I Tried 5 Free Apps to Learn Spanish — Here Are the Two I’ll Never Give Up

After taking two years of Spanish in high school, I’ve often regretted not delving further into the language. Sure, I’ve been able to ask for directions and order specialty coffees in Mexico and Spain, but every time I travel to a Spanish-speaking country, I wish I knew more. Whether you’re like me and want to build upon a foundation or you’re starting from scratch, diving into learning a language can seem like a lofty task. 

However, with a smartphone in hand, you can download free apps to sharpen your skills and learn how to converse in another language in just a few minutes a day. Over four days, I put several companies to the test. Most of my recommendations also have paid versions, but if you don’t want to spend a dime, here’s what I liked (and didn’t like) about the five best free language learning apps.

Note: I tested but ultimately didn’t recommend free versions of apps that required upgrading after a short trial. I also tried HelloTalk, which is free and has paid ad-free versions, but I found the networking intimidating, especially as I was inundated with hello “waves” from others (mostly members of the opposite sex) immediately upon joining. However, users rave about the personal connection aspect.

Back in 2017, I tried Duolingo and quickly deleted it — the daily reminders made me feel guilty. However, after giving it a second chance, I love it. (I nixed the daily reminders this time around.) 

It’s a fun and interactive way to learn. For example, cute characters like a bear wearing a blue scarf or a man in ’80s-style workout gear clap and dance when you answer correctly, making it a visually pleasing way to practice. You earn experience points for correct answers, lesson completion, and consistent practice. The points don’t turn into physical rewards, but they are extra motivation to tap in every day. 

Duolingo also teaches languages through reading sentences and listening and speaking in the language. I found it to be a well-rounded approach.

Languages: Over 40, including Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Latin, and Russian

Pros: Gem rewards keep you motivated, and they also give you access to paid-only features. You get opportunities to review missed lessons to help correct wrong answers. There’s also an end-of-year review that recaps all your progress.

Cons: The speaking section isn’t spot-on. For example, the first time I was asked to speak, I said, “I have no idea what I’m doing,” which the app then oddly counted as the correct pronunciation of the Spanish phrase I was asked to repeat. But the app seemed to be more accurate from then on.

Likelihood I’ll keep using this app: 100% chance. I believe it’s one of the best free language-learning apps out there.

What impressed me when registering for Drops was that it asked me questions, such as my age and interests, so that it could gear content toward words I’d likely use. My lessons featured pets and travel, both of which I listed as interests. The lessons focus on retaining words through reinforcement, which is perfect for beginners. 

If you’re interested in reading and writing, the app also highlights proper spelling by encouraging users to drag and drop parts of words to form the whole. 

Languages: Over 45, including Irish, Italian, Japanese, Samoan, and Vietnamese

Pros: My word retention was high due to the multiple ways they were presented, such as completing word chains and placing word parts in their correct order. I also found this app one of the least frustrating — it introduces words, instead of phrases, to beginners.

Cons: If you want to learn a language quickly, know that the free version of this app only lets you practice for five minutes a day. You can upgrade for $99.99 per year if you’d like to use Drops for more time.

Likelihood I’ll keep using this app: I loved it, so I’m pressing forward with my complementary lessons without upgrading to the free version.

If learning via videos and real-life scenarios is helpful for you, then Memrise is worth your consideration. Featuring filmed conversations, entertaining — and sometimes corny — situational videos, and word identification exercises, this app is a hands-on way to immerse yourself in a language and prepare for travel. 

Memrise has users practice recalling words presented in the video until they can get a word or phrase correct, which I first found frustrating but eventually appreciated as it did ultimately help me retain the information. 

Languages: Currently 23, including Danish, Korean, Mongolian, Portuguese, and Swedish

Pros: Different actors appear in the videos, making the nuances of language, such as cadence and pitch, helpful for really solidifying memorization in realistic circumstances. 

Cons: There are several prompts to upgrade to the pro version, which was distracting and caused me to lose focus between lessons.

Likelihood I’ll keep this app on my phone: I didn’t keep Memrise because the videos didn’t help me learn as much as other app styles, but they could be right for you.

Busuu is another app that features videos with real people speaking words and phrases to help ready users for travel and hear various voice inflections. Each lesson is just a few minutes long and focuses on perfecting a phrase by being able to hear, read, and speak it. One perk is that this app is part language learning and part social networking, as the community feature connects you with native speakers to help hone your accent or get feedback.

Languages: Currently 14, including Arabic, French, Mandarin, Polish, and Turkish

Pros: The videos are short and sweet, and phrases are presented in memorizable chunks to not overwhelm new learners.

Cons: The free version is annoying as you must watch an ad (usually a gaming video) to progress through the lessons, which wastes time you could spend learning.

Likelihood I’ll keep this app on my phone: I promptly deleted it, although I feel guilty because I did connect to the community, which enhanced the experience.

If you’re constantly bumping up against your phone’s storage limit like I am, you can still use your smartphone to learn via Readlang, which is a phone-intuitive website that teaches language by translating content written in your native language to the language you are trying to learn. Choose fiction or non-fiction stories, songs, YouTube videos, or inspirational talks as you listen to and read the words in your selected language. Any terms that you choose to translate are automatically added to a list and put on a flashcard for further practice. Not only is the premise creative, but it’s easy to reinforce what you’ve learned.

Languages: Over 45, including Greek, Italian, Swahili, Ukrainian, and Welsh

Pros: A variety of works are available within each genre, meaning that you can choose topics that interest you.

Cons: I feel this is for more advanced folks or those who can learn easily by listening to many words instead of doing drills and learning just a few words at a time.

Likelihood I’ll keep using this on my phone: Because I’m a beginner, I will put it aside for now. However, I may come back to it once I get a better grasp of Spanish.