· 6 min read
Best App to Learn Italian: What to Check
By Language Lab editorial team
Best app to learn Italian: seven things to check before you choose, what Italian asks of an app, official material to pair it with and a one-week test.
The best app to learn Italian is the one that has you speaking from the first lesson and keeps testing you. Italian is one of the fastest languages an English speaker can learn: the US State Department lists it at 24 weeks of classes, the bottom of its easiest category. It is read as it is written, so you can speak at once. Check seven things before you choose: spoken practice with a response, native audio, self-testing, spaced review, real-life situations, levels from A1 upward, and a link to one of Italy's official certificates. With a language this approachable, the main risk is an app that entertains you without making you produce sentences. Pair it with the Open University's free courses, and try it for a week before you pay.
What Italian asks of an app
- Speech at once. Italian is read as it is written, so there is no reason for an app to delay speaking.
- Gender with every noun. The app should always show a noun with its article.
- Verb endings as sets. Each tense has six endings, and the app should drill them in sentences.
- Words you know. Italian shares much vocabulary with English, and a good course uses it.
Seven things to check
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Speaking | You say sentences aloud and get a spoken or written response, in situations you will meet. |
| Audio | Recordings by native speakers at natural speed. |
| Writing system | Italian uses the Latin alphabet; check that the app teaches the sound of each letter combination through audio. |
| Self-testing | The app makes you produce the answer before it shows it. |
| Spaced review | Old material comes back after days and weeks, not only in the lesson where you met it. |
| Real situations | Lessons are built on things you will do: meeting people, shopping, travelling, working. |
| Levels | Stages are named, and you can see how they relate to an official scale or exam. |
Why testing and spacing come first
A 2013 review of ten learning techniques, led by John Dunlosky, rated two as high utility: practice testing and distributed practice. Rereading and highlighting were rated low. So an app that makes you produce an answer, and brings items back after a gap, is using your time better than one that lets you tap through and move on.
Test an app in one week
- Day 1: do the first lesson. Did you speak aloud, or only tap?
- Day 2: start a new lesson. Did the app bring back yesterday's material?
- Day 3: check the audio. Is every Italian sentence recorded, and can you replay it?
- Day 4: look for the level map. Can you see where the course ends?
- Day 5: try to say five sentences from memory. If you cannot, the app is not testing you enough.
- Day 7: decide. Keep the app only if you spoke every day.
Pair it with official material
- The Open University's Getting started with Italian 1, 2 and 3: free courses of 8 hours each on OpenLearn.
- Talk Italian and La Mappa Misteriosa, from the BBC: archived video courses for beginners.
- CILS sample exams, from the University for Foreigners of Siena.
Aim at a level
Italy has four official certifications of Italian as a foreign language: CILS, from the University for Foreigners of Siena; CELI, from the University for Foreigners of Perugia; CERT.IT, from Roma Tre University; and PLIDA, from the Dante Alighieri Society. All follow the levels of the Common European Framework, so choose an app whose levels do the same.
A note on our own app
Language Lab is our app, so judge it by the same list. Language Lab's Italian course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor. Use the one-week test above on it as you would on any other.
Frequently asked
What is the best app to learn Italian?
The one that makes you speak Italian aloud, tests you before showing the answer, brings old material back for review and shows you clear levels. Try it for a week before paying.
Is Italian easy to learn with an app?
Italian is one of the fastest languages for English speakers: the US State Department lists it at 24 weeks of classes. An app works well if it makes you speak and tests you.
How long does it take to learn Italian?
The US State Department lists Italian at 24 weeks of classes, the bottom of its easiest category. An app does not shorten that; it helps you use the time well.
Are free Italian apps enough?
Official learning material is a strong start: The Open University's Getting started with Italian 1, 2 and 3 is one example. Whatever you use, check that you are speaking and being tested.
What features matter most in a language app?
Practice testing and spaced review, the two techniques a 2013 research review rated as high utility, and spoken practice with a response.
Can an app make me fluent in Italian?
An app can carry your daily practice. You will also need conversation with people and a structured course or exam target for the higher levels.
Sources: US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; University for Foreigners of Siena, CILS; University for Foreigners of Perugia, CELI; The Open University, OpenLearn, Getting started with Italian; BBC Languages, Italian (archived); Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Tre Cime di Lavaredo from Monte Specie, Dolomites, Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
