Best Apps to Learn Italian: These Will Make You Fluent

Off to Rome? You don’t need to speak italian, but it sure is fun if you can communicate with locals in italian! It’s just so much more satisfying – and a simple “grazie” or “ciao” goes a long way.

Language apps like duolingo have become extremely popular due to their ease of use. For beginners, let’s find out if there is an Italian for dummies app!

In this guide, we sift through many of the online language tools available to find you the best app to learn italian!

We will also let you know if the app or tool is free, or only free for a certain time or language level before becoming paid for.

Let’s go on our language journey!

Best Apps to Learn Italian – Our Winners

We searched high and low through many of the learn italian apps online and finally selected a couple of winners.

The best app to learn Italian for free, and the best paid one. If you don’t have time to read through this guide then just read the next section and you can get on with your day!

What Is The Best Paying App To Learn Italian

Our view is that the best paying app to learn Italian is the Mondly app. Purely from the point of view that Virtual Reality will keep you entertained and engaged for much longer than traditional apps!

What Is The Best Free App To Learn Italian

Still top of many people’s list is Duolingo. For a free app, the quality is great and it will help you formulate basic sentences and build vocabulary as you go.

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Our 3 Top Tips for Using Apps to Learn Italian Quickly

1. Be disciplined – a lot of these apps work by simple memorisation that compounds over time. Do it daily and in little bursts for the best effects.

2. Supplement your learning – apps are great, easy to use and fun. But you won’t get there with an app alone. Watch little youtube videos, visit a restaurant in your town where they speak the language, follow an instagram account… it all adds up.

3. Don’t spend tons of money – some of these apps carry a fee, but the price is much more reasonable than expensive language software or even lessons. If you are on a budget you can learn a language without a lot of expense.

7 Best Free Apps to Learn Italian

Let’s get started with our learn Italian app guide, and the best FREE ones to begin with.

1. Duolingo – Learn Italian for Free!

Duolingo is one of the most famous and easy to use language learning apps.

And it is free!

It features fun little bitesize modules that build on repetition, with speaking, audio and writing exercises. The best part is that it is completely free!

There is a premium option available, but that is only to allow you to remove the annoying ads. If you don’t find that an issue then bash on with the free version.

Duolingo will help you build excellent reading and writing skills, however you will need extra support to build on your speaking skills over time.

Why We Like Duolingo

Because it’s free, and the bitesize chunks mean you can learn key phrases over your morning coffee! It is definitely one of the best free iPhone apps to learn Italian with.

2. Memrise

We include Memrise in the free apps section because, whilst there is a paid for full feature, the free version is pretty extensive.

That said, the app focuses on a sort of flash card system, which greatly assists in learning vocabulary.

It won’t however help you build any extensive conversation skills or enable fluency.

Why We Like Memrise

It is probably one of the best Italian vocabulary apps available. Excellent for topping up your vocabulary, Memrise can expand your word knowledge quickly.

It is a good accompaniment to face to face lessons. But don’t pay for the full version ($3.99 a month if you sign up for the annual membership). It’s not worth it.

3. Tandem

Tandem’s free to use version is already pretty extensive, so we include it on the free app list.

With an easy to use interface and a community of like-minded users, Tandem connects you with native speakers and tutors across the world.

Why We Like Tandem

No need to pay for the full version – the free to use app or online interface is pretty extensive.

It does however always require an internet connection at all times, so may be a bit limited if you are on the road.

4. 50 Languages

A free to use language app that may not have the best looking interface, but is full of extensive features.

The best part is that the high quality content is completely free. You can pay a little to remove adverts, but it’s really not worth it at all.

The trade off is that the app could be enhanced a little to make it more usable.

Why We Like 50 Languages

For the price you pay – nothing – the language learning content is second to none!

If you can structure your learning yourself and don’t mind fiddling around in the content to access what you need that is good enough.

5. Hello Talk

The free version of Hello Talk does contain some limitations – you can only learn one language at a time, and there are a ton of ads.

But, if you are looking to connect to like minded language learners and practice your conversation skills, then this might be the app for you.

Why We Like Hello Talk

This is a great option for those who already have basic conversational skills who want to increase their fluency.

Top it up with another free and more structured app such as Duolinguo for vocabulary, and you may just get there.

6. Italiamo

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Institute of Design have collaborated to offer A1 Italian lessons on an app called Italiamo.

Perfect for giving a little taster, it is also an app that has been specifically designed for those who are also interested in Italian culture and history.

Why We Like Italiamo

We like the effort put into this free app, as well as the fact that it is specifically dedicated to Italian culture.

7. Speechling

A free to use app (up to a certain point) that focuses entirely on pronunciation.

Speechling’s free version gives you 35 free speech “corrections” every month. You get feedback as to what is incorrect with your pronunciation, in the form of voice audio.

Why We Like Speechling

If you have a certain level of proficiency this app can help you perfect your speech as you move into the next level of fluency.

However, it cannot be used without any prior knowledge – so it won’t help you get fluent in a language fast.

6 Best Paying Apps to Learn Italian

1. Mondly

Mondly is developed by a young and vibrant team in Romania, and the interfaces are really good.

There is a standard app, one for kids and even a VR app! The aim is to “gamify” the language learning experience with fun little modules.

Whilst Mondly does have a free section, it is very limited. It’s more like a taster. To get the full experience you will need to pay.

It is cheap though – about $10 a month, or just under $50 per year, which is pretty good value. It’s probably the best iPad app for learning italian.

Why We Like Mondly

The interface, graphics and usability of the Mondly app are first class. But the real selling point is the VR app, which is a total game changer.

You have to pay a one off $5 to get it, but it is in our opinion worth it if you have an Oculus Headset. Even if you don’t you can still use the AR version which will drop a teacher into your room!

2. Babbel

Babbel does offer its first course for free – which can be up to 80 bite sized lessons, but to get the full experience you need a subscription.

That’s because the courses are made by language experts, and Babbel has opted to keep their learning material ad free. The best value is the annual subscription, which works out at just over $6 per month.

Why We Like Babbel

Whilst some apps are purely interactive modules, Babbel offers a range of top ups that can really help you go further in your language learning. These include podcasts and videos.

3. Pimsleur

If you are looking to get basic to intermediate conversation skills with less emphasis on writing for your trip to Italy, then Pimsleur may be the one for you.

Native speaking and conversation exercises will get you quickly to the point of being able to conduct day to day activities in italian! It costs around $15 a month.

Why We Like Pimsleur

For those of you who are busy all the time, Pimsleur is a lifesaver. You can download the lessons and simply put them on in the car.

Perfect if you have a morning commute to work. You can also use offline downloads so you don’t need to worry about data usage if you take your Pimsleur Italian app on the road.

4. Italki

Italki is an app that connects you with face to face teaching, at time slots of your choosing. Working with other language learners across the globe.

It is not free – and you pay by the lesson – starting from $10 per slot, but depends entirely on the teacher’s settings.

Why We Like Italki

Italki is perfect for those who need the interaction with a tutor and other language learners, but who cannot commit to a firm time slot week by week.

This is perhaps the best app to learn conversational italian with.

5. Busuu

Busuu seems to get a lot of bad reviews online due to their automatic renewal of the subscription – despite users claiming they canceled or didn’t sign up.

A subscription that can cost upward of $70. However, the content on the paid for version is quite good, and is structured into mini lessons. The free version is however pretty useless.

Why We Like Busuu

The interface for Busuu is really good, and if you want to pay for a subscription the content is grammatically useful, and teaches good levels of vocabulary.

6. MosaLingua

A paid for app that includes a huge range of resources, including audio and texts. There is a wide range of reading texts, audio exercises and more that can complement your learning beautifully.

Music and audio books are also included, so you don’t need to look for these resources yourself manually. Subscriptions start from around $8 per month.

Why We Like MosaLingua

If you like learning at your own pace and are disciplined about your approach, then MosaLingua has everything you need to reach fluency.

What Is The Best Free App To Learn Italian While Driving

Pimsleur is one of the best apps when driving in Rome or any other Italian city – there is a specific “drive” version of the app which can be downloaded in advance and used on the road.

What Is The Best App To Learn Italian For Travel

We would also select Pimsleur as the app that will get you to basic conversational Italian for holidays quickly.

Best App To Learn Italian No Internet

Again – it’s Pimsleur – their downloadable and offline exercises mean you can take the language experience on the road at any time.

What Is The Best Android App To Learn Italian

The Duolingo interface works well on Android – it is easy to use and looks well on any handheld device.

What Is The Best Iphone App To Learn Italian

Our favorite is definitely Mondly!

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most asked questions we receive about learning Italian online.

Conclusion

If your motivation to learn Italian has been caused by an upcoming trip to Rome, then make sure your itinerary is just as well prepared as your vocabulary! Check out some of the best things to do in Rome in some of our other handy guides.