If Duolingo taught you kana and a few hundred words but you still cannot say a sentence, the best alternative is whatever adds speaking to the habit you already have: an app that makes you say sentences out loud every day (FluencyTool, Pimsleur), or a person to talk to (HelloTalk free, italki paid). Below: a three-question chooser, what replaces each part of Duolingo, and seven options compared with prices checked on November 1, 2026.
Disclosure: we make FluencyTool, one of the apps below. The other facts come from each app’s US App Store listing, Google Play page and website, checked on November 1, 2026. We have no affiliate links.
In short
- Keep the habit, add speaking: ten minutes of sentences said out loud every day does more for speaking than a second app of tapped lessons.
- Without a person: FluencyTool (free, shadowing checked by speech-to-text) or Pimsleur (paid audio course).
- With a person: HelloTalk (free exchange) or italki (tutors, paid per lesson).
Which Duolingo alternative fits you? Answer three questions
We make FluencyTool, so read its recommendation with that in mind; the chooser sends you elsewhere whenever another option fits your answers better.
What did Duolingo give you, and what replaces it for speaking?
Duolingo does several jobs at once. Keep the parts that still work for you and replace the ones that do not train speaking.
| Duolingo gave you | What it trained | For speaking, use |
|---|---|---|
| A daily habit | Showing up every day | Keep the habit, but make the daily slot spoken: ten minutes of sentences said out loud, with an app that sets a daily goal (FluencyTool) or the free 10-minute shadowing routine |
| Gamified lessons | Recognising and translating sentences | Lessons you answer out loud: Pimsleur (audio) or Busuu (course with recorded answers) |
| Kana | Reading hiragana and katakana | Nothing to replace. If some characters are still shaky, the kana quiz finds them in two minutes |
| Vocabulary | Recognising words when you see them | Spaced repetition you say aloud: Anki decks, or FluencyTool’s JLPT flashcards next to its speaking practice |
| Listening | Understanding short, slow sentences | Shadowing: repeat each sentence a moment behind the audio, then compare your recording with it |
| Speaking exercises | Saying short answers to the app | A person: HelloTalk voice messages (free) or an italki tutor (paid per lesson) |
Duolingo alternatives compared
| App | Price (US) | Platforms | Good for | Gap it leaves for speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo (baseline) | Free tier; Super Duolingo from $9.99 in the App Store’s in-app list (period not stated there); the AI Video Call needs Max | Android, iPhone, web | A daily habit, gamified lessons, kana | Speaking exercises are short spoken answers; open conversation (Video Call) is a Max feature |
| Pimsleur | Japanese Premium $19.99 in the App Store’s in-app list; free trial | Android, iPhone, web | An audio course you answer out loud; Conversation Coach role-plays for Japanese | Scripted prompts: you say what the course asks, not your own sentences |
| Busuu | Free tier; paid plans from $6.99 a month or $79.99 a year | Android, iPhone, web | A structured Japanese course, 570+ lessons from A1 to B2 | Feedback on your written and recorded answers comes from other learners, not live conversation |
| italki | Pay per lesson; Japanese trial lessons from $5 | Android, iPhone, web | Live one-to-one speaking with a tutor | Every session costs money and needs booking, so most days have no speaking |
| HelloTalk | Free; VIP $12.99 a month or $79.99 a year | Android, iPhone | Text and voice messages with Japanese speakers learning your language | No structure; corrections only when your partner chooses to give them |
| Anki | Free on computers and Android (AnkiDroid); AnkiMobile for iPhone $24.99 once | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone | Spaced-repetition vocabulary and kana with shared decks | No speaking practice: you can say the cards aloud, but nothing listens |
| FluencyTool (ours) | Free; one optional one-time purchase removes ads | Android, iPhone, web | Daily shadowing checked by speech-to-text, JLPT N5 to N1 in 25 sub-levels | No tutor or conversation partner; it checks the words you said, not your accent |
Pimsleur: the closest swap for a gamified course
Pimsleur lessons are about 30 minutes of audio: a narrator prompts you, you answer out loud, then you hear the right answer. Its App Store listing says role-play practice with voice recognition (Conversation Coach) is now available for Japanese. The US App Store’s in-app list shows Japanese Premium at $19.99, and the listing offers a free trial. Gap: you say what the course asks, so it builds confidence with set phrases more than free conversation.
Busuu: if you liked lessons in order
Busuu’s website lists a complete Japanese course of more than 570 lessons from A1 to B2. Some exercises ask you to record or write an answer, and other learners, including Japanese speakers, comment on it. Paid plans on the US App Store start at $6.99 a month or $79.99 a year, with several tiers. Gap: feedback arrives later from other users; there is no live conversation.
italki: a tutor, paid per lesson
italki is a marketplace of tutors and teachers who set their own prices. On November 1, 2026, Japanese trial lessons on its teacher page started at $5, and italki’s help pages put typical lessons at $15 to $60 an hour. Gap: cost and scheduling; most learners book once or twice a week and need something for the days in between.
HelloTalk: free practice with people
HelloTalk pairs you with Japanese speakers who are learning your language, for text, voice messages and voice rooms. It is free, with a VIP subscription at $12.99 a month or $79.99 a year on the US App Store. Gap: no structure, and the quality depends on who answers.
Anki: vocabulary only
Anki is a spaced-repetition flashcard app with thousands of shared decks, including JLPT and kana decks. It is free on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android (AnkiDroid); AnkiMobile for iPhone is a one-time $24.99. Gap: it never hears you. Saying every card aloud helps, but it is not speaking practice. We also wrote about why people quit Anki.
FluencyTool: daily speaking without a person (ours)
FluencyTool’s Echo Fluency mode plays a Japanese sentence, opens the microphone when it ends, plays your recording back and checks it with speech-to-text. Sentences are graded from JLPT N5 to N1 in 25 sub-levels, missed sentences come back in the same session, and a dashboard shows your daily speaking goal. It also has JLPT vocabulary flashcards. It is free on Android, iPhone and the web, and one optional one-time purchase removes ads.
Limits, plainly: there is no tutor and no live conversation. Speech-to-text checks the words you said, not how native your accent sounds. Echo Fluency needs an internet connection. The model voices are text-to-speech, not recordings of people. Beyond the first N5 survival phrases it expects you to read hiragana and katakana.
Should you quit Duolingo or keep it?
If Duolingo is the reason you study every day, keep it and add speaking next to it. If you have stopped opening it, the habit is already gone, and starting fresh with a speaking-first app is the cleaner move. Our piece on why people quit Duolingo covers the usual reasons and what learners add, and the comparison of Japanese speaking practice apps looks at speaking apps in more depth, including Speak and Duolingo Max.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Duolingo alternative for speaking Japanese?
It depends on whether you want a person. For daily speaking without one, use an app that makes you say sentences out loud and checks them, such as FluencyTool (ours, free) or Pimsleur (paid audio course). For real conversation, HelloTalk is free and italki tutors are paid per lesson. The chooser on this page picks one for you in three questions.
Is there a free alternative to Duolingo for Japanese?
Yes. FluencyTool is free with ads and checks your spoken sentences; HelloTalk is free for messages and voice chats with Japanese speakers; Anki is free on computers and Android for vocabulary. Busuu has a free tier, with paid plans for the full course.
Should I stop using Duolingo to learn Japanese?
Not if it keeps you studying every day. Duolingo is good at building the habit and teaching kana and basic words. What it gives you least is speaking, so most learners keep a short Duolingo session and add ten minutes of speaking practice rather than switching completely.
Can Duolingo teach you to speak Japanese?
Only a little. Its Japanese lessons include short speaking exercises, and the AI Video Call conversation needs the Max subscription. Most lessons train reading, listening and matching, so learners who finish units often still cannot hold a conversation without extra speaking practice.
Is Pimsleur better than Duolingo for speaking?
For speaking, usually yes: every Pimsleur lesson asks you to answer out loud, while most Duolingo exercises are tapped. Pimsleur’s Japanese Premium is $19.99 in the US App Store’s in-app list and follows a fixed course, so it suits learners who like audio lessons, for example on a commute.
Last reviewed November 1, 2026. Sources: the US App Store listings of Duolingo, Pimsleur, Busuu, italki, HelloTalk and AnkiMobile; Google Play pages for Android availability; pimsleur.com, busuu.com, italki.com (Japanese teachers page) and apps.ankiweb.net; Duolingo’s Video Call announcement (blog.duolingo.com); our own FluencyTool product page. Found something out of date? Email fluencytool@my-senpai.com.