7 Duolingo Alternatives When You Want to Speak More

Which Duolingo alternative fits your goal?

Should you replace Duolingo or add speaking practice?

Keep a course that helps you learn useful material. Change what happens afterward: close the lesson and use those words to explain something, ask a question or tell a story. A streak records consistency; your next conversation shows what you can retrieve without answer choices.

Duolingo has free courses and AI conversation features. Check what your course and account include before paying for another subscription. The reason to choose Fluently is a routine built around speaking, getting a useful correction and trying again—not a claim that Duolingo never lets you speak.

• You lack words or sentence patterns: keep a structured course and add short conversations.
• You know the material but hesitate: give more of your study time to original spoken answers.
• You need exam marking or specialist coaching: choose a suitably qualified teacher and use an app between lessons.

1. Fluently: make speaking the daily habit

Fluently is our first recommendation when your goal is to use the language you already know. Talk to an AI tutor about your day, rehearse a situation or explain an opinion. You choose what to say and respond to the conversation. Grammar and phrasing cards help you improve an answer while the context is still fresh.

That gives your practice a concrete loop: say something, notice a correction, then use it in a new sentence. For a more advanced session, defend a decision, compare two options or explain a problem at work. Speaking practice should stretch the ideas you can express, as well as the words you recognize.

For focused sound work, Fluently has separate pronunciation exercises in English, Spanish, French and Hebrew: hear a reference, record a word and inspect feedback on individual sounds. These exercises are distinct from grammar and phrasing cards in conversations. Do not assume every language has pronunciation training or that every sound is scored during a call.

Before you start: select the language you want to learn and your language for translations. Installation and the initial level check are free; tutor conversations require a subscription. Any trial appears in the offer before payment. Fluently can cover regular speaking practice without booking a lesson; use a human specialist when you need their judgment or a particular qualification.

Make your next habit a speaking habit

Bring one real topic to Fluently. Say what you mean, work with a correction and use it in your next answer.

Download on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle Play

2. Babbel: choose it for explanations and a course

Babbel combines lessons with grammar explanations, recorded speech and review. Start with a sample lesson. Ask whether the explanation resolves something you struggle to use, then make a sentence about your own life. Full course access is paid.

Babbel Speak adds AI scenarios in selected mobile language combinations. Check the exact pairing: its documented availability currently requires an English display language and does not list learning English. A translated website does not prove that a course or AI feature works in your preferred language.

3. Busuu: combine a course with community corrections

Busuu offers structured lessons and spoken or written exercises for community feedback. It suits a learner who wants a lesson sequence and input from other people. When reviewing a correction, write or say another example before moving on.

Its plan comparison includes the core course and community in free access. Premium Plus adds AI tools with language, level and device restrictions. Community feedback and an on-demand voice conversation serve different needs; verify the speaking activity you will use before upgrading.

4. Pimsleur: answer aloud in an audio routine

The Pimsleur method asks you to recall and say an answer before hearing the model. Pick it if you want a clear audio task. Listening silently misses the part you came for: make room to answer aloud.

Try the free sample lesson and check its instruction language. Paid options differ; additional tools such as Voice Coach vary by course. The core audio exchange follows a prepared lesson. Add a conversation where you choose the topic and handle a question you did not expect.

5. Memrise: hear useful phrases from native speakers

Memrise uses short native-speaker videos to put phrases in a voice and context. Use a clip when a word looks familiar but sounds different in speech. Listen, repeat the phrase, then change one detail to make it yours.

Memrise also documents speaking and pronunciation activities with language and content restrictions. Check the free and Pro limits in your account. If you mostly watch clips, deliberately schedule time to answer questions without a model sentence.

6. HelloTalk: find a person to exchange languages with

HelloTalk connects language partners through text, voice and video. Choose it for a real social exchange. Agree on a topic, divide the time between your languages and ask your partner to flag one recurring mistake.

There is free access and optional VIP. You still need a willing partner and a time that suits both of you. A friendly native speaker is not automatically a trained teacher. Use Fluently for daily practice when coordinating a conversation becomes the reason you skip it.

7. Preply: choose a teacher for your specific goal

Preply offers one-to-one online tutoring. Look for relevant teaching experience, a shared language if you need explanations, and times you can attend. Bring a sample task to the first lesson: an interview answer, an exam prompt or a presentation introduction.

The trial lesson is paid. Continuing lessons use a subscription tied to one tutor, renewing every 28 days. Check the total charge and scheduling rules. This is a stronger fit for specialist guidance than choosing another app solely because its lessons feel different.

Check three things before paying for an alternative

1. Your exact language combination. The language you study and the language of explanations are separate. Babbel’s display-language list, for example, does not include Japanese or Korean.
2. The activity in your plan. A microphone icon can mean repeating a sentence, recording a submission or holding a responsive conversation. Try the one you want.
3. The actual payment. Compare the upfront amount, renewal period and cancellation terms. A monthly equivalent can still mean paying a year in advance.

Try this speaking routine before switching again

Use one week to see whether the new activity fits your life. This is a practical self-check, not a promise of fluency in seven days.

1. Choose one real task: describe yesterday, explain a plan or ask for help. Try it aloud before studying a script.
2. Learn only what blocks you: look up a phrase or take a relevant course lesson, then return to the task.
3. Have a conversation: in Fluently, answer follow-up questions and ask one of your own. Keep the focus on expressing your meaning.
4. Reuse one correction: put it in a new sentence. For a difficult sound in a supported language, add a dedicated pronunciation exercise.
5. Repeat with different details: at the end of the week, check whether you need fewer prompts and can keep the exchange going. Keep the routine you will actually repeat.

Choosing for a particular language? See our guides to Spanish learning apps and Japanese learning apps for language-specific tradeoffs.

You have words to work with. Start using them.

Practice a real conversation in Fluently. Build the habit of saying more, using feedback and coming back with something new to talk about.

Download on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle Play