Duolingo is the most popular language learning app. Thanks to its dopamine-inducing interface, minimal UI and set of mascots that grow on you, it’s very easy to get hooked. But is it really the best app for you? Are there any Duolingo alternatives that could optimise your learning?
If you’re serious about learning languages, Duolingo might not satisfy your needs. It’s excellent for beginners, but once you’ve covered the basics, there’s not much more the little owl can teach you.
In this article, we’ll explore the top Duolingo alternatives for personalising your Italian learning journey in 2025. We’ll cover the best apps, websites, and even books available. Let’s get started!
Duolingo alternatives for Italian learners
Below, you will find six great Duolingo alternatives for learning Italian, with options for learners of all levels.
LingoDeer
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I consider this to be the closest Duolingo alternative for learning Italian, and a better one at that. LingoDeer does a much better job with grammar, and still manages to be highly interactive, keeping you hooked with a variety of exercises that feel very similar to Duolingo.
It has a structured approach with a path that is similar to Duolingo. It leads you from the absolute beginner level to the lower intermediate level (B1), so it’s excellent if you have no experience of learning Italian whatsoever. Note that Duolingo Italian only takes you to the A2 level as of July 2025.
You can choose to be guided through the course or proceed at your own pace, focusing on vocabulary exercises for weaker words. You can also read thorough grammar explanations as you go along. You can even adjust the audio speed to suit your needs!
Now for the downside. The free version is very limited, almost like a demo, and allows you to try the first few lessons without creating an account. However, you’ll need a paid membership (also available through a one-time purchase) to access the full Italian course. I think it’s worth it, particularly if you find gamification motivating, and the quality of the course is high. Paid users can also download content for offline use.
Key features
- Highly interactive
- Native audio recordings
- Very thorough grammar notes
- Offline mode
Cons
- Free version limited to the first lessons
Clozemaster
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Clozemaster takes its name from the type of exercise it specialises in: cloze exercises, also known as fill-in-the-blank exercises. You’re given an Italian sentence where one word is missing, and you have to fill the gap based on the context.
As Clozemaster’s primary focus is contextual learning rather than grammar, it is an excellent resource for intermediate and advanced learners who already have a basic understanding of Italian grammar. However, you can practise grammar points through Grammar Challenges.
Even if you’re a beginner, there are many benefits to using Clozemaster from scratch. The sooner you start learning a language in context, the sooner you will recognise common patterns. Clozemaster is the best resource for learning Italian collocations and sentence structure.
If you’re feeling competitive, you can compete against other players and see your name on the leaderboard. How? By learning, of course!
Clozemaster offers a free version. The Pro version is also available and unlocks unlimited exercises.
Key features
- Contextual learning with cloze exercises
- Track your progress with complete statistics
- Free version available
- Language blog with thorough Italian lessons
Cons
- No detailed grammar explanations in the app (but there’s a blog)
Babbel
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Babbel is one of the best apps for Italian beginners. It’s ideal for those new to language learning who want a structured approach based on real-life situations and a variety of topics. You can learn at your own pace, and the app will always guide you to the next step.
Like LingoDeer, Babbel offers grammar explanations. Duolingo has some grammar insights in the “Guidebook” section of each unit, but they are very basic and might not suit your needs. Babbel provides just the right amount of grammar explanations to get you started.
Unlike many other apps, Babbel focuses on improving your speaking skills thanks to its voice recognition technology and speaking prompts.
If you already know some Italian, why not try La bottega di Babbel? It’s a series of free podcasts about Italian culture!
One downside is that Babbel only offers a free demo – the first lesson is available to try for free. The paid version provides access to the complete Italian course and comes with a variety of subscription options.
Key features
- Excellent for a structured and comprehensive approach
- Audio recordings by native speakers, not robots!
- Voice recognition software for speaking skills
Cons
- No free version available
Mango Languages
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Mango’s comprehensive Italian course covers many aspects of the language, including grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and culture, with an interesting twist.
The elements that make up a sentence are color-coded, so you can see how Italian syntax works! It is great for beginners who want to learn Italian through practical dialogue.
Unfortunately, no free version is available. But…
Pro tip! If you have a large city library card in the US, chances are your library has access to Mango Languages. Smaller libraries may not have it, but it doesn’t hurt to try! 🙂
Key features
- Color-coded syntax
- Voice recording software
- Insights on Italian culture
Cons
- No free version
Busuu
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Busuu is another comprehensive Italian learning suite with a variety of reading, writing, speaking, and listening exercises. It also includes grammar explanations.
Busuu has you take a placement test to recommend the most suitable Italian course for your level. This way, you won’t have to start from scratch and lose valuable learning time. However, when it comes to languages, repetition is always useful.
This means it is also a great resource for intermediate learners because it offers advanced lessons on more complex topics, such as politics.
Most notably, Busuu has a thriving community that you can interact with to have your Italian exercises corrected by native speakers! In return, you can correct others’ exercises.
With the paid plan, you can study offline and add more than one language, among other perks.
Key features
- Fairly comprehensive
- Active user community
Cons
- Free content is limited
Memrise
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Memrise is an established player in the language-learning app market and an excellent choice for beginners looking to learn common phrases and vocabulary using spaced repetition. The UI resembles a flashcard game where you’re shown a word or short sentence and are asked to translate or write down what you hear. You will learn a substantial amount of vocabulary in a wide range of topics.
Memrise’s courses are especially successful because they use a gamified approach. The courses are packed with short clips of native speakers that provide an immersive experience – it looks like they’re talking directly to you!
Memrise is excellent for memorizing new words. However, its lack of a structured approach and grammar explanations may discourage some users. Nevertheless, it’s an excellent resource to use alongside others to maximize learning.
Memrise offers a free version. Upgrading to Memrise Pro gets rid of ads and unlocks all scenarios and AI content. Pro membership is also available through a one-time purchase.
Pro tip! In the past, Memrise allowed anyone to create their own set of flashcards to study with. These sets are known as community courses. Some of these courses contain thousands of Italian words that you can learn for free and include audio recordings, like this course. However, as of July 2025, community courses are no longer available through the mobile app, only as a web app. There are plans to sunset these courses at the end of 2025, so try them on your desktop while you still can!
Key features
- Excellent for vocabulary drills
- Addicting short clips with native speakers
Cons
- No grammar explanations
- Limited content on the free version
- Official courses are limited on the free version (try community courses!)
Are these Duolingo alternatives really enough for learning Italian?
The short answer is… no.
Although our recommendations are the best language-learning resources on the market, they will always focus more on one aspect of language learning (reading or listening, for example) to the detriment of another (grammar or speaking, for instance). Even the most comprehensive resources, such as LingoDeer, have shortcomings.
The thing is, you don’t have to use just one app – and you shouldn’t. To learn Italian more successfully, combine the best resources to exercise all aspects of the language at the same time.
For this reason, I recommend trying other Italian learning resources that aren’t as gamified as the Duolingo alternatives listed above. The resources in the next section are very helpful when used with more interactive apps.
Complementary resources to Duolingo alternatives for Italian learners
Anki
Anki is more of a software program than a language-learning platform. Unlike Memrise, it doesn’t offer language courses. However, it allows its community to create and share flashcard sets that you can use to study.
Its strong point is spaced repetition. It’s available as a web and mobile app. It’s completely free, and there are many Italian flashcard sets readily available. However, it lacks grammar explanations and focuses primarily on building vocabulary. For this reason, it’s best used alongside a more comprehensive Duolingo alternative.
The software is highly customizable. If you can’t live without gamification, a template that mimics the Memrise UI and functionality is available to install as an add-on. Vanilla Anki may have a blank, almost boring look if you’re coming from flashier apps like Duolingo.
Drops
Drops is a web and mobile app focused on vocabulary. All words are accompanied by exclusive animations and native audio recordings. The free version allows five minutes of learning per day, which is enough time to learn a handful of new words. A paid version is available for unlimited learning.
Assimil Italian
Assimil is an old favorite of mine. They offer interactive and “old-fashioned” language courses for major languages. There are also quite a few Italian resources, including a comprehensive course that will bring you up to level A2.
Italy Made Easy YouTube channel
Italy Made Easy is a YouTube channel managed by an Italian native speaker. True to its name, it makes learning Italian easy. Notably, the teacher provides excellent grammar explanations, and, unlike many other Italian teaching channels on YouTube, he speaks in English.
Duolingo alternatives for Italian learners – Let’s wrap it up
As you can see, there are many alternatives to Duolingo. Studying Italian doesn’t have to break the bank, as many resources like Clozemaster, Memrise, and Anki offer plenty of free material.
Pick and choose according to your needs! But also consider your tastes. If you are a strong visual learner, you will not be too impressed by resources such as Anki that rely on rote memorization with minimal UI. The most important thing is that you are consistent and don’t drop a course after a few days just because you find it unappealing.
My advice is to stick to one or two apps at most at the beginning. Try LingoDeer and Clozemaster, or Babbel and Memrise. Once you have a basic foundation in Italian, you can “spread out” and include more material. Before you know it, you’ll have learned everything that all the Duolingo alternatives have to offer and you’ll be able to watch Italian shows on Netflix!
Buono studio!
Clozemaster has been designed to help you learn the language in context by filling in the gaps in authentic sentences. With features such as Grammar Challenges, Cloze-Listening, and Cloze-Reading, the app will let you emphasize all the competencies necessary to become fluent in Italian.
Take your Italian to the next level. Click here to start practicing with real Italian sentences!
