If you’ve been anywhere near the internet lately, you’ll have noticed that suddenly everything is “AI-powered”. Language learning is no exception, and there are now dozens of apps promising to turn you into a fluent English speaker using the magic of artificial intelligence.
Some of them are genuinely brilliant. Others… not so much. And telling the difference is not easy when you’re the one trying to learn.
So I’ve done it for you. I’ve spent a good amount of time poking around inside the most popular AI English apps, so I can give you an honest answer to the question I get asked all the time:
“Lucy, which AI app should I use?“
Here’s what I found.
The Best AI English Learning Apps
🏆 My top pick: Langua
Ideal for: Learners who want genuine speaking practice
Langua is the app I recommend first to pretty much any English learner who wants to improve. And I don’t say that lightly. It does a lot more than most AI apps offer, with proper tools for conversation, vocabulary, listening and reading, all in one place.
The thing that struck me first is how human it feels. The voices are cloned from native English speakers, so you’re not stuck talking to something that sounds completely robotic. And when it gives you feedback, it’s genuinely useful, not just a vague flag that something went wrong.
What I love:
- Loads of ways to practise speaking: role-plays, debates, conversations about your interests, vocabulary practice and more.
- Call Mode lets you practise completely hands-free in a phone-style conversation. Great if you want to build confidence speaking naturally.
- Instant corrections with detailed explanations after every chat. You can even choose whether feedback is subtle or explicit, written or verbal.
- Grammar practice is built around your actual mistakes. If you keep getting a particular structure wrong, Langua creates targeted exercises to fix it. I love this.
- A built-in memory system means the app gets to know you over time, so conversations feel more personal.
- Save new words in one click, then reinforce them through spaced repetition flashcards, vocabulary chats, and AI-generated stories.
- Stuck on a word mid-sentence? Just say it in your first language. The AI will understand and keep the conversation flowing.
- Available on web, iOS and Android, so you can practise from wherever you happen to be.
A couple of things to be aware of:
- As with all AI, the transcription occasionally mishears what you say. Langua lets you switch between several AI models to reduce this.
- There’s quite a lot to explore when you first sign up, though the onboarding does a good job of orienting you.
Pricing: $13-$29/month depending on your plan. A free account is available, plus a free trial of the Pro version.
Create a free Langua account here and see what you think!
2. Speak
Ideal for: beginners looking for a structured start
Speak is a well-structured app that works nicely if you’re at the beginning of your English learning journey and want a clear path to follow. It offers scenario-based role-plays and an AI tutor for grammar questions, which is a lovely combination for beginners.
That said, I found it starts to feel limited once you move past beginner level. The feedback isn’t particularly deep, and it doesn’t have the same vocabulary tools that something like Langua offers.
What I like:
- Natural-sounding English voices with reliable speech recognition.
- The ‘Speak Tutor’ feature lets you ask grammar questions and generate custom practice lessons.
- Well-paced beginner content with helpful pronunciation guidance.
Things to consider:
- Feedback is quite surface-level: you don’t get the depth of explanation you’d get from a dedicated AI English conversation practice app.
- Lesson variety becomes repetitive at intermediate level and beyond.
- No spaced repetition system for building vocabulary.
- Noticeably less effective from B1 onwards: it’s built primarily with beginners in mind, and you’ll start to feel that as you progress.
- The subscription tiers are a bit confusing, with unclear limits on AI lesson access.
Pricing: Varies by region. Premium Plus (with unlimited custom lessons) costs significantly more than the base tier.
3. ChatGPT
Ideal for: Curious learners who want to experiment for free
As a teacher, I get asked about ChatGPT a lot. And my honest answer is: it’s impressive technology, but it isn’t a language learning tool. It’s a general-purpose AI that you happen to be able to practise English with, if you put in the work to set it up yourself.
I’ve tried using it with my own language learning (Spanish!), and the novelty wears off quickly. There’s no structure to follow, no vocabulary built up over time and nothing to guide you towards what to practise next. It’s a blank page, and that’s both its strength and its biggest weakness.
What it offers:
- Free to use, which is genuinely useful if budget is a concern.
- You can hold a conversation, request grammar feedback, or ask it to explain mistakes.
- Audio mode feels quite natural and even lets you interrupt the AI mid-sentence.
The limitations:
- No corrections unless you ask – and you have to ask every single time. Most learners simply forget.
- Audio mode cuts you off the moment you pause to think. For language learners who need time to form a sentence, this is genuinely frustrating.
- No vocabulary tools, no flashcards, no suggested topics. You’re starting from scratch every session.
- You can’t read along while listening in audio mode, which removes a really useful comprehension aid.
- No British or American dialect options.
Pricing: Free (with limits), or $20/month for the paid version.
4. Univerbal
Ideal for: Learners who like structured, gamified apps
Univerbal is a Swiss AI language app that focuses on conversation practice through structured scenarios. It’s clean and well-organised, and the mobile app makes it genuinely convenient to practise on the go.
What I liked:
- A good range of roleplay scenarios covering real-life situations like travel, work, and daily life.
- A progression system that adapts as your skills improve.
- Curriculum is personalised based on your interests and goals.
Where it falls short:
- Conversations feel quite rigid and scenario-bound rather than open and flexible.
- Limited ability to go off-script outside the preset roleplay topics.
- No clear spaced repetition system for vocabulary.
Pricing: $10-$20/month.
5. TalkPal
Ideal for: Learners Who Want a Simple AI English Conversation App
TalkPal is a conversational AI app built specifically for language learning. It’s easy to pick up and includes a handful of different conversation formats. That said, it’s a fairly basic option compared to the others on this list.
What it offers:
- Several conversation options, including role-plays, topic-based discussions, and image description exercises (paid version only).
- A basic free plan with limited features and a 10-minute time limit, so you can try before you buy.
The limitations:
- The English conversation practice doesn’t feel as natural or realistic as other apps.
- Voice quality is less natural compared to Langua: it has a more robotic tone that can make it harder to stay immersed.
- Some conversation prompts are far too complex for beginners. When I tested it, the opening prompt was ‘the most significant moment in human history’. Even as a confident speaker, that required a lot of thinking!
- Primarily focused on conversation, with no interactive transcripts, vocabulary saving, or flashcard system.
Pricing: $11.99/month (cheaper with an annual plan). No free trial, but the basic plan gives you a taste of the app.
My verdict
AI really is one of the most exciting things to happen to language learning in years. But the quality of these tools varies enormously, and most of them weren’t actually built for language learning in the first place.
If you’re serious about improving your spoken English, Langua is where I’d send you first. It’s the most complete AI English conversation practice tool I’ve tested. Unlike the others on this list, it actually connects your speaking, vocabulary, grammar, and listening into one joined-up experience. The corrections mean something. The voices sound like real people. And it genuinely gets better the more you use it.
If budget is the priority, ChatGPT is worth a play. Just go in knowing that you’ll be doing the heavy lifting yourself. It’s a tool, not a course.
And one last thing, because I think it matters. Whatever app you end up using, please remember that AI practice works best when it sits alongside real conversation, not in place of it. Using an AI English tutor between sessions with a real teacher is the dream combination. You build confidence and fluency with the AI when no one’s watching, and your teacher catches the things the AI misses. Best of both worlds.
For more help with your English, have a look at my guides on English speaking practice and how to start learning to speak English, or use my free phonemic chart to work on your pronunciation.
