Best Apps to Learn French

What separates the best apps to learn French on this page?

Two apps sit at the top with a score of 8.6: italki and Babbel. They get there differently. italki is one-to-one video lessons from $10/lesson, with tutors you pick by accent, price and reviews, and it logged the highest A1 score in the test after 30 days of two lessons a week. Babbel costs $8.95 and scored 82% on A1 after 30 days, with dialogue lessons and grammar explained in plain English.

Pimsleur follows at 8.0. Its thirty-minute audio lessons had testers holding a basic conversation by day 20, and it works hands-free. At $19.95 a month it is the most expensive here, and it covers little reading or writing.

Busuu (7.9, $6.95) follows CEFR levels A1–B2 with certificates, and native speakers correct your exercises, usually within hours. Duolingo and Rosetta Stone both score 7.8. Duolingo is free, with Super at $6.99/mo, and its streaks built a daily habit better than any other app, but grammar is rarely explained and it posted the lowest A1 score of the mainstream apps. Rosetta Stone ($10.50) has the best speech recognition in the test and a lifetime plan covering all 25 languages, though immersion means guessing the rule.

Mondly (7.3, $4.99) and Memrise (7.2, $8.49) close the list. Mondly's lifetime deal is the cheapest in the test; Memrise has native-speaker video for every phrase, the best listening practice here.

What should you check before buying?

The rubric weights teaching method at 30 and measured result at 25, so start there. Ask how the app handles grammar. Babbel explains it, Duolingo and Rosetta Stone largely do not, and Memrise does not teach it at all.

• Speaking practice: italki and Pimsleur put you in conversation early; Duolingo and Memrise lean on recognition.
• Depth: Mondly stops around A2, while Busuu runs to B2 with certificates.
• Cost model: italki is pay per lesson, and two a week costs more than any app; Rosetta Stone's lifetime plan is the cheapest long-term option here.
• Language range: Babbel and Busuu cover 14 languages; Duolingo covers 40+.

Which one for whom?

Pick italki if you want real conversation from lesson one and will pay per lesson. Babbel suits anyone who wants short structured lessons with grammar spelled out. Pimsleur fits commuters and pronunciation work. Busuu is for learners who want CEFR levels and corrections from native speakers. Duolingo is the free daily-habit choice. Rosetta Stone suits immersion learners who want speech recognition and one lifetime plan. Mondly is the cheap multi-language option, and Memrise is for vocabulary and listening.

For speaking practice, italki and Pimsleur put you in conversation fastest. Babbel and Busuu suit learners who want structure and grammar explained. Duolingo is the free daily-habit pick, while Rosetta Stone, Mondly and Memrise cover immersion, cheap multi-language access and vocabulary listening respectively.