in 3 Hours. It uses videos to teach you how to identify and pronounce the different letters.

It also teaches you the letters in context, which means you’ll remember them more effectively over time. It’s a super simple app to use and is great if you haven’t studied the Russian alphabet before.

Key Features

• Quickly learn the Cyrillic alphabet and how to pronounce it
• Learn letters in context to remember them long-term
• It’s completely free!

Pricing

Russian Cyrillic in 3 Hours is completely free to use, and it’s actually pretty good quality too.

Learn the Russian alphabet in no time!

Drops

Best App to Learn Russian Vocabulary

Drops is a vocabulary-based app that lets you build your Russian vocabulary through a variety of different games and activities – perfect for long-term retention!

You can choose from any number of vocab lists like food, greetings, and introductions. There are also more advanced lists which include emergencies, household items, or sports. Learn more about the app in this Drops review.

Key Features

• Each word or phrase has an animation to help you remember
• The activities are fun and help you remember words over time
• The app helps you study words you’re having trouble with
• Huge amount of vocabulary lists for every situation

Pricing

With the Drops app, you can study Russian for five minutes per day without paying. Premium subscriptions cost $9.99 per month, $69.99 annually, or you could purchase a lifetime alternative for $159.99. All subscriptions come with full access to everything – including vocabulary lists and other features that are not available in the free version.

Try Drops free for 5 minutes and start building your Russian vocabulary.

Clozemaster

Best App to Learn Russian Words in Context

Clozemaster is an app that draws your attention to word relationships and helps you develop a linguistic “feel” for the Russian language. Using Fill-in-the-Blank and multiple choice quizzes, Clozemaster helps you build vocabulary quickly.

Learning words in context helps you sound more like a native when you speak, and you’ll start to understand the language more easily. Read more about Clozemaster in this review.

Key Features

• Huge amount of useful vocabulary and phrases
• Helps you learn to speak more natural Russian
• Additional activities for studying grammar and other difficult concepts
• Audio is from native speakers to help improve your pronunciation

Pricing

You can access most vocabulary lists on Clozemaster for free, but if you want more advanced features like grammar lessons and enhanced content, you’ll need to subscribe to Clozemaster Pro. This costs $8.00 per month or $60.00 per year.

Sign up for a free Clozemaster account to learn Russian words in context.

Lingodeer

Best App to Learn Russian Grammar

Lingodeer features a range of lessons that are categorized by topic. The app has comprehensive explanations that cover the Russian alphabet, grammar and more for both beginner and intermediate learners.

Lingodeer really stands out among apps to learn Russian because it explains every detail of Russian grammar. This detail can help take your fluency to the next level.

Key Features

• Covers a lot of different topics to help you become conversational quickly
• Excellent grammar explanations break down difficult concepts
• The explanations throughout the app are clear and easy to understand

Pricing

A subscription to Lingodeer starts at $11.99 per month, but you can get a huge discount if you choose a longer subscription. Lingodeer also offers some free content, so you can try it out before committing to a paid subscription.

Try Lingodeer for free to master Russian grammar.

Duolingo

Best App to Learn Russian for Free

Duolingo’s Russian course is a great way to start learning the language for free. It’s a complete course and covers a lot of different topics you’ll encounter in everyday life.

Using Duolingo is more like playing a game than studying a language. The activities are fun and it’s easy to stay motivated as you earn points and compete against your friends. Read more about Duolingo in this review.

Key Features

• You learn every aspect of communication, from reading and writing to listening and speaking
• It’s addictive because it’s more like a game than a language app
• Perfect for beginners who want a solid introduction to Russian
• It’s free so you have nothing to lose!

Pricing

Duolingo is the best free app to learn Russian because you can access the entire course without paying. If you want an ad-free experience and access to additional features, you can also sign up for Duolingo Plus, which costs $6.99 per month.

Learn Russian for free with Duolingo.

Best Apps to Learn Russian – Final Thoughts

There are a wide variety of apps available to learn Russian, but not all of them provide the same level or value. This list is an overview of some of the best apps to learn Russian, and they’re all here for a reason.

Whether they have interactive exercises that improve your conversational skills or they break down and explain difficult aspects of the language, each app can help improve your fluency.

The best app to learn Russian is different for everyone, but chances are the best one for you is on this list!

Best Apps to Learn Russian FAQ