What are your thoughts about using some of the best apps for learning Spanish, besides taking online classes?
If you think about the ideal ways of learning a language, what would that be? Are you more into finding a tutor or a language academy and learning everything by the book? Sure, that all works well.
However, if you are looking for fun and interesting ways for boosting your Spanish, then the best apps for learning Spanish could be a great option.
What do you think?
Of course, let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that AI and apps will ever replace teachers and tutors. Speaking with a real person, a native, if possible, is an experience that no app or AI trick can replace.
But that doesn’t mean that language learning apps can’t help in the process. Whether you want to improve your vocabulary or grammar, or even your writing and speaking skills, these apps we’ve been checking out are a real deal.
Not only did we test them ourselves, but we also had a little help from our students. So let’s check some of the best apps for learning Spanish together.
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Language Learning Apps for Boosting Spanish
There are so many benefits that you can get from language learning apps. Of course, this will mostly depend on what your goals are.
Whether you want to improve your vocabulary or boost your grammar, or maybe your writing skills and comprehension, free apps for learning Spanish can be your starting point, in a way.
Why do we say: in a way? Well, because at some point you will reach the desired level and no app is an inexhaustible source of knowledge.
Later, you will for sure need something more, or someone to put everything you learned into practice.
Be that as it may, let’s focus for now on some of the best apps for learning Spanish that you will have the chance to find online.
Duolingo
Duolingo is a language app with a cute and funny interface. If you don’t mind the annoying ads, then you’re good to go with their free version.
Our students say they like it because it’s kind of a game-style app for interactive learning with animations for all language levels and you can easily track your learning progress.
You can smoothly learn so many new words only by spending 15 minutes a day using the app. Duolingo will encourage you to keep going even though you might have made a number of mistakes while completing the tasks.
Cons: Great for beginners in Spanish but the app has very little to offer to intermediate and advanced learners.
Babbel
You can see their ads literally popping out of the fridge! They’re everywhere!
Now seriously! Just like most of them, this language app is great for beginners and people who need to polish their fluency in any language that the app offers.
The good thing about this one is that the lessons are developed by in-house linguists, which makes Babbel one of the best language-learning apps on the market.
Some say it’s better than Duolingo but again, it all depends on your expectations and goals.
Babbel is among those free apps for learning Spanish that have a Live section where you can have unlimited access to classes tailored to your language level and needs.
Cons: Many say that the lessons and exercises are tedious and not so motivating.
FluentU
We could say that FluentU is among the best apps for learning Spanish. You can use it as an additional resource for improving a language but not as the main one. Here’s why.
You can practice your Spanish fluency, vocabulary, and listening, given that the app offers interactive videos, music, news, inspirational speeches, etc.
You have the opportunity to choose videos in FluentU that have transcriptions or translations, and you can easily click on the word or phrase you don’t know, and get the explanation.
The downside is that it’s free for only 14 days, which is the trial period.
Cons: Users say it’s pricey and that there is no grammatical explanation. Moreover, there is very little writing and speaking involved.
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone is one of the best apps for learning Spanish in our opinion. Although it’s not a free app, the subscriptions are affordable. You can also choose one with an online tutor.
One of the best things about Rosetta Stone that our students loved is that it offers a Phrasebook with a lot of common phrases that you can use anytime in your everyday life.
Another good thing is that it’s available offline, so you can download the lessons and take your Spanish everywhere with you.
This app has an immersive language approach, which means you learn Spanish through context thanks to videos and visuals presented in everyday situations.
Cons: There are no translations available, although, for some students, this may not be a bad thing.
Memrise
As the name suggests, Memrise is the best memory-based app for learning Spanish.
This language app has been around for over 10 years now (since 2010!).
Similar to Duolingo, Memrise is a language app that uses gamification and an immersive approach through tests and quizzes to learn any of the 23 languages, including Spanish.
This language app uses video examples and memory retention techniques based on scientific research. One of these is the flashcard technique.
Making linkages between words and ideas is a key component of their approach to teaching new concepts.
Cons: People say that the courses have an uneven quality.
Pimsleur
If you are more into learning a language by listening to the audio, then Pimsleur is your language app.
We consider it to be one of the best apps for learning Spanish for a few reasons.
Their courses primarily focus on audio-based learning. Learners listen to native speakers conversing in the target language, and they are encouraged to actively participate in the lessons by repeating phrases and sentences.
The method aims to simulate the way language is acquired naturally, by immersion and repetition.
The emphasis is on spoken language. This means that the primary focus of Pimsleur is on developing conversational skills and spoken language proficiency. The main goal is to enable learners to communicate effectively in real-life situations.
Cons: While somebody might consider this to be an advantage, a number of users complain because the app lacks reading and writing parts.
MosaLingua
MosaLingua uses a spaced repetition system (SRS), which is a learning technique that optimizes your memorization by reviewing words and phrases at increasing intervals. This method helps you reinforce learning and improve long-term language retention.
This language app prioritizes teaching practical and high-frequency vocabulary from real-life situations. It allows learners to start using the language in everyday conversations sooner.
You can improve your listening comprehension and pronunciation through dialogues and audio clips featuring native speakers. This way, you are exposed to authentic spoken language from the beginning.
Cons: One of the biggest cons is that MosaLingua’s exercises are primarily self-paced and don’t offer real-time interaction with teachers or native speakers. Also, the range of advanced-level resources might be more limited.
Busuu
If you are anything from beginner to advanced, this language app offers structured learning paths tailored to different proficiency levels.
You won’t regret it if you decide to go with this one. Busuu aims to develop your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. We can say that the app provides a well-rounded language learning experience, incorporating various types of exercises and activities to reinforce different language skills.
Do you like interactive exercises, quizzes, and vocabulary practice to reinforce your understanding of the language? Then go with Busuu!
Cons: Some of the cons that learners noticed are limited free content, costly subscription plans, and little interaction with native speakers.
Mondly
You could say that this one is another best language app not because it offers a wide range of languages, which is also great (over 40 languages available!), but also because it involves you in daily lessons and challenges to keep you engaged and motivated.
This is one of those language-learning apps such as MosaLingua, that uses speech recognition technology to help you practice pronunciation and compare your speech with the native’s.
Another cool thing is that Mondly incorporates gamification elements, such as points, rewards, and achievements, to make your learning process more fun and interactive.
A great tool that Mondly offers is Augmented reality courses (AR) for some languages. This allows you to interact with virtual objects and practice language skills in a more immersive way.
Cons: Repetitive exercises and limited speaking practice are some of the cons learners agreed on.
Conjuverb
We’re sure you already know what this language app does only by looking at its name!
Exactly! It helps you with conjugating and practicing verbs in Spanish.
Select which tense you want to practice and, if you’re unsure about how to conjugate, the Conjuverb language app offers over 1600 Spanish verbs that you can then conjugate in all tenses and moods with English translation included!
This app is an excellent resource for learners who want to focus specifically on verb conjugations in their language-learning journey.
We all know that mastering verb conjugations is a crucial aspect of language learning, as verbs are the backbone of sentence structure and communication.
Cons: In order to understand the instructions, you need to know English, given that it’s the Conjuverb’s default language. In addition, it is only available for IOS users.
Final Thoughts
Learning Spanish through the best apps for learning Spanish has many benefits, mostly if you are a beginner.
What attracts many Spanish and language learners in general, is that these language learning apps offer the flexibility to learn at your own pace and on your schedule. You can study anytime and anywhere, especially if you have a busy lifestyle.
However, while they are interactive and engaging and you can easily track your progress, the language learning apps lack real-life practice. We’re not saying you won’t get far (which mostly depends on how you acquire a language), but just be mindful that some of them will help you till a certain point, while in the long run, you will need someone, preferably a native, to practice.
Anyway, online language apps are a great resource and a good starting point that can help you as long as you don’t forget to set up your goals before starting to use them.
Our goal is to offer free content for people to practice their Spanish. Creating and maintaining the blog takes a lot of our free time however, due to our love of sharing Spanish with you, we will keep adding and updating the content in the blog. If you like the content of this post and believe that it helps you, please consider donating. Any amount is appreciated. Donations will be used to support the free content of this blog.
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