The best apps to learn Italian in 2026

Babbel is the best overall app to learn Italian in 2026: it offers a full Italian course built for English speakers, explains grammar as it comes up and has you speak from the start, with a one-month Italian plan listed at $17.99. Duolingo is the best free option, since its listing says every course, Italian included, is free with ads. Because Italian verbs are where most learners stall, Wlingua is worth adding: it pairs its main course with a separate verb conjugation course and a 23-lesson pronunciation course.

Quick answer

• Best overall: Babbel. A complete Italian course for English speakers with grammar notes and speech recognition.
• Best free option: Duolingo. Free Italian lessons every day, with ads unless you pay for Super Duolingo.
• Best for verb conjugation: Wlingua. A dedicated conjugation course covering regular and irregular verbs in all tenses.
• Best for learning by ear: Pimsleur. Spoken 30-minute lessons, with an Italian-only plan listed at $19.99.
• Best for native speaker videos: Memrise. Short clips of real Italians plus AI role-play, with a limited free plan.
• Best for written feedback: Busuu. A structured course where native speakers can comment on your answers.
• Best for vocabulary: Learn Italian with Flashcards. Spaced-repetition word cards built on lists of the most common Italian words.
• Best for travelers: Learn Italian Phrasebook. Over 2,000 phrases with native audio and a slow mode, all offline.

Comparison table

How to choose an Italian app

Italian is one of the gentler languages for English speakers. Spelling is close to pronunciation, so after a few days you can read most words aloud correctly, and much vocabulary looks familiar. The difficulty shows up elsewhere. Double consonants change meaning (pala is a shovel, palla a ball), and stress is rarely marked in writing. Articles have many forms (il, lo, l', la, i, gli, le) and fuse with prepositions (nel, della, sul). Above all, verbs change for six persons across many tenses, and you must choose between essere and avere in the past. Match the app to the problem:

• If you want one complete course, Babbel gives the most guided path, with explanations in English. Busuu is the closest alternative.
• If you cannot pay yet, start with Duolingo, then add Wlingua's free Basic account for conjugation and grammar practice.
• If verbs are your wall, Wlingua is the only pick here with a full course just for conjugation tables in every tense.
• If you learn best while driving or walking, Pimsleur's audio lessons need no screen. Memrise's native speaker videos are the visual equivalent.
• If you need to grow vocabulary fast, a flashcard app like Learn Italian with Flashcards drills the most frequent words first. Our page on flashcard apps covers general tools like Anki.
• If you fly to Rome soon, a phrasebook with offline audio, such as Learn Italian Phrasebook, will serve you better than a course you will not finish.

Already speak Spanish? Much of what you know carries over; see our picks for learning Spanish and for learning languages in general.

Babbel: Best overall

Babbel's Italian course is designed for English speakers, as the developer says each course is tailored to the learner's native language. For Italian this matters most in grammar: the listing promises explanations "exactly when you need them", so an article like gli or a past tense built with essere is explained the first time it appears rather than in a separate grammar chapter. The screenshots show a speak-aloud exercise ("Listen, then say it out loud") with a microphone button, and an Italian flag among the featured courses. The description also mentions Babbel Speak, an AI conversation partner still marked Beta, review sessions and offline lessons.

You can try one lesson for free; full courses need a subscription. On the US App Store in November 2026, the price list includes "Italian 1 month" at $17.99 and an All Languages 12-month plan at $107.99. The description also mentions 3, 6 and 12-month plans and a lifetime option.

Strengths: structured from zero to intermediate, grammar explained in English, speaking from day one.

Limits: almost no free content; iOS 17 or later; age-rated 13+; purchases, identifiers and usage data may be used for tracking, according to the privacy label.

Duolingo: Best free option

Duolingo's Italian course costs nothing: the listing says "every course is free", and Italian appears near the top of its course list in the screenshots. Lessons are a few minutes long, with picture matching, translation and listening tasks, and the app leans on streaks and leaderboards to keep you coming back. That habit loop is its real value for Italian: daily repetition is how conjugations like vado, vai, va become automatic.

Ads support the free version. Super Duolingo removes ads and adds unlimited energy; the listing offers a 14-day free trial, and on the US App Store in November 2026 Super Duolingo is listed at prices from $9.99 to $119.99.

Strengths: free, last updated on November 2, 2026, easy to fit into a busy day.

Limits: the listing does not mention grammar explanations, so Italian article and verb rules are mostly learned by pattern. Ads in the free version. The privacy label declares eight data types that may be used to track you. Requires iOS 17.

Wlingua: Best for verb conjugation

Wlingua is less famous than the big names but unusually well suited to Italian. The screenshots show three separate courses: the main Italian course, a Pronunciation course (23 lessons, according to the listing) and a Verb Conjugation course that drills regular and irregular verbs in all tenses. Lessons are short and grammar-led; one screenshot shows a lesson on anche versus neanche split into six-minute parts. The developer says new material only uses concepts already explained, and that you can tap any word to see its meaning or use. Readings include conversations, news and emails, and you can earn a diploma at the end of each level.

A Basic account gives the course for free "with some limitations". On the US App Store in November 2026, Premium costs $12.99 for 1 month, $26.99 for 3 months or $84.99 for 12 months, according to the item names.

Strengths: the conjugation and pronunciation courses, clear progression, and a privacy label with no tracking.

Limits: a small user base (202 ratings), five data types linked to your identity, and less speaking practice than Babbel or Pimsleur, judging from the listing.

Pimsleur: Best for learning by ear

Pimsleur teaches Italian through 30-minute audio lessons: you listen to a conversation, repeat, and are asked to recall phrases at growing intervals. Because it is audio first, it trains the things Italian spelling does not show, such as where the stress falls and how long a double consonant is held. The listing says lessons work offline and in a hands-free mode, and the screenshots also show reading lessons, flash cards and a Quick Match quiz.

There is a free first lesson. Italian is one of only three languages with its own plan in the price list: on the US App Store in November 2026, "Italian Premium Subscription" is listed at $19.99, and All Access plans covering every language cost $20.99 or $131.99 to $164.99 for a year.

Strengths: strong on listening and pronunciation, usable while driving, an Italian-only plan.

Limits: the developer says it skips "the burden of grammar tables", so verb tenses are learned by imitation. The AI conversation coach is described for Spanish and Japanese, not Italian. Five data types may be used for tracking.

Memrise: Best for native speaker videos

Memrise's own courses include Italian, and the listing says lessons are "built around real native-speaker videos", and the screenshots split each session into three parts: learn words and phrases, watch native speaker video, and practice with an AI conversation. For Italian, short clips of real people help with the speed and intonation that course audio often smooths out. The description also mentions hundreds of real-life scenarios and AI Buddies for role-play.

The free plan has limited lessons, videos and conversations, and shows ads. Memrise Pro unlocks everything; on the US App Store in November 2026 the price list includes a Monthly plan at $24.99, an Annual plan at $61.99 and a Lifetime plan at $329.99, with discounted lifetime offers at $98.99 and $131.99.

Strengths: authentic spoken Italian, conversation practice, a lifetime option.

Limits: the monthly price is the highest of the course apps here; the listing does not describe grammar teaching; identifiers may be used for tracking.

Busuu: Best for written feedback

Busuu offers a complete Italian course in short lessons, with video flashcards featuring real people, as the screenshots show. What sets it apart is the community: the listing says native speakers give feedback and tips on your exercises, and you can help learners of English in return. In Italian, a native reader quickly spots the mistakes apps let slide, such as a wrong article before a word starting with s plus a consonant, or avere where essere belongs. The description also mentions a study plan with reminders, a Smart Review section and official certificates.

According to the listing, "a lot of the features are free", but full access needs a subscription. On the US App Store in November 2026 prices run from a $6.99 monthly subscription to $139.99 for 12 months of Premium Plus.

Strengths: human corrections, clear levels, regular review.

Limits: iOS 18 required; age-rated 13+; identifiers and usage data may be used for tracking; many overlapping plan prices.

Learn Italian with Flashcards: Best for vocabulary

This app, whose developer website is reword.app, does one job: teach Italian words with spaced repetition. Its categories include NVdB-based lists of the top 2,000 and 5,000 Italian words, plus topics such as animals, body and city, and you can add your own words. The screenshots show each card with a photo, the phonetic spelling (useful, since Italian rarely marks stress in writing) and an example sentence, with buttons to mark a word as known or start learning it. The listing says it works offline and tracks your statistics over weeks and months.

The free version has a daily limit. The description lists a 1-month plan at $2.99, 3 months at $6.49 and a year at $15.99; the price list shows "Full version" items from $1.49 to $16.49 on the US App Store in November 2026.

Strengths: frequency-based word lists, pronunciation guide on every card, low price.

Limits: vocabulary only, no grammar or conversation; age-rated 13+; location, identifiers and usage data may be used for tracking.

Learn Italian Phrasebook: Best for travelers

Learn Italian Phrasebook from Webron Software is for people who need to order dinner and ask for directions, not conjugate the subjunctive. The listing promises more than 2,000 phrases across situations from dining to emergencies, each with native speaker audio and a slow playback mode. The screenshots show topic tiles (greetings, general conversation, numbers, time and date) and a phrase list where you tap "Good evening" to see and hear Buona sera. Search and favorites let you build a list for your trip, and everything works offline.

More than 300 phrases are free. On the US App Store in November 2026 the price list includes a one-time "Learn Italian Upgrade" at $29.99, plus weekly and monthly options at $4.99 and a yearly subscription at $29.99.

Strengths: fast to use on the street, offline, and a privacy label that says no data is collected.

Limits: not a course, so you will not build sentences of your own. The description says "no ads", but the App Store age rating lists advertising, so expect the free version may show some.

What we left out

• Italian by Nemo: a good offline phrase trainer with no data collected, but last updated in September 2024, and the phrasebook above covers travel needs with a newer update.
• Learn Italian Molto Bene, Drops and In 24 Hours Learn Italian: last updated in 2022, 2020 and 2019 respectively.
• Generic beginner clones: several "Learn Italian for Beginners" apps list similar topic menus, and one is a children's game with ads; none shows a distinct method.

Frequently asked questions

Is Italian easy to learn with an app?

Italian is easier than most languages for English speakers: the US Foreign Service Institute puts it in its easiest group, and its spelling is close to how words sound. The hard parts are verb conjugation and articles, so choose an app that drills them, such as Wlingua or Babbel, rather than vocabulary alone.

What is the best free app to learn Italian?

Duolingo, because its listing says every course is free; you see ads unless you subscribe. Wlingua's free Basic account adds grammar and conjugation practice with some limitations, and Learn Italian Phrasebook gives more than 300 travel phrases for free.

Is Pimsleur worth it for Italian?

It is worth it if you learn by listening and have 30 minutes a day, for example on a commute. Italian has its own plan at $19.99 on the US App Store. It is a weaker choice if you want grammar explained, since Pimsleur avoids grammar tables by design.

Which app teaches Italian verb conjugation best?

Wlingua has a separate Verb Conjugation course covering regular and irregular verbs in all tenses, according to its listing. Babbel and Busuu teach verbs inside their main courses, with explanations and review.

Should I choose Babbel or Duolingo for Italian?

Choose Babbel if you want a guided course with explanations in English and can pay a subscription; its one-month Italian plan is $17.99. Choose Duolingo if you want to start for free and mainly need a daily habit. Many learners start on Duolingo and switch once grammar questions pile up.