Italian language learning app. Ranking TOP 6

In recent years, learning foreign languages through apps has stopped being a curiosity and has become one of the most popular forms of education. The ability to learn “on the go,” access to artificial intelligence technology, attractive graphic design, and a variety of approaches have led even those who once gave up on languages after school to return to learning — this time with a phone in hand.
So how does it look when it comes to Italian language learning app?

Learning Italian with Language Apps

Italian, as an exceptionally melodic language full of emotions and cultural references, enjoys great popularity — but can a language learning app really teach you to speak Italian?

There are many tools available on the market — from extensive grammar courses to lightweight, visual vocabulary apps. Some focus on gamification, others on interaction with a teacher, and still others — like Taalhammer — offer personalized content powered by artificial intelligence.

In this article, I compared six popular apps — Taalhammer, Duolingo, Busuu, Drops, LingQ, and italki — from the perspective of someone learning Italian.
I focused on how well each one:

– personalizes the process of learning Italian,
– helps reinforce the material,
– teaches real spoken and written language,
– motivates the user to learn regularly,
– supports different learning styles.

Let’s dig in!

Table of contents

Learning Italian with Language Apps
How do Taalhammer, Duolingo, Busuu, Drops, LingQ, and italki support personalized Italian learning?
How Taalhammer, Busuu, Duolingo, LingQ, Drops, and italki Reinforce Material. The role of repetition in a language learning app for Italian
Context and Authenticity: Are You Learning a Living Language or an Artificial One?
Motivation, Habit, and Daily Practice – What Will Keep You Coming Back to Your Italian Learning App?
How to Match a Language Learning App for Italian to Your Learning Style
Which App for Learning Italian Really Works?
Which App for Learning Italian Truly Teaches?

How do Taalhammer, Duolingo, Busuu, Drops, LingQ, and italki support personalized Italian learning?

Italian is a language we usually learn out of passion — for cinema, music, cuisine, relationships. That’s why an effective app cannot treat you like a student going from A1 to C1, but as a person with your own motivation, taste, and learning plan.
Personalization in learning Italian is not a bonus — it is a prerequisite for success.

Some apps let you choose a topic, others let you pick a style, but only a few — like Taalhammer — give you full control over the content, context, and direction of your learning. Let’s see how the most popular tools handle it.

Taalhammer – Italian That Truly Interests You

In Taalhammer, you don’t learn a set called “Italian for travel A1,” but exactly what you really want to say. Are you interested in Italian cinema? You click on film, and the AI generates examples with words like regista, attore, scena. Are you learning about cooking? You click cucina and get sentences about preparing pasta, baking bread, ingredients.

It’s the only app that:
– lets you add your own sentences (e.g., from series, songs, notes),
– shows how these words function in context,
– lets you design your own thematic and lexical scope.

Example of personalization	Effect in Taalhammer
Typing the word andare	Sentences: Domani andiamo al mare, Vuoi andare al cinema?
Own sentence: Mi piace mangiare fuori.	It’s added to the repetition system and placed in other contexts
Clicking the word vino	Sentences: Hai mai bevuto il vino siciliano?, Preferisco il vino rosso.

Taalhammer doesn’t teach you a ready-made course. It builds your Italian, step by step, out of things that are yours.

Duolingo – Italian for Everyone, but in the Same Order

Duolingo offers a ready-made Italian course that does not adapt to your topics or interests. You learn the same things as everyone else: colors, fruits, animals, verbs, family relations.

If your goal is, for example, Italian for working in hospitality or for conversations with a mother-in-law from Naples, you have to wait until the app “gets there” — if it ever does. There’s no option to add your own content, notes, or even skip entire sections.

Busuu – Italian in a Course Structure with a Touch of Choice

Busuu offers a classic Italian course based on CEFR levels — from A1 to C1. You can choose a starting level, skip some lessons, but you can’t study outside the course plan.

Busuu gives you a choice of learning formats: listening, reading, speaking, writing — but the content is the same for everyone. For example: even if you already know colloquial Italian and want to learn formal language for work, you have no option to modify the material.

Drops – You Learn Words with Pictures, but Without Italian Context

Drops lets you choose a word category (e.g. food, sports, shopping), but it gives you no control over what you do with those words. There are no sentences, no context, no cultural connections.

It’s a quick and flashy way to learn for people going to Italy for a week — but if you really want to understand the difference between pranzare and cenare, Drops won’t be enough.

LingQ – Italian Through Reading and Listening, on Your Terms

LingQ gives you complete freedom to choose content. You can learn Italian by reading columns from La Repubblica, listening to podcasts about Sicilian culture,
or even uploading your own file with a recording from an Italian friend.

It’s an excellent way to learn for people who already know some Italian and want to immerse themselves in the language. But on the other hand, there’s no grammar support or active speaking practice.

italki – You Learn Italian with a Real Person Who Knows Your Needs

italki is a fairly flexible form of personalization — because you talk to a person who knows your goals and learning style. You can learn only culinary Italian, only formal language, or only a Neapolitan accent — it depends on who you’re talking to and what you agree on. It’s an ideal option for people who need Italian “right now” for a specific purpose — for work, for studies, or for living in Italy.

Conclusion – Which Language Learning App for Italian Offers the Best Personalization?

Taalhammer gives you the most, because not only do you choose what you learn and when, but you also don’t have to rely on anyone’s help. italki is also a good solution in terms of content personalization, but you’re dependent on your tutor, and the process of finding “the right” person can be tedious.

App	Scope of Personalization	Notes
Taalhammer	Full — own sentences, AI, context, clicking on words	The most flexible tool for conscious learners
LingQ	Own texts and podcasts	Good for immersion and language exposure
italki	Depends entirely on the tutor and you	Conversations on any topic, but time-consuming
Busuu	Limited — choice of level and pace	Good for structured learners, but with limited control
Duolingo	No personalization	A preset path, not tailored to individual needs
Drops	Choosing word categories	Fast, superficial, no context

Comparison of how each language learning app personalizes the user’s Italian learning experience.

How Taalhammer, Busuu, Duolingo, LingQ, Drops, and italki Reinforce Material. The role of repetition in a language learning app for Italian

Italian is a melodic language, full of idioms and structures that you need to feel and internalize through contact with real usage. It’s not enough to learn once that voglio means “I want.” You have to repeat: voglio un caffè, voglio imparare l’italiano, non voglio uscire stasera — until the construction becomes automatic.

That’s why the way an app handles repetition is crucial. Let’s take a look at how this works for Italian — in various tools.

Taalhammer – You Repeat Italian Through Writing and Context

In Taalhammer, every sentence you add to your learning (e.g. Non voglio andare al lavoro domani.) is added to a smart repetition system. But not as a “test question.”
It returns:

– as a question like “how do you say this in Italian?”,
– in new contexts, e.g. with irregular verbs, imperative mood, etc.

So you revise:

– constructions with volere, dovere, potere,
– expressions related to daily life (fare la spesa, stare a casa, uscire con gli amici),
– full sentences from topics that interest you — e.g. travel in Italy, Italian cuisine, family relationships.

Repetitions are tailored to what you actually want to be able to say — in real-life Italian.

Busuu – Italian Repeated According to the Course

Busuu reminds you of material based on your CEFR level. If you’re learning Italian at level A2, you’ll revisit topics such as:

– ordering food in a restaurant,
– introducing yourself,
– the passato prossimo tense (ho mangiato, sono andato).

Repetitions work well within the course content, but they don’t include your own utterances. For example, there’s no way to mark: “I want to practice this sentence again tomorrow.”

Duolingo – Italian “Comes Back” Often, but Randomly

Duolingo reminds you about words that haven’t been used often. That might mean a return to sentences like:

– La ragazza beve acqua.
– Io ho un libro rosso.
– Il gatto dorme sul tavolo.

But the app doesn’t know, for instance, that you still can’t use ci vuole correctly,
or that you confuse sapere with potere. Repetition isn’t based on your linguistic needs, but on a numerical algorithm.

LingQ – Italian Returns Through Immersion, but Without Support

LingQ doesn’t use a classic spaced repetition system. Instead, it shows you unfamiliar words in authentic Italian texts and podcasts. This works great if you’re reading a blog about Naples and the word quartiere appears four times in one article — you’ll learn it through context.

But on the other hand, there’s no mechanism that would plan a return to important structures — like the imperative (prendi, dammi, dimmi) or question forms with quando, come mai.

italki – You Repeat If You Have a Plan or a Good Teacher

italki is based on lessons with a tutor. If you have regular sessions and take notes (e.g. Vorrei parlare meglio del passato prossimo), you can review Italian effectively. But there’s no system that will remind you on its own: “repeat that sentence about Italian cinema from last week.” Everything depends on you and the teacher.

Drops – Italian Repeated with Pictures, Without Context

Drops shows you vocabulary related to food, travel, body parts — but with no grammar, no sentences, no structure. You learn forchetta, treno, dormire —
but not dove posso prendere il treno?

There’s also no distinction between bere and prendere da bere, or between sei and stai — because these words appear on their own, without real usage.

Conclusion – Which Language Learning App Helps You Remember Italian for the Long Term?

Application	What and how do you repeat in Italian	Effectiveness
Taalhammer	Sentences from life, your content, spoken and written, in time and form tailored to you	Very high
Busuu	CEFR-compliant course content	Average
Duolingo	Simple sentences randomly return	Low
LingQ	Repetition through immersion in texts	Good for advanced
italki	Depends on plan and regularity	High, if well planned
Drops	Single words without structure	Very low

How each language learning app supports long-term retention when learning Italian.

Want to know how long it takes to learn Italian? Read an article on the subject to find out the answer and speed up the process.

Context and Authenticity: Are You Learning a Living Language or an Artificial One?

Italian is a language full of emotions, gestures, and everyday situations that can’t be conveyed through out-of-context sentences like “The cat reads the newspaper.”
That’s why the key question is: does the app you’re using teach you the kind of language people really speak in Italy? In this part, I compared each app with Taalhammer to show exactly what the difference is.

Taalhammer vs Duolingo – Real Conversation or Dead Pattern?

In Taalhammer, every sentence comes from real life — either from your own experience or from content you choose yourself: TV shows, books, dialogues from Italy. You click on the word vino, and the system gives you authentic sentences like:

– Hai mai assaggiato il vino toscano?
– Vorrei un bicchiere di vino rosso, per favore.
– In Italia si beve il vino a pranzo.

Meanwhile, Duolingo presents artificial sentences about animals cooking pasta or girls reading books on rooftops. Some of them are funny, but they don’t prepare you for any real communication situations in Italy. These sentences may stick in your memory — thanks to their quirky form they may reinforce certain words or structures — but they’re not practical. Wouldn’t it be better to learn the kind of language you’ll actually use?

Taalhammer vs Drops – Context or Catalog?

Drops is an app that looks great — you learn words with images, like fragola, bicicletta, ospedale. The problem is that learning words without sentences is like memorizing puzzle pieces without the full picture.

In Taalhammer, you learn Italian the way it’s actually used — with verbs, prepositions, pronouns, and structures — but on your own terms.

Taalhammer vs Busuu – Grammar or Real Life?

Busuu offers many useful dialogues: how to order coffee, how to ask for directions, how to say where you work. But these are “classroom-style” dialogues — structured, textbook-like, with no natural linguistic shortcuts or typically Italian expressions like:

– Dai, andiamo!
– Ti va un caffè?
– Che ne dici di una pizza stasera?

Taalhammer also lets you learn colloquial, emotional, and regional language —
because it comes from real sources or your own life.

Taalhammer vs LingQ – Who Gives More Context, Who Gives More Structure?

LingQ lets you read and listen to authentic materials in Italian: podcasts, articles, stories. That’s a huge advantage — especially at a higher level. But… you don’t have a system that tells you what’s worth processing, reinforcing, saying out loud. Taalhammer, on the other hand, combines authenticity with structure and control.

Taalhammer vs italki – Full Context, but Only Live

italki is a good option if you have the time and resources to speak with a teacher and, of course, if you find the right one. You have 100% context, because you create it yourself, but everything depends on the person you’re talking to. There are too many unknowns in this solution. Without a plan and consistency — you won’t build a language system. Taalhammer can be the perfect complement.

Conclusion – Which App Teaches the Real, Living Italian Language?

App	Example Sentence Style	Language Authenticity
Taalhammer	Vorrei andare al lago domani, se fa bel tempo.	High – authentic sentences with context
Duolingo	Il topo mangia il formaggio rosso.	Artificial – unnatural, random sentences
Drops	Bicicletta, Forchetta, Letto	Zero sentences – just vocabulary without structure
Busuu	Vorrei prenotare una camera singola.	Correct but rigid – textbook-like
LingQ	Nel centro di Napoli la vita è frenetica.	Authentic texts – no control over structure
italki	Depends on the topic of conversation with your tutor	Real speech – but no systematic reinforcement

Comparison of sentence style and language authenticity in Italian language learning apps.

Motivation, Habit, and Daily Practice – What Will Keep You Coming Back to Your Italian Learning App?

Learning Italian is a marathon, not a sprint. When you start, you’re excited — but after a few days or weeks come tiredness, lack of time, frustration that you didn’t say a single word in Italian again. That’s when the role of the app changes — from “teacher” to “companion on the journey.” The question is: which app can actually keep you going?

And in the case of the Italian language — that’s especially important. Because most of us learn it for pleasure, not out of duty. We’re not driven by school, deadlines, or exams, but by the desire to order coffee in Italian, watch a show without subtitles, or understand a partner’s family.
If the app doesn’t support that — you’ll simply stop using it.

Taalhammer – Motivation Through Real Progress and Your Own Content

Taalhammer doesn’t give you points, animated characters, or daily tasks. Instead, it motivates you with progress that you can see and feel:

it teaches you the sentences you added yourself,
it shows how many times you’ve repeated certain structures,
it reminds you to review only when it’s really worth it.

If you’re learning Italian from movies, podcasts, or you jot down sentences you want to say to your Italian partner — those are the exact things that come back in your reviews. That’s why your daily learning makes sense — because it’s yours.

Motivation comes from the feeling that you’re truly “entering” the language — on your own terms.

Duolingo – Strong Gamification, Weak Control

Duolingo keeps users engaged through streaks, points, badges, and notifications like “your bird misses you.” That works — for a few days or weeks. But if you’re learning Italian to talk about Sorrentino’s films or buy cheese at an Apulian market — after the 50th time you type la ragazza mangia il panino, something breaks.

Motivation: short-term, visual, but not connected to real language use.

Busuu – Learning Plan and Reminder System

Busuu lets you set a plan: how many times a week you want to study, by when you want to reach level A2 or B1. The app reminds you to study and tells you how much is left to reach your goal.

That’s a great option for people who like structure and checklists. If you’re studying Italian in an organized way — e.g. preparing for the CELI exam — this system can help a lot. But if you’re learning to understand airport conversations in Rome — you won’t find much Italian soul here.

Motivation: tool-based, good for organized learners.

Drops – Short, Flashy Sessions – But Only for a Moment

Drops is a visual, fast, and well-designed app. Sessions last 5 minutes, the reminders are friendly, and it’s pleasant to click through words. The problem? You don’t build a language this way. No context, no structure, no repetition. The motivation that at first makes you think “wow, this looks great!” quickly turns into “what’s next?” In learning Italian — where rhythm and repetition are everything — it’s just not enough.

Motivation: aesthetic.

LingQ – Curiosity and Immersion Instead of Reminders

LingQ doesn’t offer reminders, points, or study plans. But if you’re interested in Italian culture, you can spend hours reading La Repubblica articles, listening to podcasts from Naples, or analyzing Fabrizio De André’s lyrics. If you have the habit of daily contact with Italian, LingQ can be a treasure. But if you need a system that tells you what, when, and why to repeat — you won’t find it here.

Motivation: intellectual, good for independent and advanced learners.

italki – Motivated by a Person, Not a System

italki won’t remind you that you have a lesson — but your teacher will. If you build a relationship with them, your Italian conversations can be the most motivating thing in the world. But if you forget to book the next session — nothing happens.

When learning Italian, especially if fluency is your goal, italki can be a huge support. But there’s no “system” that will force you to come back.

Motivation: relationship-based, driven by another human being.

Conclusion – Which App for Learning Italian Really Keeps You Motivated?

App	What motivates?	How it works for Italian learning
Taalhammer	Real progress, your own sentences, spaced reviews	Very effective — motivates through content and purpose
Duolingo	Points, streaks, rewards	Good for getting started, quickly wears out
Busuu	Plan and structure	Good for systematic learners
Drops	Aesthetics and short format	Too superficial for real language learning
LingQ	Curiosity, contact with authentic language	Motivating if you have a reading habit
italki	Relationship and social pressure	Works if you build a connection

Comparison of user motivation and effectiveness in Italian language learning apps.

How to Match a Language Learning App for Italian to Your Learning Style

Not everyone learns the same way — and that’s a good thing. Italian is a living, emotional, and social language. You can absorb it through speaking, analysis, reading, or quick repetitions. But only if the app supports your natural learning style will you keep up the rhythm and see real progress.

Below you’ll find a breakdown of five learning styles — with recommendations for which apps work best specifically for learning Italian.

Communicative Style → Best: Taalhammer

If you’re learning Italian because you want to speak, write, and converse — Taalhammer is made for you. From the very first day, you create full sentences, say them out loud, and practice in context. You learn as if you were speaking Italian every day — even without a conversation partner.

Effect: natural language production in speaking and writing, intuitive use of structures.

Contextual Style → Best: Taalhammer

If you remember things best when learning full sentences, semantic links, cultural topics — Taalhammer always wins. Each word leads to a network of contexts: idioms, phrases, collocations.

You click cena → you get:

– A che ora si cena in Italia?
– La cena di ieri era deliziosa.
– Di solito non ceno tardi.

Effect: you don’t just learn words, but “ready-to-use Italian building blocks”
that immediately work in conversation.

Immersive Style → Best: LingQ + Taalhammer

Do you like reading Italian articles, listening to podcasts, watching series and picking up vocabulary from them? Combine LingQ (source materials) with Taalhammer (reinforcement). In LingQ, you upload a text, and in Taalhammer you turn it into exercises: reviews, speaking practice, memory testing.

Example: you read a text about Roman cuisine → add sentences to Taalhammer:

– La carbonara non contiene panna.
– Hai mai mangiato la coda alla vaccinara?

Effect: you learn Italian “in the real world,” but you don’t forget it.

Relational Style → Best: italki + Taalhammer

If you need contact with another person, you learn through conversation, emotion, and interaction — start with a tutor on italki, but reinforce with Taalhammer. What you say, you later practice independently: you write down sentences, the SRS system maintains them.

Example: A lesson on holiday plans
→ Discuss the topic with your tutor,
→ write down new words in Taalhammer and expand your list with new expressions,
→ use them in your next lesson.

Effect: conversations have a continuation — because you keep learning their content every day.

Visual and Gamified Style → Duolingo

If you’re most motivated by interface, animations, quick quizzes, and daily streaks Duolingo might seem like a good choice. You click, earn points, track your progress. But… you don’t learn anything you can actually say in Italy — at least in the free version of the app. In 2024, Duolingo had 8 million paying subscribers out of 100 million active monthly users. That means over 90% of users use the version that doesn’t offer deep customization or real communication training. For many, the app works more like a mobile game than a language learning tool.

Examples:

– Il gatto legge un libro.
– L’uomo ha una mela rossa nella scarpa.
– La ragazza cucina un delfino.

Effect: fun for a few days, but no connection with living Italian.
Taalhammer isn’t for “fun clicking” — but it teaches the language you’ll actually use.

Which App for Learning Italian Really Works?

Are you wondering which language learning app for Italian will be best for you?
From this comparison, one thing is clear: it all depends on how you want to learn and what your goal is. If you’re looking for something simple, quick, and visual — you’ll find that. If you need regular lessons with a tutor — that’s possible too.

But if you care about truly making Italian a part of your mind and speech,
if you want to learn it on your own terms, at your own pace,
and from materials that are meaningful to you — there is an app that meets all those conditions. Not every app lets you learn with your own sentences,
not every app reacts to your clicks, not every app reminds you of a word exactly when you’re about to forget it.

Taalhammer doesn’t look like a game. It doesn’t offer animations or points.
But it gives you something else: language that sticks. Sentences you remember.
Structures you understand and can use. And that’s what really matters in language learning — especially a language like Italian, so full of expression, rhythm, and life.

Which App for Learning Italian Truly Teaches?

If you want to:

– speak and write in Italian from day one,
– understand what Italians really say in bars, at train stations, in TV shows,
– reinforce what matters most to you — in context and for the long term,

…try the app that doesn’t take everyone down the same path,
but lets you walk your own.