I Tried 5 Free Apps to Learn Spanish — Here’s the One I Actually Use Every Day

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 while traveling in Mexico and Spain, but every time I travel to a Spanish-speaking country, I wish I knew more. But learning a language seemed like such a lofty task — until I added the best app to learn Spanish to my phone.

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 language apps 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. I’ve ranked them all, with my pick for the best app to learn Spanish in first place.

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 includes over 40 languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Latin, and Russian.
• Duolingo teaches languages through reading, listening, and speaking in the target language.
• Daily reminders are helpful for consistency’s sake, but you can turn them off if you find them annoying. 
• Duolingo takes a fun, gamelike approach, so you’re learning without feeling like you’re back in grade school.

It’s a fun and interactive way to learn with a well-rounded approach. 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 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. I was able to learn quickly and retain words and phrases easily.

Pros: 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.

There is a 100% chance that I’ll keep using this app. I believe it’s one of the best free language-learning apps out there. In fact, I personally found it to be the best app to learn Spanish. 

What impressed me when I registered for Drops was that it asked me questions, such as my age and interests, so that it could tailor content to words I’d likely use. My lessons featured pets and travel, both of which I listed as interests. 

• Drops offers over 50 languages, including Spanish, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Samoan, and Vietnamese.
• 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. 
• Serious learners can purchase a lifetime plan for $159.99 to learn multiple languages or become an expert in a single language.
• It features bite-size lessons with spaced learning, meaning that words learned early on will periodically reappear for reinforcement.

The lessons focus on memorizing words through reinforcement, which is perfect for beginners like me. I found the colors and drag-and-drop word associations to be helpful to solidify meanings in my mind.

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 to be 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 $69.99 per year (or $12.99 a month) if you’d like to use Drops for an extended period.

I loved Drops, so I’m pressing forward with my complementary lessons without upgrading to the free version. Five minutes a day is just enough to keep me consistent.

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 website that teaches language by translating content written in your native language to the language you are trying to learn.

Choose fiction or nonfiction 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 flash card for further practice. Not only is the premise creative, but it’s easy to reinforce what you’ve learned.

• Readlang supports a whopping 121 languages, including Spanish, Greek, Italian, Swahili, Ukrainian, and Welsh.
• You can import books, articles, and more to read pieces in the language you’re trying to learn.
• Users can easily translate web pages to test their skills.
• The app also includes a mode for speaking and a video player for those who prefer audio-related learning.

As a beginner, I waded through the practice part of Readlang, which focuses on words and short phrases, providing detailed descriptions of how to use each word and what it exactly means.

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

Cons: I feel this is more suitable for advanced learners or those who can easily absorb information by listening to many words rather than completing drills and learning just a few words at a time. The free version comes with unlimited text uploads and word translations, though some of the features are locked behind the premium version. 

Because I’m a beginner, I will put Readlang aside for now, but I may revisit it later. I really love the concept of this app, but it’s way too advanced for me for now. However, if you already know a bit of the language, this could be the best app to learn Spanish for mid-level speakers and beyond.

If learning through videos and real-life scenarios is helpful for you, then Memrise is worth considering. 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 currently has 23 languages, including Spanish, Danish, Korean, Mongolian, Portuguese, and Swedish.
• If you’re already familiar with particular words and phrases, you can indicate that you know certain vocabulary and move on quickly. 
• Instead of a bot, Memrise has real people speaking words, so you can practice proper pronunciation and inflection.
• The app features flash card-style learning, paired with videos and audio examples to cater to diverse learning styles.

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

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.

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. I also think it could be better for non-beginners who are looking to form sentences and have conversations, or those who really like using flash cards to build their vocabulary. 

Busuu features videos with real people speaking words and phrases to help prepare users for hearing various vocal inflections. This app is part language learning and part social networking, and the community feature connects you with native speakers to help hone your accent or get feedback.

• Busuu concentrates on 14 languages, including Spanish, Arabic, French, Mandarin, Polish, and Turkish.
• The app uses AI to help personalize lessons according to your pace and performance.
• Busuu’s global community helps users interact with native speakers, who will also offer feedback on speaking and writing.
• If you’re on the go or without WiFi, you can use the app offline or download lessons to use when off the grid.

Each lesson is just a few minutes long and focuses on perfecting a phrase by listening, reading, and speaking it. I only used the free trial (which lasts 30 days), which was enough for my purposes, and I didn’t explore upgrading.

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, since you have to watch an ad (usually a gaming video) to progress through the lessons, which wastes time that could be spent learning.

Unfortunately, I promptly deleted Busuu, although I feel guilty because I did connect to the community, which can enhance the experience. For me, the best app to learn Spanish just doesn’t need a social networking aspect — I want something I can consistently spend a handful of minutes of time on each day. 

You might be wondering if it’s possible to become fluent using a Spanish language learning app, like the ones above. The truth is that using a language learning app alone won’t make you fluent in the language. The best way to learn a new language is to actively immerse yourself in the culture by surrounding yourself with native speakers, speaking and listening to the language frequently (through books and media, for instance), regularly studying and repeating words and phrases, as well as using language learning apps and any other language learning tools.

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.