Language apps promise a lot: a few minutes a day, a streak to protect, and a new language by the end of the year. Some of that is realistic and some is not. This guide sets out what the research says apps can do, where they fall short, and how to pick one that fits the way you actually want to use a language, including when a free option or a human tutor is the better choice.

Start with a realistic goal

The most useful benchmark comes from the US Foreign Service Institute, which trains American diplomats. Its published timelines show the time usually needed to reach "General Professional Proficiency" in speaking and reading. For languages closely related to English, such as Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese, it estimates 24 to 30 weeks, or 600 to 750 class hours. German is around 36 weeks (900 hours). A long list of "hard languages", including Russian, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Polish and Turkish, takes about 44 weeks (1,100 hours), and the "super-hard" group, Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese and Korean, about 88 weeks (2,200 class hours).

Those figures are for full-time classroom study with professional teachers and motivated adult learners, and FSI says actual time varies with natural ability, prior language experience and time in class. Set against ten or fifteen minutes a day in an app, they make one thing clear: an app alone will not make you professionally fluent quickly. It can, however, get you a long way through the early stages.

The Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) offers a second way to frame a goal. Its six levels run from A1 and A2 (basic user) through B1 and B2 (independent user) to C1 and C2 (proficient user). A1 describes someone who can use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases and introduce themselves; A2 someone who can handle simple, routine exchanges on familiar topics. If you are learning for a holiday, A2 is a sensible target. If you want to work in the language, you are aiming much higher, and an app will be one tool among several.

What the research says apps can do

Independent research on commercial apps is still thinner than the marketing suggests, but the studies that exist point in a consistent direction.

  • Time on task predicts progress. A Michigan State University study of Babbel had learners study Spanish for 12 weeks. Learners improved on vocabulary and grammar tests, and 59% of those who finished improved their oral proficiency by at least one sublevel; among those who studied for 15 hours or more, the figure was 75%. The researchers found the number of hours spent in the app predicted gains on all tests.
  • Persistence is the hard part. In the same Babbel study, 36% of the initial participants dropped out. A separate semester-long case study of nine people learning Turkish on Duolingo, published in the journal ReCALL, found measurable gains and a positive, moderate correlation between time spent and learning, but participants also reported variable motivation and frustration with some of the materials.
  • Apps can match a classroom at the very start. A recent study in Studies in Second Language Acquisition compared beginner French learners using Duolingo only, classroom instruction only, or both. All three groups improved significantly on nearly all measures, with similar magnitudes of improvement. The combined group did better on one area: knowing when to use the informal "tu" or formal "vous".

Two cautions. These are studies of particular apps, at the beginner stage, over weeks or months; they do not show that any app gets you to advanced fluency. And app makers sometimes commission their own research, so check who funded a study before you rely on a headline claim.

What apps usually cannot do on their own

  • Real conversation. Most apps give you limited opportunities to speak and almost none to be interrupted, misunderstood or asked a follow-up question. That is the skill you need most when you travel or work in a language.
  • Feedback on your mistakes. An app can mark an answer wrong. It rarely tells you why your sentence sounded odd to a native speaker, or which errors matter.
  • Keep you going. The research above is clear that dropout is the main threat, and streaks and reminders only go so far. A plan you can sustain beats an intensive one you abandon.

The main types of product

Structured course apps

These take you through lessons in a set order, mixing vocabulary, grammar and short dialogues. They suit people who want a curriculum to follow and short daily sessions. Look for whether the course is mapped to CEFR levels, how far up it goes for your language, and whether there is any speaking practice beyond repeating words.

Audio-first courses

Some courses are built around listening and speaking rather than reading and tapping. Pimsleur, for example, describes its lessons as 30 minutes of listening and speaking, using spaced repetition to move new words into long-term memory. Audio courses fit commuting and dog walks well, and they train your ear and pronunciation, but you will usually need something else for reading and writing.

Live tutoring marketplaces

Platforms such as Preply connect you with individual tutors for one-to-one online lessons. Preply says tutors set their own prices, trial lessons are 25 or 50 minutes, and if a trial does not suit you, you can switch tutor or ask for a refund. After the trial, lessons are sold as a subscription billed every 28 days. A tutor gives you the conversation and feedback that apps lack, at a higher cost per hour.

Conversation and AI practice tools

A newer group of apps offers spoken or text conversation with an AI partner. They can give you more speaking time than a course app, but they are not a substitute for a qualified teacher's feedback, and their corrections are not always right. Treat them as practice, not instruction.

How to choose: questions worth asking

  1. Does it teach your language well, and how far? Coverage varies a lot. A big catalogue of languages often means thinner courses for the less popular ones. Check how many levels exist for your language.
  2. Which skill do you need most? Listening and speaking for travel, reading and writing for study or work, or all four. Match the product's format to that.
  3. Is there real speaking practice? Repeating a word into the microphone is not the same as answering a question. Look for dialogues, speaking exercises and, ideally, a route to live conversation.
  4. Will you actually use it? Pick the format you enjoy enough to come back to. Time spent is the strongest predictor of progress in the studies above.
  5. How is it billed and how do you cancel? Most paid apps are subscriptions that renew automatically. Note the renewal date and the cancellation route before you pay, and check whether a free trial turns into an annual charge.

When free is enough

For the first few weeks, while you find out whether you will stick with it, a free tier or free trial is enough for most people. Pay when you have a habit, when you hit the limits of the free version, or when you need something the free tools do not offer, such as live speaking practice.

A practical plan that combines tools

The study comparing Duolingo, classroom teaching and both together found that the combination added something neither gave alone. The same principle works outside a university:

  • Use a structured app or audio course daily for vocabulary, grammar and listening.
  • Add regular conversation, whether with a tutor, a class, an exchange partner or friends, once you can manage simple sentences.
  • Read and listen to real material, such as podcasts, news for learners and children's books, as soon as you can follow some of it.
  • Check your level against the CEFR descriptions every few months, so you can see progress and adjust the plan.

The bottom line

Language apps are good at what the evidence says they are good at: building vocabulary and grammar, keeping a daily habit, and getting beginners off the ground. Choose one by your language, your goal and the format you will keep using, start free, and plan from the beginning to add real conversation. If you need a language for a job, an exam or a move abroad, talk to a qualified teacher about a plan that fits the level you need.