How to Choose the Best Language Learning App for Your Next Trip

Summary

The Wirecutter Show: "How to Choose the Best Language Learning App for Your Next Trip"

Date: May 15, 2026
Hosts: Caira Blackwell (A), Rosie Guerin (B)
Guest: Matthew Gay (C), Wirecutter journalist

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Episode Overview

This episode tackles one of the most common dilemmas for modern travelers: How do you pick the best language learning app to prepare for your next international adventure? The hosts are joined by Matthew Gay, who has comprehensively tested 15 language learning apps for Wirecutter. They dive into the strengths and weaknesses of the most popular apps, debunk myths about digital language learning, and deliver tailored recommendations tied to different learning styles. Spoiler: there’s no single “best” app—success depends on who you are and what you need.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting Realistic Expectations

• Language apps are helpful, but not a shortcut to fluency.

  • “You should be able to expect that with a bit of time in the apps, you should be able to say 'hi', order a coffee and a croissant, and point across the room and say, 'this is a cat.'... The apps will get you saying simple sentences. They will help you practice vocabulary.” — Matthew (02:20)
  • Recognizing words and phrases abroad (“hearing an in-flight announcement and recognizing a word”) is rewarding and realistic (03:15).

• Apps are supplements, not substitutes for immersion.

  • “You won't become fluent in a language with an app. Honestly, that's a lifelong pursuit. I personally see them more as a productive way to waste time on your phone…more than an alternative to a classroom.” — Matthew (04:05)

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Matching Apps to Learning Styles

1. For Analytical Learners (Grammar & Structure Lovers)

• Best App: Babbel
  • Provides more than vocabulary; introduces grammar, formality, and cultural nuance.
  • “Babbel felt more like a grown-up version of Duolingo. Five-minute lessons…language tips…pronunciation.” — Matthew (05:11)
  • Built-in podcasts and grammar guides offer broader understanding than other apps.

2. For Visual Learners

• Best App: Speak
  • Lessons are vertical videos, reminiscent of TikTok; instructors onscreen with subtitles, special cues for silent letters.
  • “If you’re used to watching TV shows with subtitles, that’s going to feel natural.” — Matthew (06:28)
  • Uses AI to grade pronunciation; every lesson is interactive and light on mental load.
  • Memorable Quote: “It’s a more interactive video version of a lesson. Every time, it’s going to make you say the same thing three times, use AI to grade how well you pronounce the words.” — Matthew (07:14)

3. For Gamification Fans (Habit & Reward-Driven)

• Best App: Duolingo
  • Highly addictive, streaks and notifications keep you coming back.
  • “Duolingo is really good at getting you to practice. It makes language learning addictive…honestly, months later I can remember more of those individual vocabulary words…” — Matthew (08:26)
  • Practicality of learned phrases sometimes lacking (“this is a cat”).
  • Free, ad-supported, offers the widest range of languages (over 37).

4. For Traditional/Classroom Learners

• Best App: Pimsleur
  • Classic audio-based method, 30-minute lessons, no interaction—just listen, repeat.
  • “You can turn it on in the car…on the train…no need to interact, can do it anywhere.” — Matthew (10:05)
  • Good for multitasking but may be arduous for those unused to long audio formats.

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Practical Limitations of Apps

• Fluency remains out of reach.

  • “At best, most language learning apps offer lessons up to a B2 level on the CEFR…even that’s a stretch.” — Matthew (11:50)

• When to Seek Real-World Practice

  • Once you can handle basic introductions, restaurant orders, and directions, move to conversations with real people.
  • “Restaurants are a great opportunity…ask staff if you can try speaking…Those kinds of interactions are where you start feeling a connection to the language.” — Matthew (12:40)

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Actionable Tips for Travelers

• Crash Course Recommendation:
  “Download Speak…offers Japanese quick lessons, five-minute video, focused on conversational use cases, easy to use, lets you practice with AI. I think you might get there.” — Matthew (13:35)

• Double-check language availability in your chosen app, especially for less common languages. (09:28)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “You should be able to expect that with a bit of time in the apps, you should be able to say hi, order a coffee and a croissant, and point across the room and say, this is a cat.” — Matthew (02:20)
• “You won't become fluent in a language with an app... it's a lifelong pursuit.” — Matthew (04:05)
• “Babbel felt more like a grown up version of Duolingo. So it's five minute lessons...interspersed in those lessons, it gives you language tips.” — Matthew (05:11)
• “It is basically language lessons designed as TikTok. So each lesson is a vertical video...you have subtitles come up on the top.” — Matthew on Speak (06:28)
• “Duolingo is really good at getting you to practice. Right. It makes language learning addictive.” — Matthew (08:26)
• “Pimsleur...you can turn it on in the car as you're driving, you can listen to it on the train, you can go for a run and listen to it...” — Matthew (10:05)
• “At best, most language learning apps offer lessons up to a B2 level...I think the sweet spot is if you can introduce yourself and perhaps order a meal in the new language...that's where you should start practicing with real people.” — Matthew (11:50)

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Memorable Moments

• Learning “this is a cat” in every language (“Duolingo especially likes to teach you…”) (02:36).
• The crying Duolingo owl if you miss a lesson (“the icon turned into a crying owl…to lure me back”) (09:15).
• Caira prepping for a last-minute trip to Tokyo and seeking a “crash course” (13:15).

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:05 — What language apps can and can’t do
• 04:05 — Fundamental misunderstandings about language apps
• 05:11 — Best app for deep learners: Babbel
• 06:28 — Best app for visual learners: Speak
• 07:54 — Best app for gamification: Duolingo
• 09:51 — Best app for traditional/classroom learners: Pimsleur
• 11:50 — When to move to real-world practice
• 13:35 — Crash course recommendations for travelers

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Conclusion

The right language learning app can help you prepare for that next trip by making basic interactions smoother and more enjoyable. However, don’t expect fluency—these are tools for building confidence and foundational skills, not substitutes for real-life practice or immersion. Matching the app to your learning style is key, and when you reach a basic conversational level, step out into the real world and try your new skills!

Transcript

[A]

I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[B]

I'm Rosie Garant and you're listening to the Wirecutter Show. Kyra, are you excited for your trip to Japan coming up?

[A]

I'm pumped, Rosie, as you can probably tell. I'm just counting down the hours.

[B]

I also know that you've been trying to maybe to learn a little Japanese. How's that going?

[A]

Yeah. I'm not going to demonstrate for you what I've learned so far, but it boils down to the basics, which is hello, goodbye and thank you.

[B]

Have you messed around with any language learning apps before?

[A]

Oh, yeah. I think everybody had a duolingo phase.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

The streaks, the addiction. But, I mean, I didn't get very far.

[B]

So there are also so many of these apps.

[A]

There are too many, actually. And that's why I'm really happy that we're having Matthew Gay on to chat with us about some of the ones that he's tested. He's joining us all the way from Thailand. Matthew has tested 15 different language learning apps for Wirecutter and surprise. He doesn't think there's any one best language learning app. He really thinks it depends on you, your learning style and what you want to get out of them.

[B]

That makes a lot of sense. I've tried a lot of different things and I think there are different aspects of different apps that have worked for me. But I am very curious to see through actual testing what is emerging as the top tier.

[A]

Exactly. So we're going to take a quick break and then when we're back, we'll be on with Matthew Gay on the other side. See you soon. Welcome back with us now is Matthew Gay. He is a writer for Wirecutter who's tested 15 language learning apps and he's coming to us all the way from Thailand. Matthew, welcome to the show.

[C]

Happy to be here.

[B]

Hi, Matthew. If someone is listening, starting from basically zero, what is a realistic goal they should have for learning a language on an app? What can these apps genuinely help you do before a trip and what can't they do?

[C]

Yeah, you should be able to expect that with a bit of time in the apps. You should be able to say, hi, order a coffee and a croissant and point across the room and say, this is a cat. I don't know why that's a phrase that seemed like Duolingo especially likes to teach you.

[A]

I always want to learn how to say, that is a cat in every language.

[B]

Get you far.

[C]

The apps will get you saying simple sentences. They will help you practice vocabulary. The Big difference between apps though is some apps focus on quick conversations, dialogues that you may have memorized, and sort of like if you took a class in a foreign language and they're going to teach you how to say hi and introduce yourself and where's the restroom? Others are more about building your vocabulary. So cat, horse and pizza. And you'll end up knowing an assortment of words and how to form simple sentences. It's more versatile but less practical in the moment.

[A]

So you're telling me I won't be able to speak Japanese fluently in a week on Duolingo?

[C]

Unfortunately, no. No. What you may do though, and this to me was the most fun thing, is that you might be on your flight headed to Japan and hear the in flight announcement, say some word and you're going to recognize that and that's going to feel really great. And after just using these apps for a weeks, I was watching a movie, had a few lines of French dialogue. I don't speak French prior to studying with these apps at all. And yet I was able to pick up a few words that they were saying. And that was fun. It wasn't, you know, where I could have understood a French movie by any means, but I understood something and that. That felt rewarding.

[A]

So we know that you tested 15 learning language apps for your article, and before we even really dig into your recommendations, I would love to know what you think most people fundamentally misunderstand about language learning apps.

[C]

Oh, that there is shortcut to fluency. That you know you're going to pick up an app and put your 15 minutes a day into it and then suddenly you're going to be able to go somewhere and speak the language and you not need to take a class. That's not really the case. You won't become fluent in a language with an app. Honestly, that's a lifelong pursuit. Instead, I personally see them more as a productive way to waste time on your phone. It's an alternative to, you know, Instagram or TikTok, more than an alternative to a classroom.

[B]

Matthew, one thing I thought was interesting in your reporting is that you don't think that there's necessarily one universally best app, that it really depends on the kind of learner you are. That makes a lot of sense. We want to break down your recommendations based on learning style. So, for example, if someone is the kind of traveler who wants to understand why a language works like grammar, sentence structure, formality, cultural nuance, which app would you recommend for them and why?

[C]

For that, I would recommend Babbel. This One actually surprised me. I heard of Babbel before, never actually used it. I was putting it in the box mentally, like Rosetta Stone, which is a language learning app that teaches through immersion. And for some people that one actually works well. But to me, I found that really, really difficult to use because you're looking at pictures and matching them to words and it's just sort of like playing the memory game as a kid, but over and over to try to put a language in your mind. If you can do it, more power to you. But for me, that wasn't enough to get me learning. But Babbel felt more like a grown up version of Duolingo. So it's five minute lessons. They teach vocabulary. You fill in the blanks and sentences and that type of activity. But interspersed in those lessons, it gives you language tips. Things like when to use Bonjour as a more formal greeting versus the more casual salute. It described how to pronounce the e in French. And so more the kind of thing you might expect if you had a one on one tutor that was trying to help you figure out how to pronounce stuff better. It's again not going to get you fluent, but it does have grammar guides and built in podcast episodes that teach full conversations. It was a set of things I felt like that I walked away with a bit of a broader understanding of the language than I did with other apps.

[A]

What if somebody's a visual learner? What app would you recommend for that?

[C]

There's this app called Speak that was my favorite from sort of a visual learner perspective. It is basically language lessons designed as TikTok. So each lesson is a vertical video. You have an instructor, starts out by speaking a bit of the language. They're going to say, bonjour, welcome to the class today. Today we're going to learn something and then they sort of tell you something in that language and you're going to have subtitles come up on the top. And if you're used to watching TV shows nowadays with your subtitles turned on, that's going to feel natural. But it has a few tweaks where if they're silent letters, it will show those faded as sort of a visual cue of, you know how to pronounce the words a bit better. Unlike karaoke style, where they sort of light up as they're pronounced, it's a more of a interactive video version of a lesson. And they're still short, they're still five, six minute lessons that you're going through. It's very conversational it's also good for practicing pronunciation. It's built around sort of repetition. And so every time it's going to make you say the same thing three times. Use AI to grade how well you pronounce the words. And so in five minutes you were able to learn a few things and feel like it's less work. Whereas other apps are more like you're tapping multiple times throughout each lesson, this one you're just sort of like watching a video and talking back to it.

[A]

That definitely sounds like that's my vibe.

[B]

What if you're really habit and reward driven? What if maybe you need the experience to feel gamified, to commit to it?

[C]

Well, here's where the da ling chime might pop into your head. If you've ever tried learning a language on your phone, odds are you've tried Duolingo.

[B]

I sure have.

[C]

Felt like during the pandemic, felt like everyone was doing it. I know a friend kept up a streak for, I don't know, maybe a couple years even of doing. Yeah.

[B]

Now the real question there is that friend fluent?

[A]

Yeah. Like, can they speak a sentence?

[C]

He would say he could order at a restaurant. Still, he didn't feel like he had two years worth of language learning experience, that's for sure.

[B]

Boy, oh boy.

[A]

So what. What is Duolingo good for?

[C]

It is really good at getting you to practice. Right. It makes language learning addictive. It is the app that, as mentioned before, it's going to teach you, this is a cat and this is a horse and this is a pizza and the boy wants a pizza. And it sort of drills those words into your head enough that honestly, months later I can remember more of those individual vocabulary words I learned from Duolingo, albeit I don't feel like they're as practical to use as the stuff I learned in other apps. So I feel like it's a good way to make the things that make your phone addictive. Notifications and, you know, sounds and vibrations and all this stuff and put it to a productive use again, will not make you fluent, but it can help you learn a bit of the language. It really goes all out there. When I didn't take lessons for a couple weeks, I guess the icon turned into a crying owl.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

To try to, like, sort of lure me back.

[B]

It's a bit much.

[A]

I love it. Duolingo is the only language learning app that you tested that's free, Right. You have to watch ads in between the lessons, but you don't have to pay to play.

[C]

This is true. Yes. It's free. It also offers, I'm wanting to say, 37 languages. It might be a bit more than that, which is quite a lot more than many of the other apps. That is, that is a key limitation to have to keep in mind is that the language you're wanting to learn might not be offered in the app you want to use. So you do have to double check that.

[A]

What if you really need a more classroom like setting with a more traditional teaching method?

[C]

This is one that you actually possibly might have heard of before if you ever took lessons on cassette tape. One of the most popular versions of that was this course called pimsleur. And they're still around today.

[B]

Yeah, I've heard of that.

[C]

It's a very serious language learning app and it's basically the same lessons that have been there for decades, redone in an apt form. So they're 30 minute audio lessons. You turn it on, it's like listening to a podcast. There's no interaction. It will ask you to repeat after it, but it's just the guy in the recording saying this. And it doesn't check to see if you actually did it, which means it's not at all interactive. But the good thing is that means you could do it anywhere. You can turn it on in the car as you're driving, you can listen to it on the train, you can go for a run and listen to it. You might not want to repeat after them out loud if you're in a public space, but it is a way to practice while you're doing other things. Whereas for example, Duolingo, to keep going, you're going to have to keep tapping and so you can't do it while otherwise occupied. Pimsleur also is because it's those long form lessons, it does teach a lot more than the other apps do. You're going in more in depth, taking a whole conversation, breaking it down into individual words and sounds. That said, and maybe this is a testament to our brains being fried by phones and social media, 30 minutes really does feel painful to just sit and listen to. So I would recommend it if you're doing something else again, if you're commuting and you're listening while you're commuting, I think it can be a great way to learn and put that time to a more productive use.

[A]

Yeah, my Gen Z brain would crash out, I think, if I had to sit and do nothing but listen to that for 30 minutes.

[B]

So, Matthew, you write in your article that there's no app that really Gets most people to fluency. I don't think that's a surprise. What's the moment when someone should stop relying primarily on an app and start moving into real world practice? Tutors, mentors, immersion conversation. How do you think about that?

[C]

So, at best, most language learning apps offer lessons up to a B2 level on the CEFR, or Common European Framework of Reference for Languages Scale, something I did not know existed before I started testing these apps. So it's basically a standardized grading level to say, okay, you're doing a course that's at this level or this level when you're taking real world language courses. And these apps, some of them offer up to B2. B2 should get you to where you can understand the main ideas of complex text, both on concrete and abstract topics. I think that's even a stretch for where you're going to get to with an app instead. I think the sweet spot is if you can introduce yourself and perhaps order a meal in the new language or ask for directions or something on that level. That's where you should start practicing with real people. And I think restaurants are a great opportunity to do that. If you're not traveling beyond where you live, find a chance to go to a restaurant where there's likely to be staff that speak that language and perhaps ask them first. You're not going to be great at this. And so maybe be like, hey, I'm studying a bit of French, I would like to practice it. Would you mind? And see if they're okay with that. If so, give it a shot. Those kind of interactions are where you would start, I think, feeling a connection to the language and maybe see, is this something I want to take more seriously or am I good here? You might want to start taking real lessons or doing other things that can immerse you in the language.

[A]

That leads to my final selfish question, which is I'm getting on a plane to go to Tokyo next week and I have not started practicing. I need a crash course. Matthew, what would you recommend for somebody to just learn basic interactions to survive ordering a meal, water, saying excuse me without embarrassing themselves?

[C]

I'd say to download speak, which it doesn't offer all that many languages, but it does offer Japanese quick lessons, five minutes video. It's focused on conversational use cases. It's easy to use, lets you practice with AI. I think you might get there.

[A]

Yes, I think I can do that. Matthew, thank you so much for joining us today. I'm excited to try speak and I will report back in two weeks to see how far I got with learning Japanese.

[B]

Thanks, Matthew.

[C]

Thank you.

[B]

As always. We will link to Matthew's article in our show notes. You can check that out on our website. You can check out lots more there as well. That's it for us till next week. Thanks so much for listening. Peace.

[A]

Bye.