Let’s Learn the Language of the Gods

Romance languages are my greatest passion. Coming from a Slavic background and knowing a few extra Germanic languages, I’ve always dreamt of becoming fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian. They've always sounded otherworldly to me and I felt drawn to their melodic divinity.

Learning Italian requires going beyond language basics. You'll never sound like a native language speaker unless you absorb intense Italian gesticulation, pauses, and rhythm. This language is just fabulous; learning Italian with its cultural nuances is the utmost form of relaxation.

I won’t lie: I’d rather go to Italy, settling somewhere in the south, and letting the Italian language penetrate my skin while I'm sipping my cooled Aperol Spritz and nibbling on pizza crust. Unfortunately, moving isn't always an option – especially if you’re learning a few languages simultaneously – so let’s start with the best app to learn Italian. It'll bring us a step closer to the dream of understanding Italian speakers and even speaking this language of gods.

The Best Apps to Learn Italian

If you’ve had some experience with language learning via some of the apps I’ve recommended, you may trust my expertise enough to make your pick with the following shortlist. If not, make yourself cozy with a glass of Italian Prosecco and read the longer text that follows afterward. Each category starts with the top winner and follows with other fantastic resources. P.S. I didn't make this list haphazardly. It took me at least one week of using each of these and other apps (that I didn't include as they were ineffective) to offer the 22 crème de la crème tools.

Best Italian language courses: Babbel & Rosetta Stone

Best apps to learn Italian vocabulary: Memrise, Lingvist, Mosalingua, & Drops

Best apps to learn Italian grammar: Rocket Italian & LingoDeer

Best language apps for Italian receptive skills (listening and reading): FluentU, News in Slow Italian, Italian, ItalianPod101, Pimsleur,  LingoPie, Beelinguapp, & LingQ

Best language apps for Italian productive skills (speaking and writing): Busuu, Speechling, tandem, & italki

Best language apps for beginners and kids learning Italian: Mondly, Gus on the Go, Imparare il Vocabolario Italiano (Bambini)

Best Italian Language Courses

In virtually all reviews, I recommend Babbel as one of the best apps. I don’t get any commission – I clicked with this language app as soon as I embarked on my Spanish journey years ago. It then worked perfectly for my other foreign languages (Polish, French, Italian, and Portuguese).

Babbel – Learn Italian Smoothly and Comprehensively

Babbel Italian is a comprehensive Italian language course suitable for beginners and intermediate Italian students.

I also appreciate Babbel for its grammar component, which is the most problematic area of most Italian language learning apps. Babbel features well-rounded interactive lessons that touch upon every language competence equally and keep you interested while not feeling too childish or excessively gamified. For me, it’s a fantastic balance of being enjoyable and offering intensive learning practice.

Pros:

• A strong cultural component
• Helpful visuals and language-specific content
• Everyday situations and useful vocabulary
• Solid grammar explanations

Cons:

• Only suitable up to B2 (nothing for advanced learners)
• No trial period to test the waters

Pricing:

Babbel charges $13.95 per month, but you can get a cheaper subscription by paying for an annual plan.

I have discussed Babbel in this Rosetta Stone vs Babbel review and this Babbel vs Duolingo review in case you'd like to read more details.

Rosetta Stone – Learn Italian via Immersion

No one is indifferent to Rosetta Stone: you either love it or hate it. Its critics point out that Rosetta Italian is too gimmicky and pricey in comparison with other Italian courses. On the other hand, its fans claim that Rosetta's immersion works wonders.

Although I don’t believe in complete immersion in the adult age (both as a language learner and a linguist), I appreciate Rosetta Stone for its structure, good choice of life scenarios and vocabulary, and interesting activities. It's true you can get a cheaper or even free app instead, but give Rosetta Italian a try if money isn't a major concern. You might even find yourself in the proponent camp. I discuss Rosetta Stone in more detail in Rosetta Stone vs Babbel: Let the Race Begin.

Pros:

• Well-selected dialogues and real-life conversations
• Speech recognition algorithm for revision
• Well-operating offline mode
• Great Italian extras

Cons:

• No section with grammar rules
• Visuals are the same throughout languages

Pricing:

Rosetta Stone offers lifetime access for approximately $350. The annual plan would cost you about $190, and the usual monthly plan would be $11.99. Fortunately, Rosetta often offers discounts. For instance, I got my Italian lifetime package at a 50% Christmas discount last year.

Best Italian Vocabulary Apps

Do you know a better way to learn vocabulary than using a flashcard app? Whatever sources you prefer, one of these should be your companion. In Italian, Memrise beats them all!

Memrise – Learn Vocabulary with Interactive Flashcards

Memrise is a very famous app. It stands out among flashcard apps in that its decks extend beyond text – you also get video and audio components. Listening to native speakers keeps you from sounding like a textbook.

Memrise is similar to the affordable Clozemaster but it doesn’t feel like a retro videogame. Memrise helps you create enjoyable flashcards and combine them with the available ones. There's also an option to exchange materials with other Italian students.

Pros:

• Adapted to different levels of proficiency
• Easy to use even for complete beginners
• Many learning modes
• Customizable flashcards and decks

Cons:

• No quality control for user-made flashcards
• No Italian audio materials can be added to your decks

Pricing:

Memrise has both a free and paid version. The former is limited, and the latter starts at $8.99 per month. In the paid plan, you access all languages at once, so it pays off if you’re a language geek.

Lingvist – Memorize and Retain Loads of Vocabulary

Lingvist is a great app for learning Italian vocabulary in context, with the difficulty level automatically adapted to your needs.

Lingvist lessons are short and easy to complete anytime and anywhere. Owing to the voice recognition mechanism, you improve your pronunciation. Lingvist promises that you'll start speaking Italian immediately and that it’s not a mere read-and-remember approach to teaching Italian words. From my personal experience, Lingvist is truly one of the top flashcard apps. P.S. Here's my review of the battle between Lingvist vs Clozemaster.

Pros:

• Minimalist, non-distracting design
• Allows for practicing writing and speaking skills
• Adaptable to your needs
• Enables easy progress tracking

Cons:

• May become slightly monotonous with time
• No images can be added to your flashcards

Pricing:

Lingvist offers a free trial. After that, you'll be charged between $6.67 and $9.99 monthly depending on your plan.

MosaLingua – Learn Italian at Your Own Pace

Originally a flashcard app for learning vocabulary, MosaLingua has become a great reading tool. It's a self-directed language app where you can learn new Italian words, do quizzes, read texts, and even books once you’re ready. You can follow your learning style and adapt the app respectively.

I love the level of control you can command as a language learner. You decide on the time you spend on the app, the Italian words and phrases you learn, and the types of materials you focus on. You can also create your own flashcards. Every card is supported by a native speaker’s audio recording, so you'll improve your pronunciation along the way.

Pros:

• Large flashcard library
• The learner’s control over many features
• Large texts for reading comprehension
• Loads of extras in Italian

Cons:

• You need a separate MosaLingua for every language
• No grammar rules

Pricing:

MosaLingua costs from $4.99 (as a website version) to $9.99 (as a Google Play or App Store app). You can also save money if you’re ready to pay in advance: the annual plan is $59.90.

Drops – Learn Italian with Visuals

I like Drops for its design and dynamic lessons. The app allows you to choose the length of every session, which is great for busy Italian students.

The Drops app offers 50 interesting and useful topics: from shopping to doctor’s appointments. You can rest assured that you’ll learn all essentials before moving on to more complex stuff. All new words are carefully selected. As much as I like the app, I need to warn you: you'll need additional Italian learning apps to improve your speaking and writing skills.

Pros:

• A variety of activities and exercises
• Conversational vocabulary
• Fast-moving, intense lessons
• A visual dictionary for memorization

Cons:

• No focus on Italian grammar
• Needs to be complemented by other apps

Pricing:

You can either enjoy free five-minute online lessons daily or pay $13 a month for complete access to the course. I’d go with the free version before I commit to the paid plan.

Best Italian Grammar Apps

Rocket Italian – Learn Italian Grammar

Strictly speaking, Rocket Languages is not a grammar-focused app. It claims to tackle all language competencies, and rightly so. At the same time, I find it most useful for grammar tips and the way grammatical aspects are reinforced. I haven’t seen such a smooth and effective grammar point in other (general course) apps. Therefore, I praise Rocket Languages in my other articles too – Rocket Portuguese and Rocket French are also fantastic.

I appreciate how Rocket Italian covers Italian culture and real-life scenarios. Plus, you don’t get any unnecessary vocabulary and get past the beginner’s level rapidly.

Pros:

• Useful, contextual grammar explanations
• Strong focus on culture and real-life scenarios
• Very accurate voice recognition tool
• Strong focus on Italian audio to help you sound native-like

Cons:

• Slightly problematic for visual learners
• Requires a financial commitment

Pricing:

Rocket Italian can be bought as a complete level ($149.95), or as two or three levels ($299.90 and $449.95 respectively). Such a financial commitment psychologically forces you to learn more. What’s completely free or cheap is often underappreciated.

LingoDeer – Learn Italian Grammar with Games

LingoDeer is a gem for structure nerds. It’s not one of those all-over-the-place Italian courses. Instead, it's a linear curriculum that takes you as an Italian newbie and delivers you to the intermediate level in an entertaining way.

LingoDeer is one of the few apps that teach Italian verbs and other problematic grammar aspects. It’s a virtual teacher that helps you see how Italian works. I believe this approach works wonders for logical thinkers who cannot emulate something they don’t quite understand (and who might shun a completely immersive approach while learning Italian).

Pros:

• Clear, linear curriculum
• Extensive grammatical explanations and quizzes
• Works for language beginners
• Designed by professional Italian tutors

Cons:

• Only works up to the intermediate level
• Some isolated phrases in the first level

Pricing:

LingoDeer charges $6.67- $13.99 per month. With Lingodeer, you can also get a lifetime subscription at $159.99. Make sure you take a few free lessons before you invest in the product, please.

Best Italian Apps for Receptive Skills (Listening & Reading)

FluentU – Learn Italian with YouTube

FluentU is proudly sitting on my top three list for every language and occupies the first place among the listening apps. The app doesn’t charge me separately for every new language – and I've been using it for four different ones – it’s totally worth it. I discuss FluentU in more detail in my FluentU Review: Can FluentU Really Make You Fluent? review.

The app is based on YouTube videos turned into comprehensive lessons. You get high-quality audio, embedded translations, and loads of quizzes and flashcard tools. What can be a better way to learn Italian than watching YouTube and listening to native speakers? I’d say none - unless it’s moving to Italy and learning the language from the locals. 

Pros:

• Tons of materials to watch
• Effective flashcard and spaced repetition tools
• Many quizzes and activities
• Your own control over the intensity

Cons:

• Little focus on writing and speaking skills
• No explicit grammar input

Pricing:

The app charges $29.99 a month. It seems like a lot until you remember that you aren't charged separately for every new language.

News in Slow Italian – Learn World News in Italian

News in Slow Italian is a fantastic combo of a language learning app and a news podcast. I love learning Italian, and I love staying tuned to what's going on in the world. So, what could be better than this app for me?

The app uses texts about real events, so you have the advantage of not learning unnecessary, bookish vocabulary. Instead, you're taught to discuss the current state of the art. Although it's mostly podcast (of high quality), the app treats you to tons of quizzes, idiom lists, and grammar explanations. It’s a top app to learn Italian regardless of the level you’re currently in.

Pros:

• A fun format that never gets boring
• Well-developed levels of difficulty
• Downloadable pdf materials
• A well-balanced combination of audio materials and activities

Cons:

• Some audio texts are too fast in the beginning
• No focus on speaking Italian

Pricing:

The app charges $19.99 a month, but you can use a one-week trial to see whether you click.

 ItalianPod101 – Learn Italian Outside the Language Course

Another podcast app, Italian Pod101 is less structured than News in Slow Italian. Pod101 is great as an additional audio tool if you already have an app like Babbel or attend brick-and-mortar Italian classes.

With this app, one still gets quite a lot of perks like quizzes and visuals, but the structure is less reminiscent of a course that follows a language-level ladder. I use ItalianPod101 instead of Spotify to listen to useful content while on the go. I learn many new words without even making a conscious effort.

Pros:

• Easy to use and entertaining
• Many extras for the price
• Filters for audio texts
• Cultural input and grammar tips

Cons:

• No materials beyond the intermediate level
• Too many emails

Pricing:

ItalianPod 101 costs $8 a month, but there are always some discounts when you download the app on Google Play. or App Store.

Pimsleur – Learn Italian through Immersive Audio Lessons

Although many reviewers criticize Pimsleur as overpriced and boring, I appreciate this Italian audio course. First, it was created by a linguist as a result of extensive research. Second, not every lesson must be a feast with animation and games. We learn language mechanics by following repetitive tasks – and Pimsleur gives us this opportunity.

Pimsleur is a majorly audio-based course, where you listen to a native speaker and a translator and emulate their speech. Pimsleur's spaced repetition mechanism is sly and makes you go over old materials, again and again, prolonging the time gap between revisions. There's no way you'll miss any phrase: Pimsleur is a strict teacher many language learners need to stay in shape.

Pros:

• Clear-cut structure and thought-out audio lessons
• Scientifically valid approach
• Focus on speaking practice
• Well-selected conversational dialogues

Cons:

• A lot of English input
• Monotonous (which is a problem for some users)

Pricing:

Pimsleur comes in packages, where one level costs $150 and all five levels cost $575. You can also go with a monthly subscription at $19.99. As usual, I recommend a free one-week trial. It’s like dating before getting married.

Check my detailed Pimsleur review here.

 LingoPie – Learn Italian with Movies

LingoPie Italian has less content than LingoPie Spanish or English. It's still a great app for learning Italian – by immersing yourself in Italian language movies and series. Some reviewers criticize LingoPie Italian for the lack of mainstream shows. Do we even need the mainstream ones though? I’d rather discover something new, especially given that I also use this app for my other target languages.

Similarly to FluentU (albeit a bit less thoroughly), LingoPie offers quizzes and flashcards, invites you to use the embedded translation feature, and adjusts each show to your level. This app is my guilty pleasure. Simply watching TV seems like a waste of time. Watching a show in your target language is educational and doesn't feel like procrastination.

Pros:

• Several shows to choose from
• Adjustable speed and level
• Subtitles with embedded translation
• Allows you to create your movie flashcards

Cons:

• Some inaccuracy in subtitles (albeit not recurrent)
• No writing or speaking practice

Pricing:

LingoPie costs $12 per month. The best option is to get an annual family subscription for four accounts (at $99.99). The latter option is 100% worth it and beats Netflix by a mile.

Beelinguapp – Learn Italian by Reading

Beelinguapp Italian is a reading-focused app that benefits everyone whose source language is other than English as there are 13 languages to choose from.

How does the method work? You read parallel texts – in the target and source texts – accompanied by audio recordings. The recordings can be slowed down. After the text, you're given some comprehension activities and questions. It’s a great tool to practice reading – few other apps offer large texts to build up comprehension in a foreign language.

Pros:

• Scientifically credible method
• Nice selection of topics and texts
• Boosts reading and listening skills
• Focused activities to test text comprehension

Cons:

• Charges for every language separately
• No writing or speaking practice

Pricing:

Beelinguapp is a completely free app, but it contains distracting ads. I'd go with the affordable paid plan (only $1.99 a month).

LingQ – Read Italian and Build Up Your Vocabulary

LingQ is a unique tool that represents your familiarity with Italian words via color coding. The system traces the words you look up, remembers your choices, and shows the texts in different colors as you start memorizing the words.

LingQ has an extensive base of texts for every level, albeit I think it’s rather complex for complete beginners who have not had any contact with the language. There are two aspects I appreciate about this platform. First, it has content in multiple languages. Second, it allows for uploading your content to turn it into a learning piece. And yes, the texts are accompanied by audio recordings, albeit a bit robotic.

Pros:

• Large text database in many languages
• Reading and listening simultaneously
• A chance to upload your materials
• Color-coding to trace word memorization

Cons:

• No writing and speaking practice
• Not the best choice for complete newbies

Pricing:

Costs are between $7.99 (if you buy a two-year subscription) and $12.99 (if you pay month by month).

Best Italian Apps for Productive Skills (Speaking & Writing)

If you're not sure you have time for more than one app to practice productive skills - go with Busuu!

Busuu – Learn Italian writing

Busuu is one of the few apps that are heavily focused on productive language skills. Due to its exchange function – only available to premium members – users can receive essay corrections from a native Italian speaker as well as engage in conversations with Italians. It helps you leap to spoken Italian.

The Busuu speech recognition tool covers your pronunciation and tries to make you sound as close to the native speaker as it gets. The app is constantly updated and has a very contemporary feel to it. Check my review to find out more and see whether you click with Busuu.

Pros:

• Strong focus on productive skills
• Modern Italian course with interesting topics
• Busuu community for active language exchange
• Official Italian certificates of completion

Cons:

• Few grammatical explanations
• You need to wait for feedback

Pricing:

The free plan is quite limited, so you’d need to get a premium plan at some point. It costs between $6.76 and $9.99 a month.

Speechling – Learn Italian Pronunciation

Speechling Italian proves that one doesn’t need to spend lots of money to boost Italian proficiency. A non-profit app, it offers so much material for free – it’s insane!

The idea of Speechling is to record yourself – describing a picture or reflecting upon a topic – and send it to an assigned tutor (a native speaker) for feedback. You can tailor your learning experience to fit your needs. If you struggle with grammar, you can explicitly ask the tutor to comment on grammatical aspects or explain some rules to you in their feedback. Read my ode to Speechling here. This Italian app is worth all the praise.

Pros:

• Professional tutors at a reasonable price
• High-quality audio texts and speech recognition tools
• Can be combined with Anki decks for vocabulary learning
• A non-profit company with a chance to win a scholarship

Cons:

• Not a complete Italian course with a rigid structure
• No language placement test

Pricing:

Speechling gives you free access to everything, but you won’t receive unlimited tutor support unless you pay $19.99 a month (or win a scholarship for that matter).

 Tandem – Make Italian Friends

Tandem is a language exchange app and a great choice for people who are not looking for a traditional course. Tandem has the feel of a social media platform where one can find language partners. Instead of wasting time on Facebook or Instagram, you learn Italian and make friends with native Italian speakers.

Users can filter other users by country and region (e.g., Italy, Sicily), thus focusing on specific dialects and varieties of the language. Video messaging, audio and texts are all available tools to communicate with newly made Italian friends. Some language learners go for HelloTalk, but it seems gamified and childish to me. You may read my comparison of the two tools here, by the way.

Pros:

• Many tools for language exchange
• Decent free subscription
• Dialogues with real native speakers
• A chance to find true friends from Italy

Cons:

• Some users might treat it like a dating app
• People may just disappear from your dialogue

Pricing:

Tandem offers many free resources, but at $2.92 - $6.99 a month, you can enjoy an ad-free experience.

italki – Learn Italian in a Personalized Way

italki isn’t a typical learning app. It offers you a personalized approach – most of your learning success depends on the teacher you select and the chemistry that sparks between the two of you.

How does it work? You register and decide whether you want a professional language instructor or a community teacher. Both are great for their purposes. The former might work better at explaining language aspects from the point of language structure. The latter would be a great option to communicate, learn about Italian culture, and become fluent. There's no structure or linear course. While it might take some time to find your perfect teacher, the good thing is that you don’t have to feel obliged to stay with one you don’t like. Try one lesson with a few and then make decisions.

Pros:

• Student-centered approach
• Useful filters to sort out instructors by experience, region, and price
• Either scheduled or instant Italian lessons
• Your choice of platform for online lessons

Cons:

• Might take some time to find a good tutor
• Glitchy mobile version

Pricing:

Italian classes may cost between $5 and $70 an hour. While it's customary that experienced Italian tutors with good reviews charge more, this co-dependency is not always 100%.

Best Italian Language Apps for Beginners & Kids

Mondly – Learn Italian Online with Innovation

Mondly is a step ahead of most Italian learning apps in how it uses innovative tools. Chatbots, VR (virtual reality), and AR (augmented reality) are incorporated into the course to make it fun. A subsidiary app – Mondly Kids – also makes the experience suitable for the youngest learners.

What's fantastic about Mondly is that it allows you to choose from a wide range of source languages (not only English) to serve as your means of instruction. Mondly pays equal attention to all language competencies and offers beginners short Italian lessons that won’t bore them.

Pros:

• Multiple languages of instruction and translation
• Linear course with well-developed activities
• Many tech-savvy features
• Good voice recognition tools

Cons:

• Not suitable beyond the lower intermediate
• May feel too gamified for adults

Pricing:

Mondly charges $9.99 per month, but it gets more affordable if you buy a long-term subscription. The free version can be used as a trial, but it won’t get you far.

Gus on the Go – Learn Italian with Games

Gus on the Go is a fun way to introduce your little ones to some Italian phrases. You shouldn’t set your expectations high though – it’s about learning the very basics, not becoming fluent.

Gus on the Go features gamified quizzes with Italian words, short stories for kids, and fun pronunciation drills. It’s a pity the app only offers 10 lessons. The idea is great, and young students have fun on this Italian learning journey. I feel the developers should start working on the next level.

Pros:

• Affordable and user-friendly
• Nicely adapted to young Italian learners
• Short lessons and interesting games
• Thought-out revisions

Cons:

• Only a few lessons
• Needs parental assistance for the first lesson

Pricing:

This Italian app charges $3.99 a month and is worth it.

Imparare il Vocabolario Italiano – To Help Kids Fall in Love with Italian

Imprare il Vocabolario is a fun Italian app for kids. Guided by a cute chicken mascot, your little one can learn Italian words and practice all language skills.

Among the activities one can complete are memory puzzles, quizzes, and listening drills. It won’t make your kid a fluent speaker, but it will make them fall in love with learning Italian.

Pros:

• Fun format with bright colors
• Well-selected vocabulary for kids
• A variety of activities
• Affordable price tag

Cons:

• Separate app for every language
• Not a complete course

Pricing:

This Italian app costs $4.99 if you want to unlock all categories. You can also start with the $2.49 version if you only plan to use a few vocabulary sections.

Final Reflections About Learning Italian

It’s hard not to like Italian – the language is an angel’s voice in your ears. It’s easy to kill this pure affection if you learn the language with the wrong tools or boring books, though. Don’t underestimate the power of a well-chosen language learning app, and you’ll see some magic come out of your short learning journey.

Ah, and here’s a little secret. We’re launching our Flying Languages app in a jiffy. We've covered the most popular concerns and critiques of available apps and have done our best to create a product that beats them all. Stay tuned and become one of the first lucky users!