Apps for Learning English: What's Free and What's Paid
Learning English via mobile phone has become much more accessible. There are apps with short lessons, listening exercises and conversation practice that fit into 15 or 20 minutes a day. They don't replace a course with a teacher, but they effectively cover vocabulary, repetition, and daily contact with the language—which is usually what's lacking for those who study alone.
This page only lists apps that are available in official Brazilian app stores, indicating... what each one offers for free and what requires a subscription.. It's important to know this before you start: almost all of them use the "part free, part paid" model, and the free version usually has limits on the number of lessons per day or ads between activities.
6 apps for learning English available in Brazil
1. Duolingo
Published in both stores as ""Duolingo: English and much more!"" (Google Play) and "Duolingo – Learn Languages" (App Store). It is the most popular app of its kind, with a gamified learning path, short lessons, and automatic correction.
The free version is quite comprehensive and supported by advertisements; The paid plan removes ads and unlocks extra features. Good for beginners and for maintaining consistency, but weak on in-depth grammatical explanations.
2. Babbel
On Google Play it appears as ""Babbel: Learn English and more""; On the App Store, it's listed as "Babbel – Learn English and More." The approach is closer to a structured course, with everyday dialogues and more detailed grammatical explanations than Duolingo.
Pay attention to the model: the app is It's free to install and offers the first few lessons at no cost, but the full course requires a subscription.. The store page does not display advertisements, but rather in-app purchases.
3. Busuu
Listed as ""Busuu: Learn languages"" "Busuu: Learn Languages" is available on Google Play and on the App Store. It combines structured lessons with a unique feature: writing and speaking exercises that can be... corrected by other users who speak English natively.
There's a free tier with ads and paid plans that unlock the full course, level tests, and certificates. Community grading is voluntary, so response times vary.
4. Memrise
It appears as ""Memrise: Languages for Life"" "Memrise: Speak a New Language" is available on Google Play and on the App Store. The focus is on vocabulary through spaced repetition, with many... short videos of real native speakers pronouncing everyday phrases.
It's useful precisely for training your ear to hear real spoken English, with accents and natural speed. Free with ads and an optional subscription.
5. HelloTalk
Published as ""HelloTalk learn languages"" "HelloTalk - Learn English" is available on Google Play and on the App Store. It's not a course: it's a... language exchange network, where you can chat via text and audio with people who speak English and want to learn Portuguese.
It's useful for practicing real conversation, but it's important to align expectations: your interlocutors are volunteer students, not teachers. Free with ads and in-app purchases.
6. Tandem
On Google Play, ""Tandem: language exchange""; On the App Store, it's called "Tandem: Practice Languages." The concept is the same as HelloTalk—interaction between students of different languages—with a slightly stricter profile moderation process upon entry.
There is also the option to hire paid lessons with teachers within the platform, which is a separate service. Free with ads and in-app purchases.
Advantages of applications
Extensive library of lessons and exercises.
You'll find lessons, audio, videos, and tests organized by level. However, the amount unlocked per day is usually limited in the free version.
Trail adapted to your level.
Most administer an initial test and adjust the difficulty based on your successes and failures, preventing you from repeating what you've already mastered.
Practice in conversation with other people.
HelloTalk and Tandem connect you with English speakers willing to exchange messages. It's real language practice, not private lessons with a teacher.
Gamification that helps with consistency.
Daily sequences, points, and challenges exist to reduce dropout rates — the biggest enemy of those who study languages alone.
Lower cost than an in-person course.
There's plenty of free content, and even subscriptions usually cost much less than a language school. Compare plans before subscribing.
Monitoring progress
Reports and tests show your progress in vocabulary and comprehension, which helps identify where you are struggling.
Stimulation through video, audio, reading and writing.
Working on all four skills within the same app makes learning more consistent than simply memorizing lists of words.
Frequent updates
The leading apps regularly receive new courses and features, including pronunciation correction tools.
What apps don't do
They don't guarantee fluency. No app delivers fluency on its own. They build vocabulary and comprehension; speaking fluently requires frequent conversation, both inside and outside the app.
They are not equivalent to a course with a teacher. There's a lack of constant human correction, tailored explanations, and accountability. For those who are disciplined, they work well as a foundation; for those who need deadlines (for example, for an exam), the ideal is to combine the app with classes.
They don't give everything away for free. ""Free" almost always means a limited version, with ads or a limit on the number of lessons per day.
They don't prepare for proficiency tests on their own. Some have modules focused on TOEFL and IELTS, but official practice tests and essay correction are separate services.
How to choose the right app
To start from scratch
Duolingo or Babbel. The first is more free and lightweight; the second is more structured and more subscription-based.
To expand vocabulary and train the ear.
Memrise, using videos of real speakers, combined with Busuu for written exercises.
To unlock speech
HelloTalk or Tandem, accepting that the exchange is between students. Coordinate schedules and be clear about what you want to practice.
Before signing up for any plan
Use the free trial for at least two weeks. If you couldn't maintain consistency during the free period, the paid plan is unlikely to solve that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Duolingo and Babbel are the most recommended for beginners. Duolingo offers more free content; Babbel has more complete grammar explanations, but requires a subscription for the entire course.
Not entirely. It covers vocabulary, listening, and repetition well, but it doesn't offer constant human correction or structured conversation practice. For those who study with discipline, it serves as a solid foundation.
Yes, you can make significant progress, especially on Duolingo and Memrise. The free version usually has ads and a daily lesson limit, which slows down the pace.
Between 15 and 30 minutes daily already produces noticeable progress over a few months. Regularity matters more than the duration of each session.
Many use voice recognition to compare your speech with a reference audio. It's a useful aid, but less precise than a teacher's correction, especially with sounds that don't exist in Portuguese.
No. Courses for Portuguese speakers start from the basics, with instructions in Portuguese, images, and audio.
HelloTalk and Tandem connect you with people who speak English. Remember that these are students exchanging languages, not hired teachers.
Some apps allow you to download lessons for offline study, but this is usually part of paid plans. Check the app's description in the app store before relying on this feature.
They help with vocabulary and comprehension, and some have modules geared towards TOEFL and IELTS. However, full practice tests and essay correction usually require specific preparation.
Yes, and it's usually a good strategy: one for structured learning, another for vocabulary, and a third for conversation. The risk is getting distracted—start with two at most.
Suggestions for corrections or new applications for the list: [email protected].
