In the present era, the world is turning into a global village. Thus, it is an advantage to go beyond excelling in your vernacular language and learn a whole new set of languages. Rapid digitisation has made the task even simpler. Now one can learn the widely spoken languages of the European Union and the dialect of the scientific- Deutsch with the help of a few clicks. The internet offers a plethora of apps to learn German. Here we enlist the 15 best free apps to learn German in 2022.
But before that, some words for Curiotory. Curiotory is a unique online language learning platform that aims to help kids and young adults customise their courses and learn better. The native teachers come together from various pockets of the world to develop a multicultural society and create diverse career-building opportunities. The learners experience life-changing events during their journey with Curiotory.
15 Best Apps to Learn German in 2022
Planning to move to Deutschland but don’t know where to look for an elementary introduction to the German language? Well, your smartphone is potent enough to take care of this crisis. The following are some of the handpicked applications useful for learning a foreign tongue:
1. Babbel: Learn German at your own pace with Babbel, the e-learning app which lets the users learn up to 14 different languages, including Dutch, Danish, Italian, French, Portuguese, etc. The users can run a trial before subscribing to a course in Babbel, followed by a quick and easy signup process.
Pros:
- Users can choose their preferred difficulty level during the learning process, depending on their expertise.
- Helps in picking up casual phrases and conversation techniques in the new language.
- Babbel is user-friendly, and its easy navigation enables its users to switch between languages within seconds.
Cons:
- Holding a premium account on Babble might be a bit expensive.
- Limited lessons for each language course.
The quality of the opted language course varies according to its demand and popularity.
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2. uTalk: More than a hundred language learning programs are available over uTalk, supervised by native and bilingual teachers. You could learn German, enhance your vocabulary and perfect your pronunciation with the unique ‘record’ and ‘playback’ features of uTalk.
Pros:
- The game-based learning method of the app results in easy and fast learning.
- Daily phrases and words will expand your German vocabulary and word usage.
- The in-built daily assessment tools are effective and take very limited time to complete and scale up your progress.
Cons:
- One of the major shortcomings is the limited lessons on German grammar.
- The exercises and educational games may become slightly dull after a while.
Practical phrases are not included in the course.
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3. Pimsleur: German learning is made easy with Pimsleur and their daily interactive sessions. Composed of over 150 lessons for each of the 51 languages available in the program, Pimsleur is one of the best choices for elementary-level learning of a new language.
Pros:
- The application includes ESL courses.
- Specialises in enhancing spoken and comprehension skills of the users.
- A fairly responsive application that addresses your queries and issues.
Cons:
- Not all 51 language courses have the same course structure; for instance, the number of classes seems to vary from one to another.
- The app does not have any means to assess the learner’s writing skills developed during the course.
- The audio-learning program of the application is not that effective.
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4. Lingoda: Start learning German online with a 1:1 interactive video session on Lingoda. A fascinating aspect of the course is that the classes are conducted by experienced faculties and are composed of real-life topics and languages.
Pros:
- The users can opt for a 7-day free trial before subscribing to any course in Lingoda.
- On completion of the opted course, Lingoda offers universally recognized certificates.
- The recent app upgrade has brought in several new features for its users.
Cons:
- The course on Lingoda is a bit costlier than regular classroom programs.
- The app does not always function properly on smartphones, even though it operates perfectly on PC and tablets.
There can be a problem with a refund for missed classes and exercises.
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5. Preply: If you want to learn German, you need one to one classes. Preply offers just that. Users get to customise their courses with a favourable amount and frequency of classes, as per their convenience.
Pros:
- Trial lessons and easy tutoring facilities are the key features of Preply.
- The app claims to accommodate its services with the students’ preferred time for learning.
- Helps its users to find suitable teachers for learning German or other languages.
Cons:
- The availability of teachers depends on the popularity of the course.
- The 7-days free trial does not allow users to browse and explore the application’s various features.
The application does not permit rescheduling of classes.
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6. Yabla: Yabla is one of the best apps to learn German simply and holistically through watching videos and playing word games.
Pros:
- Educational games on the app, such as fill-in-the-blanks and match-the-following, are great for enhancing memory.
- Multiple learning videos are uploaded on the app every week.
- Helps in developing conversational skills in German.
Cros:
- Regular test assessments are not included in the language programs.
- A very narrow range of personalised courses is available.
- Works best as a supplementary app. You have to depend on other apps to fulfil your primary German learning goals.
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7. Lingoni: This German language learning app strengthens your grip on the German language by facilitating interactive classes with native faculty members. Enhances your reading, writing, spoken, and listening skills with the audio-visual learning platform of Lingoni.
Pros:
- Offline worksheets and podcast lessons are available for versatile learning.
- Users can learn at their own pace with Lingoni.
- The language courses comprise three levels, ranging from beginners to advanced, and a certificate of completion is offered after each level.
Cons:
- The advanced level language courses are a bit pricey.
- The website may tend to lag while a video lesson is played.
Sometimes the assignment tabs do not open.

8. Memrise: One of the best free apps to learn German, Memrise, is available online and created by Ed Cooke. Social interaction in the opted language, competing over educational games with online mates, and peer-learning programs enrich the overall learning experience.
Pros:
- Users can opt for 22 different language learning programs available on Memrise.
- A great application for learning new words and practical phrases.
- Native German language faculties teach practical phrases to use while conversing in daily life.
Cons:
- No tangible assessment methods are used to evaluate improvement.
- The interface of the app has been reviewed poorly by the users.
- Peer-rating techniques cannot always be considered adequate for learning a new language.
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9. DeutschAkademie: Comes in the list of the best free apps to learn German, DeutschAkademie includes A1 to C2 level-courses. 800+ hours of online interactive sessions are held for each level, along with 22,000 grammar and vocabulary exercises. DeutschAkademie is perfect if you’re looking for quick exposure to the Central European language and culture.
Pros:
- The language courses are primarily based on the European Framework of References for Languages.
- A huge collection of practice sets is available for the German language course as well as other languages.
- Extensive interactive sessions help in developing conversational skills in German.
Cons:
- Rigorous practice can be carried out with the DeutschAkademie course, though it is not fit to be a teaching tool solely.
- The interactive sessions are predominantly formal.
- Only available for iOS devices.
10. Duolingo: The app offers personalized learning modules for the German language along with many other foreign languages, such as French, Japanese, Arabic, and Czech. The platform provides an ad-free and fast learning experience.
Pros:
- Engaging exercises and educational games enhance language learning and memory retention.
- The audio-visual method of learning proves to be exceptionally useful.
- Users can learn on the go and during their best-suited hours without worrying about missing out on their course.
Cons:
- Though it provides an elementary understanding, Duolingo will not help in learning practical phrases for daily communication.
- The delivery of instructions is too fast for beginners to follow.
- No scope for doubt-clearing is present on the app.
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11. Anki: Another personalised learning application available widely both on Android as well as iOS platforms. The learners can immerse themselves in an engaging learning process using flashcards and video games.
Pros:
- A large number of practice sets are available on the app.
- Learners can boost their vocabulary with Anki.
- The application is highly responsive and provides assistance within a short time.
Cons:
- Users need to have a basic understanding of German before commencing with the course on the app.
- The application interface is not very user-friendly.
- It is sometimes difficult to navigate through the app and use all the features.
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12. WordPic: The best free app to learn German pronunciation and expand vocabulary, WordPic carefully picks out images from Instagram to make the learning process fun and interesting. It’s one of the most simple and user-centric apps.
Pros:
- A great application to increase vocabulary.
- Helps to practice pronunciation in German or other chosen languages.
- The picture association technique is highly effective for the acquisition of new words.
Cons:
- Grammatical practice and practical phrases are hugely neglected in this app.
- Wholesome learning experience is missing..
- German grammar and conversational rules are not included.

13. Rosetta Stone: An intuitive app that is easily accessible from the internet encourages immersive learning of German along with several other languages. The platform was initiated in 1992 and continues to be one of the best apps still, for learning German in 2022.
Pros:
- The software makes use of pictorial representation, videos, and audio files to teach German.
- The listening exercises in the application are highly effective in consolidating the new lessons.
- Rosetta Stone does not directly translate English words to Deutsch but makes its learners think and speak in the German language.
Cons:
- Teaching grammar is clearly not projected as a priority on the app, which proves to be detrimental in the long run.
- The users need to start all over again if they lose internet connectivity in between their lessons.
It might be a little difficult to get accustomed to the user interface initially.
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14. Busuu: Widely accessible on Android and iOS devices, Busuu is one of the best free apps to learn German. You don’t need to attend long hours of lessons. Learners can purchase the premium version of the application once they are through with the elementary level.
Pros:
- Enhances one’s vocabulary along with reading, writing, and speaking skills.
- Lesson review is a feature in Busuu, which helps check the progress made through the learning process.
- The application has a feature of correcting mistakes that helps learners pay attention to the errors committed.
Cons:
- Very limited features are available in the free version of the app.
- Grammar explanations and suggestions are not that satisfactory.
- Logging in often becomes troublesome for the users.
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15. Drops: Want to learn German but hesitate to spend time on boring lessons? Download the game-changing app that uses German words to boost the user’s vocabulary in an entertaining way.
Pros:
- In this gamified learning app, players need to spend just 5 minutes on the game app to learn German in a fun and effective way.
- ‘Drops’ enhances memory and retention of German vocabulary.
- The free version of the app is quite beneficial for beginners.
Cons:
- The premium version of the app is a little pricey.
- The app is not suitable for teaching purposes.
- The simplistic learning method often lacks structure and concreteness.
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The 15 apps listed above are the best ones to learn German most effectively, and majority of them come without any cost. So, all you need to do is just install a couple of apps on your smartphone and LET THE LEARNING BEGIN!