Because of its intensive approach to learning and user-friendly design, this is our top-ranked language platform. Language learners are thrown into the deep end, with all English references removed, forcing you to carefully read the Spanish text to grasp each job. And review units gently encourage learners to practice the areas of the course that they found difficult.

The majority of courses are based on word and visual association, which is quite common for learning apps. We liked how the photos were carefully chosen to showcase the platform's broad user base.

If a lesson leaves you wanting more, you can use the 'extended learning' resource. These sections provide information about Spanish-speaking countries' social and cultural features. We also appreciated how these sections were frequently narrated by different speakers, so you could get used to hearing somewhat different accents.

Rosetta Stone also provides coaching and live one-on-one courses. However, these are now only included in the somewhat more expensive Lifetime Premium subscription option, which is generally priced approximately $299.

However, there are regular deals for this, bringing the price down by $50 or more. Most users will be well served by the 12-month bundle, which often costs less than $100 and provides access to unlimited languages for a whole year.

Specifications

• Formats: Windows PC, Mac, iOS, Android
• Free trial: 3 days
• Offline lessons: Yes

Website: www.rosettastone.com

Reasons to buy

• Easy to use
• Great companion mobile app
• Business and educator subscription options

Reasons to avoid

• Live tutoring costs extra
• Problems with voice recognition

Duolingo is a free language-learning platform that offers a diverse choice of courses and content that rivals that of paid-for services. Users may smoothly transition between the web-based platform and the Duolingo app, making it simple to study your chosen language at home or on the go.

The platform is simple to use, with appealing color and iconography that provide an engaging learning experience for users of all ages. The Duolingo dashboard lays out a clear lesson plan with a topic flow chart, and novices begin with the fundamentals, such as greetings, introductions, and people. Advanced users can take a brief quiz and go on to the next level as necessary. The topic-specific courses are beneficial for committing language to memory via soft repetition. By delivering mild reminder reminders through email or the app, the platform will encourage you to stick to your learning goal.

The nicest part of Duolingo is that it is free, which means that all courses and content are available to all learners. The paid edition, Duolingo Plus, which costs a fair $12.99 per month, is ad-free and ideal for users who frequently work offline.

Specifications

• Format: Windows PC, Mac, iOS, Android
• Free trial: Duolingo Plus has 14 day trial
• Offline learning: No

Website: https://www.duolingo.com/course/es/en/Learn-Spanish

Reasons to buy

• Free learning app with 40 languages on offer
• Clear learning structure and lesson plan
• Useful for beginners and advanced students
• Great focus on oral skills
• Affordable subscription rate for Duolingo Plus

Reasons to avoid

• Some language course content is not as in-depth as others

Rocket Languages is mostly an audio-based course that we have found to be extremely successful for learning any language. It's divided into three sections: the first two are all about learning the language, and they're done through a story that you listen to and then answer questions about. It brings the typically dry subject of language learning to life and is ideal for anyone who prefers to absorb knowledge through listening. What about a podcast, an audiobook, or a music playlist? Rocket should serve you well.

The 'Survival Kit,' the third component of Rocket's learning process, provides phrases and knowledge about certain scenarios that you might experience while traveling or dealing with people in your chosen language. So there are kits for shopping in a foreign nation, or for business meetings, and so on. They're quite useful tools.

Rocket's tendency to repeat itself is one of its flaws. While repetition is an important aspect of learning, it occurs far too frequently in this case. Another concern is the price, however it is no more expensive than competitors like as Rosetta Stone, so it is reasonably priced.

Specifications

• Format: Windows PC, Mac, iOS, Android
• Free trial: 60 day moneyback promise
• Offline learning: No

Website: www.rocketlanguages.com

Reasons to buy

• Loads of audio lessons
• Perfect for beginners
• Generous 60-day moneyback guarantee

Reasons to avoid

• Some issues with the app
• Free version is very limited

Babbel features an easy-to-use interface and, most importantly, allows students to select their own study goals. This means you can use the platform however you want, whether it's dropping in occasionally to brush up on your terminology or committing to hour-long sessions every day to improve your Spanish accent.

It has a useful set of tracking tools that allow you to chart your progress. A subscription also includes a slew of learning bonuses, including as stories, podcasts, and mini-games. These features are tailored to your current level of knowledge, so even if you're a complete beginner, you should profit from them.

We enjoy the'review' part, which will test you on vocab and grammar rules you've learnt on a regular basis to ensure they don't fade from your memory. A live tutoring option is also available for an additional price, allowing you to communicate with a trained teacher or native speaker to put your knowledge to the test.

The one drawback we found with the program is that the course structure can feel repetitious at times, but this is typical of many language systems.

Specifications

• Format: Windows PC, Mac, iOS, Android
• Free trial: Seven days
• Offline learning: Yes

Website: www.babbel.com

Reasons to buy

• Live tutoring available
• Manageable lesson sizes
• Extra tools like mini-games and stories

Reasons to avoid

• Occasionally repetitive lessons

Mondly is a well-designed, modern language program that works on both smart devices and online browsers. If you require some basic phrases or a thorough understanding of the Spanish language for a holiday or business trip, this is an excellent alternative. It features a gradual learning curve, a practical framework that divides learning into subject areas, and everything is highly visually appealing and easy to use.

We like the combination of visual and audible clues for each lesson, as well as the attempt to motivate and gamify learning (there are star ratings each lesson, leaderboards, and daily challenges). It all helps to keep returning to learn. You can share your profile between the phone app and the web version, so it doesn't matter which device you use to learn at any given time.

Pricing is also nice, as the cost per month and year is rather fair - it's less expensive than many of the other providers on this list. The disadvantage is that it isn't as appropriate for intermediate and advanced learners because it concentrates mostly on vocabulary and phrases. Mondly lags behind some of its competitors in terms of context, structure, and syntax.

Overall, we had a great time using this program and would highly suggest it to anyone looking for a basic understanding of the language.

Specifications

• Formats: Windows PC, Mac, iOS, Android
• Free trial: First 6 lessons
• Offline learning: No

Website: www.mondly.com

Reasons to buy

• Very easy to use
• Good prices
• Mixes visual and audio learning

Reasons to avoid

• Too simple for advanced users

News In Slow Spanish is a favorite of ours. What it does, it does really well: it gives you various news reports in Spanish, only slowed down so you can pick out words more easily. It then asks you to select terms or vocabulary from the news report and tests you on them. Each report has an audio transcript, and you may opt to translate certain parts of it if you need assistance understanding it.

We recommend this one for intermediate users because the course is entirely in Spanish and requires a basic understanding of the language to participate. There is a novice option, but we found it to be incredibly difficult and required a lot of perseverance. This course has a ton of stuff to pick from, so even though it's pricey, you get a lot for your money. It's also effective, and because the news stories cover actual topics, you'll learn a lot about modern Spanish culture.

If you're concerned that this is too advanced for you, we recommend partnering it with Duolingo to help you learn the language for free before diving into News In Slow.

Specifications

• Formats: Windows PC, Mac, iOS, Android
• Free trial: Limited free access
• Offline learning: No

Website: www.newsinslowspanish.com

Reasons to buy

• Very effective method
• Perfect for intermediates
• Topical learning

Reasons to avoid

• Expensive
• App isn't great

Fluenz's distinct approach teaches core language principles such as grammar and pronunciation through real-world travel scenarios and instruction on how to interact and engage with locals. Its interface is visually appealing, and it features virtual face-to-face instruction from Sonia Gil, one of the company's founders.

This is one of the few apps we reviewed that can still be purchased outright and permanently installed on your computer, so once downloaded, you don't need internet connectivity to take courses. The lessons are also available on the Android and Apple mobile apps.

Because this Spanish language software is targeted and geared to teach teenagers and adults, it lacks games and showy awards for finishing classes. Fluenz, on the other hand, seeks to link the Spanish language to culturally relevant events and real-world conversational settings.

During testing, our reviewers discovered that Fluenz had a nice mix of auditory and visual teachings. There aren't as many speech-recognition exercises as in some of the other applications we examined, but the ones it does contain allow you to record your voice as half of a discussion that may take place in a restaurant or a taxi. After that, you can listen to the dialogue again and compare your accent to that of a native speaker.

Specifications

• Formats: Windows PC, Mac, iOS, Android
• Free trial: None
• Offline learning: Yes

Website: fluenz.com

Reasons to buy

• Great topical exercises
• Attractive, easy-to-navigate interface

Reasons to avoid

• Expensive
• Lessons move slowly

If you like to study by hearing, Pimsleur is an excellent choice. The application was created by linguists to help you learn Spanish by flooding your ears with it. Yes, the lessons are entirely about conversations, which you listen to and are guided through by your teacher, who breaks everything down clearly as you go.

While this is excellent for audio learners, it does not make extensive use of games or visualisations, thus it is not suitable for those who prefer them. Anyone who gains from listening will appreciate the degree of depth here, which covers phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Intervals are tiered, allowing you to anticipate what will happen next and proceed slowly. Using words and phrases you've already learnt helps to refresh your memory and consolidate learning for long-term effectiveness.

The lack of pictures isn't ideal because it means you're simply learning how the word sounds and not how to spell it correctly. For the best possible final outcomes, this might be used as a complementary learning service.

The Pimsleur app costs $14.95 a month for the basic version and $19.95 for the premium version. This includes 150 30-minute daily exercises as well as some basic flashcards and games.

Specifications

• Formats: Windows PC, Mac, iOS, Android
• Free trial: Free lesson
• Offline learning: Yes

Website: offers.pimsleur.com

Reasons to buy

• Immersion learning focuses on conversations
• Emphasis on core vocabulary

Reasons to avoid

• Little visual content
• Can take a long time to learn

If you like visual learning, Living Language is the ideal option because it includes a variety of games and activities to help you learn Spanish.

We particularly like the sentence builder task, which provides you with an English sentence and a mess of Spanish words to translate. It also includes flashcard exercises to assist you in learning language. However, there is a disadvantage to this kind of visual learning: it may cause you to identify a Spanish term with an English word rather than helping you to use its Spanish meaning. Furthermore, its audio learning tools aren't as extensive as those found in other programs.

Specifications

• Formats: Windows PC, Mac, iOS, Android
• Free trial: Free lesson
• Offline learning: No

Website: www.livinglanguage.com

Reasons to buy

• Flashcard exercises help you learn and recall vocabulary
• Affordable

Reasons to avoid

• Audio learning tools aren’t as good as those in other programs
• Less interactive

Busuu is a language learning program comparable to Babbel and Duolingo. It, like those popular platforms, provides a convenient method to dip in and out of classes with a modern, user-friendly layout. If you're a premium subscriber, you can also get a Mcgraw Hill certification at the end of the course, so you'll have something to show for your language skills. Other options (at an additional cost) include the ability to hold live sessions with tutors and have an advanced speaker remark on and correct your courses.

We loved how this platform allows you to work smoothly between platforms because your progress is saved to a profile rather than a specific device, allowing you to swap between your laptop and phone. Busuu also identifies 'poor' learning areas for you, so you know what to work on based on your frequent errors.

However, the ability to download content, which is only available with a premium subscription, was missing. You'll also only have access to a diverse set of learning methods if you pay, as the free membership only provides fundamental strategies such as quizzes, flashcards, and repetition exercises.

Specifications

• Formats: Windows, Macs, iOs and Android
• Free trial: Basic free membership available
• Offline learning: Only with premium subscription

Website: www.busuu.com

Reasons to buy

• App and desktop work simultaneously
• Straightforward interface
• Certification available

Reasons to avoid

• Premium subscription necessary to set up a study plan or access lessons offline