Best language apps for kids: prices and ages checked

The best language apps for kids depend on your child's age: Gus on the Go for under-6s, Dinolingo for a paid path from 2 to 14, free Duolingo once your kid reads well, and Mango for teens, often free through a public library. If you're a parent looking for screen time that teaches a language, those four cover every age.

Every price below comes from the app's own store listing or pricing page, checked in October 2026. Most of the lists ranking above this page are written by an app company that puts itself first.

Which kids language app fits your child's age?

Age matters more than the language. A pre-reader needs pictures and audio; a 9-year-old can handle written exercises; a teen can use an adult app. The table sorts the options that way.

Verdict: for a child under 6, start with a $3.99 Gus on the Go app before paying for a subscription. From about 8, free Duolingo does most of what paid apps do.

Before paying for any kids app, read four lines of its store listing:

• the "Made for ages" line, which can differ from the age rating
• whether the free version shows ads
• the list of in-app purchases and what each one adds
• whether one subscription covers one child or the whole family

Is Gus on the Go a good language app for toddlers?

Gus on the Go is a good first language app for toddlers and preschoolers because it is cheap and closed: no ads, no in-app purchases, no links, and the developer says it collects no data (US App Store, checked October 2026). Each language is a separate $3.99 app.

The limit is size. The Portuguese edition teaches "nearly 90" words (animals, food, colors, numbers) through 10 activities. A child finishes it in a few weeks. That is fine for a first taste of Spanish or French, but it is not a course you keep for a year.

What does Dinolingo give kids for $19 a month?

Dinolingo gives kids a structured course of videos, songs, games, quizzes and read-along books, in 50 languages, with separate paths for pre-readers and for older children up to 14. It runs on web, iOS and Android, has no ads or chat rooms, and one family plan covers up to 6 children.

At $199 a year, Dinolingo makes sense if you have two or more kids learning, or a less common language that cheap apps don't cover. Use the 7-day trial with your child next to you. If they skip the videos to get to the games, the price buys little.

Is Duolingo a good language app for kids?

Duolingo is a good free language app for kids who read comfortably, usually from about 8. Every course is free in 40+ languages, and the lessons are short enough for a school night. The App Store rating is 4+, but the free version shows ads; Super removes them, with in-app prices from $9.99 to $119.99 (US App Store, checked October 2026).

Under 8, Duolingo frustrates more than it teaches: too much reading, too much typing. Our Duolingo vs Preply comparison explains what the app can and can't do for speaking.

Which kids apps look like language apps but aren't?

Duolingo ABC and Lingokids show up in most lists of language apps for kids, yet neither teaches a foreign language to an English-speaking child. Duolingo ABC is a free, ad-free app with over 700 lessons that teach children to read in English (alphabet, phonics, sight words). Lingokids now covers reading, math, science and art, in English.

Both are good apps. They are the right pick if your child is learning English as a second language, not if you want them to learn Spanish.

Which language app works for teens?

Mango Languages works well for teens, and your public library may pay for it. The app is rated 13+ on the US App Store and costs $13.99 a month or $119.99 a year on your own, or $149.99 a year for a family plan. Many US libraries give free access with a library card, and some also offer Little Pim, Mango's video series for under-6s.

A teen with an exam, such as AP Spanish, needs more than an app. Mango and Duolingo cover vocabulary; neither prepares a student to speak for several minutes with an examiner.

Can kids learn to speak a language with apps alone?

Kids rarely learn to speak from language apps alone, because an app decides every sentence and never asks a follow-up question. Apps teach words and train the ear. Speaking comes from talking to a person who waits for an answer.

A short lesson with a tutor fills that gap. Preply lists 3,066 Spanish tutors for kids, at an average of about $20 an hour (Preply, checked October 2026). The downside: lessons cost far more than any app, and the smallest plan is 4 lessons per 28-day cycle, so you commit for a month. Skip a tutor for a child under 5; songs and an app do the job until they can follow a screen.

For the routine, see how many lessons a week a child needs and our parent's guide to kids learning Spanish. The kids and teens page gathers the rest of our advice for families.