15+ Best Apps to Learn Italian

Start learning a new language today with our pick of the best apps to learn Italian.

Just some of our favourite apps to learn Italian include ItalianPod101, perfect for auditory learners, Rocket Languages, ideal if you’re looking for a well-rounded course and Busuu, which is great for beginners.

Our Pick of the Best Apps To Learn Italian

1. Busuu: 4/5

Cost: Free or $5.83/month for premium

Busuu is one of the best apps to learn Italian, especially for beginners. The quick, five-minute lessons range from topics like family, work, or hobbies, and cover everything from reading to writing, speaking to grammar. New vocabulary and elements of grammar are introduced using the flashcard method, and, after each lesson, there are exercises to help you retain what you’ve learnt. If you decide to purchase the premium version of the app, you will be able to use the forum where you can chat with Italian native speakers and have them correct your mistakes.

What we like:

  • The topics are very useful, relating to everyday life. 
  • The premium subscription offers a 7-day money-back guarantee.
  • The gamified learning experience makes learning fun!

What we don't like:

  • Some features can only be accessed by the premium version. 
  • The app is quite limited: you may need to use other resources to become fluent
italianpod101

2. ItalianPod101: 4/5

Cost: Free or $19

ItalianPod101 is one of the better tools out there for language learning. It is very easy to use, and has a great user interface, making it attractive to new students. ItalianPod101 offers high-quality audio and video lessons, as well as bonus exercises and activities. The main focus of the app is to learn the basics of grammar (through detailed explanations!) and to help you learn vocabulary which helps you to build sentences. ItalianPod101 focuses on all the core skills, like reading, listening and speaking, and also teaches you aspects of Italian culture. It is a very useful learning tool, and while the free version is helpful, if you want to make quick and good progress we’d advise purchasing the monthly subscription.

What we like:

  • The site is very well designed 
  • Available for offline use 
  • You can use it across all devices

What we don't like:

  • It doesn’t suit people who need the attention of a tutor 
  • The app uses too much English and not enough Italian 
  • The modules could be organized a little better

3. Radio Italia

Cost: Free

Radio Italia is simple and easy to use, making it one of the best apps to learn Italian. Its purpose is to give you access to native Italian speakers through the comfort of your own home. Radio Italia offers podcasts, music, interviews and videos all in Italian! This is great for those students who love to study while on the go. We would recommend this app for more advanced students with a good foundation of Italian since the app offers no English. If you're not interested in just listening practice, you can note down important words, repeat after the native speakers, and re-say what you’ve heard as speaking practice! 

What we like:

  • Hours of endless content. 
  • Great way to study while on the go. 
  • You can listen to real Native Speakers! 

What we don't like:

  • Beneficial for intermediate and advanced students only.
  • Not an actual course (doesn’t follow any structure) 
  • Can be used as a supplementary tool only.

4. Rocket Italian: 4/5

Cost: Italian Level 1 $149.95 for lifetime access

Rocket Italian takes you from “a total newbie to speaking proficient Italian”. Through a well-considered audio course, Rocket Italian helps you to achieve perfection in all aspects of language learning: your accent, your listening skills, your grammar and your ability to retain all the information that you’ve learnt. Each lesson is interactive and offers the following: flashcards, activities to help you reinforce what you learned, and finally exercises to help you practice pronunciation with a state-of-the-art recognition system. The course also offers cultural lessons where you can learn about Italian society and culture.

What we like:

  • Extremely comprehensive course. 
  • Allows you to track your progress. 
  • Includes a Members Q&A where you can speak to other Rocket Italian users. 
  • The price includes lifetime access. 

What we don't like:

  • It is quite expensive compared to its competitors
  • The voice recognition software isn't the best.

5. Drops

Cost: Free

Drops is an app that makes the process of learning Italian seem more like a game, rather than work. The app offers 50 topics to choose from which are based on everyday situations that you may find yourself in, such as going to school, going to the doctors and shopping. On Drops, you'll also find a selection of useful conversations you are likely to have with people you meet, which covers hobbies, pets, and sports. The activities included in this app include multiple-choice, spelling exercises, and, activities that get you to match up words to their corresponding pictures. The app also includes a section for grammar, which means you won't be limited to only learning vocabulary. 

What we like:

  • Drops uses a game-like approach to help you learn Italian.
  • The topics available are very useful for everyday situations. 
  • The app has a friendly interface, making it fun to use. 

What we don't like:

  • Only available on the IOS app store.
  • You can only use the app for 10 minutes a day (before they ask you for payment). 
  • You have to purchase the pro version of the app to access all of the topics.

6. Babbel: 4/5

Cost: $12.95

Babbel is an app for beginners and advanced students alike. However, we would recommend it more for beginner to intermediate students as advanced students may find the learning methods slightly repetitive. It's cheaper than some other apps on the market, like Rosetta Stone, but it offers a lot more comprehensive learning than some of the free apps on the market. So how does Babbel work? It introduces vocabulary in gamified flashcards. Afterwards, there is a selection of exercises and activities to help you retain all the information you learned. Whether you’re on the go, studying from work or home, Babbel will make your learning easier.

What we like:

  • Babbel is available on IOS and Android. 
  • There is a tracking system to help you track what you learned and how you're progressing.  
  • Babbel makes it easy to help you to study every day.

What we don't like:

  • The activities can get boring after some time, especially for more advanced learners. 
  • Limited lessons and activities are available.

7. Brainscape Italian

Cost: Free or $9.99 a month

Brainscape's flashcard app is designed to get you to learn Italian quickly and effectively and is one of the best apps to learn Italian. It uses a Spaced Repetition System (SRS)  to help you memorise new vocabulary. The team at Brainscape decided that that spaced repetition is the key to foreign language retention, which is why they centred their whole app around this method. The app works like other apps on the market, slowly introducing new vocabulary and helping you memorise it efficiently and effectively. Aside from teaching vocabulary, Brainscape also teaches concepts of grammar and other cultural facts. They even include Certified Classes that have been developed by experts, alongside their user-created content. With the free version of the app you have limited access to the premium decks (like those Certified Classes) but you have unlimited user access content.

What we like:

  • Created by experts in the field. 
  • Includes Certified Classes 
  • Includes flashcards on vocabulary, grammar and culture facts too!

What we don't like:

  • The Premium version is quite expensive, but you can't access the Certified Classes otherwise. 
  • There are a lot of courses available so it can be a little overwhelming.

8. Duolingo: 3.5/5

Cost: Free

Duolingo is one of the best apps to learn Italian if you’re on a budget. Why? Well, because it is completely free! The purpose of the app is to teach you Italian using a game-like approach to learning. You learn important skills like listening, speaking, reading and writing all in one place. It uses the flashcard method to help you memorise words and phrases and later introduces you to activities to help you retain them in your long-term memory. It even helps you focus on grammar, something that free apps tend to avoid. Duolingo lets you set your own goals for how often and for how long you'd like to study each day, and you can even compete with your friends by tracking your high scores!

What we like:

  • You can set your own goals and track your progress.
  • Great for casual learners who are on a budget. 
  • You can use the point scoring system to compete with your friends. 

What we don't like:

  • You will need to supplement your learning with other resources. 
  • The Duolingo Owl can be a little annoying 

9. Mondly: 3/5

Cost: Free or $9.99/month

Mondly is an app that can be used by beginner students, as well as intermediate and advanced learners. It teaches students vocabulary, phrases, as well as basic grammar. Popular topics include food and drink, hobbies and occupations, your home and much more. A unique aspect of the app is that you can follow your progress and compete with your friends by tracking each other’s scores. Unfortunately, the app isn't entirely free and if you want to continue learning for longer and have access to more content you will have to purchase the Premium version. However, for the abundance of levels and topics, this app includes, we think it’s worth it.

What we like:

  • Completely free but there are in-app purchases. 
  • You can track your progress and compete with your friends. 
  • Great tool for language learning.

What we don't like:

  • The app is pretty limited.
  • The free version isn’t worth using.

10. Memrise: 3/5

Cost: Free or $8.99/month for the premium

Memrise follows a fun and interactive method to get students of all ages and abilities interested in language learning. If you are a beginner you can study new words and attempt to put together sentences, however, as an advanced student, you can aim to learn a new set of words every day. Memrise encourages you to learn languages through their game-like flashcard activities. The goal is to teach you by constant repetition so all the words will be stored in your long-term memory. Memrise is free but it also includes a pro version where you can watch videos of native speakers and improve your listening and pronunciation skills.

What we like:

  • The game-like learning concept is very fun and addictive.
  • Memrise is completely free.
  • Hundreds of courses available: some created by Memrise and others by the user community.

What we don't like:

  • You won’t be able to become fluent just using Memrise. 
  • Some of the features are only available in the Pro version.

11. Italian By Nemo

Cost: Free upgrade for $11.99

Italian by Nemo is one of the best apps to learn Italian for casual students. It offers a lot of flexibility to allow you to study Italian at your own pace. All you need is around five minutes a day to start learning Italian. The app focuses on essential words and phrases that you might need for your learning purposes. Other features included are an interactive phrasebook and a voice recognition element to help you with pronunciation. The app can be downloaded for free, but if you want to access more content you will need to unlock the pro version.

What we like:

  • No structure or lessons. 
  • Encourages quick five-minute study sessions  
  • Interactive phrasebook available.

What we don't like:

  • The pro version is quite expensive for what you get. 
  • You won't reach fluency through this app alone

12. Rosetta Stone

Cost: $11.99/month for a 3-month subscription 

Rosetta Stone is a platform that every language learner has heard of. It is one of the oldest courses on the market and teaches Italian through listening and word association. The main activity you’ll do on the Rosetta Stone app is matching words and phrases to pictures. You won't be able to become fluent in, but it will be able to teach you the basic vocabulary, as well as the basics of sentence structure, and most importantly: it will get you learning! The downside to Rosetta Stone is that it is quite expensive and is outdated compared to other options on the market.

What we like:

  • Rosetta Stone has over 25 years of experience in the industry 
  • One-time payment for lifetime access to the course.

What we don't like:

  • Very expensive compared to other courses. 
  • Not enough to help you reach fluency.
  • Very outdated and regimented learning process.

13. Tandem: 5/5

Cost: Free

Tandem is a chat app that can help you practice your language skills with native speakers. This unique feature makes it one of the best apps to learn Italian. It allows you to send messages, voice notes, and even join voice or video calls with fellow Tandem users. Simply complete your profile on the app, input the languages you speak and which languages you want to learn. Then, while scrolling through the app you should be able to find someone you want to speak with that shares similar interests with you to strike up a conversation with.

What we like:

  • Great way to find native speakers. 
  • The app includes a lot of great additional features, like a translation feature. 
  • Available on Android and IOS.

What we don't like:

  • You will need basic knowledge of Italian to converse with people. 
  • Not an actual course, only a supplementary tool.

14. Learn Italian by Bravolol

Cost: $4.99

Bravolol is a very simple and easy-to-use app that is ideal for beginner students. The app starts by teaching you the most basic phrases to help you navigate everyday situations, like shopping, work, hobbies, and travelling. Bravolol also includes voice recordings which means you will be able to learn how to perfect your pronunciation. The downside is that Bravolol doesn’t teach you grammar, however, for such a basic app, we understand why that is. If you want to purchase the premium version, you will have access to more advanced lessons and advanced topics like accommodation, opinions and more.

What we like:

  • Easy to use and friendly interface.
  • Great guide for learning Italian pronunciation. 
  • The premium version isn’t too expensive. 

What we don't like:

  • Doesn't include any grammar help. 
  • Won’t be able to teach you Italian past beginner level. 
  • You’ll need to purchase the premium version to benefit the most from Bravolol

15. Learn Italian – 50 Languages

Cost: Free or $2.99

Learn Italian is a great app for beginners, and one of the best app to learn Italian for kids. It offers a lot of vocabulary practice, that comes with images making it easier to associate the words with their meaning. The app also uses games and activities to help you learn, such as word searches, crossword puzzles and activities where you have to join up the words to their image counterparts.  There are over 30 free activities for students to use, however, if you want access to more activities and a larger library of vocabulary you can purchase the app for just $2.99. Although this game might not help you reach fluency, it is a great start and will motivate you to learn a little bit of Italian every day.

What we like:

  • A large array of vocabulary and phrases 
  • The activities can be downloaded offline 
  • Easy to use, and can be great for kids too.  

What we don't like:

  • Only 30 exercises are available for free  
  • The app doesn’t include an easy to use interface 

16. MosaLingua

Cost: $9.99/month

MosaLingua is a flashcard app that helps you study Italian through a Spaced Repetition System (SRS). The SRS calculates which words should be appearing on the app before you forget them or before they are stored in your long-term memory. If you recognise the word, the app will stop displaying it, but if the app thinks you might forget a word, it will keep bringing it up until you successfully remember it. There are an impressive 14 categories and 100 sub-categories to make your way through, along with conversations, audio files and a phrasebook. Although MosaLingua won’t get you talking fluently, it will pave the way towards your Italian fluency.

What we like:

  • Tonnes of content available for a reasonable price. 
  • There is a progress tab to help you watch your development. 
  • Great for adults, as well as kids.

What we don't like:

  • Learning method can get repetitive   
  • Not a well-rounded course, only a supplementary tool
  • Only a handful of native-speaker recordings

17. Lingvist

Cost: Free or $9.99/month

Lingvist is a spaced repetition platform that uses neural networks and machine learning to offer some of the most innovative language learning software on the planet. Lingvist's goal is to “accelerate human learning”, starting with language learning, and they've developed the program to back up this claim. The main interface of Lingvist looks like a physical flashcard with high-quality human recordings (no synthesised voices here!), and offers the ability to build your own custom decks. Using the software to optimise your learning, you can memorise 5000 of the most commonly used Italian words like never before.

What we like:

  • Learn up to 5000 of the most commonly used words.
  • Learn as many new words per day as you want.
  • Unlimited access to all reading, listening, and speaking challenges.

What we don't like:

  • Free model is limited.
  • Better used as a supplementary tool, rather than a main course.
  • Limited selection of languages compared to other apps.