Busuu Alternatives for Learning English: 9 Honest Picks

Key takeaways

• Busuu's strengths are CEFR structure, community feedback and certificates; its main limits are that important tools are paid and that the app cannot replace real conversation.
• No single app does everything. Pick one main course, then add speaking practice and real listening.
• If your budget is zero, a free full course plus free podcasts and video can take you to an intermediate level.
• If speaking is your weakest skill, money spent on a human tutor usually has more impact than a second app subscription.
• Check prices on each official site: they change by country, platform and promotion.

Why people look for alternatives to Busuu

Busuu is a well-designed course, so most people who leave it are not unhappy with lesson quality. The reasons are usually about fit, and most come straight from how Busuu's product is built.

Key tools are on paid plans. On Busuu's pricing page, Premium includes grammar review, vocabulary review, speaking assessments, no ads and certificates, while Premium Plus adds AI conversations, pronunciation practice, exclusive content, streak protection and communication skills courses. A free user gets a narrower experience, so learners who want a full course at no cost look elsewhere.

They want real conversation. Community feedback is useful, but it is not the same as talking to a person in real time. Learners who need to pass an interview or speak at work often want a tutor or a class.

They want explanations in their own language. Busuu is built for many audiences at once. A learner who struggles with English grammar may prefer an app that explains it in Turkish, Spanish or another first language.

They prefer a different style. Some people want more game mechanics and competition; others want long reading and video. Busuu sits in the middle, which is fine for many but not ideal for everyone.

They need offline or a specific platform. Busuu runs on the web, iOS and Android, so platform is rarely the problem, but some learners specifically want a browser course with nothing to install.

The 9 best Busuu alternatives for English, ranked

The ranking below is for a typical adult English learner who wants steady progress at a reasonable cost. Your own ranking may differ, which is why every profile includes a "best for" line.

1. Duolingo: best large free course on mobile

• Best for: beginners who want a free, game-style daily habit on a phone.
• Price model: free with ads and limits; paid Super and Max plans add features. Prices vary by country.
• Strengths: a huge, polished English course; excellent apps; strong streak and league system; good for building a habit.
• Limits: explanations are short; free sentences and conversation are limited; higher levels feel less deep than the beginner path.

Our Duolingo alternatives post explains when it stops being enough.

2. LearnLingo: best free full course in the browser and for Turkish speakers

• Best for: learners who want the whole A1 to C1 English course free, and Turkish speakers who want explanations in Turkish.
• Price model: every lesson free; optional LearnLingo Plus for unlimited hearts, more help from Sage the Turtle and early access to every game.
• Strengths: short interactive lessons with word banks, matching, gap-fill and listening; spaced practice of your mistakes; 13 games including Grammar Gap, Listening Lab, Writing Studio and Speaking Coach; hearts, streaks, XP and weekly leagues; grammar tips and unit guides.
• Limits: no human tutors, no live classes, no certificates, no AI conversation partner and no offline mode on the web; audio uses the device's speech engine rather than recorded voices; iOS app but no Android app yet.

See the direct LearnLingo vs Busuu comparison for a section-by-section verdict.

3. Cambly: best for on-demand conversation with native speakers

• Best for: intermediate learners who need to talk, now.
• Price model: paid subscription based on minutes per week. Prices vary.
• Strengths: you can speak with a tutor at almost any hour; very good for confidence and fluency; lessons can be recorded for review.
• Limits: tutors are often conversation partners rather than trained teachers; less structured; costs much more than an app.

4. Preply: best for choosing your own tutor and price

• Best for: learners with a specific goal, such as an exam, interviews or business English.
• Price model: pay per lesson; each tutor sets their own price.
• Strengths: a large marketplace, so you can choose by price, accent, specialty and reviews; one-to-one lessons adapt to you.
• Limits: quality varies by tutor; you need to manage scheduling; costs add up over months.

5. Lingoda: best for live structured classes

• Best for: learners who want a real teacher and a fixed CEFR curriculum with deadlines.
• Price model: monthly class packages or intensive programs.
• Strengths: live small-group or private classes; clear curriculum; certificates for completed levels; accountability from scheduled classes.
• Limits: expensive compared with apps; fixed class times; less flexible for very busy schedules.

6. italki: best budget option for tutors

• Best for: learners who want tutoring but need a lower price per lesson.
• Price model: pay per lesson; professional teachers and community tutors set their own rates.
• Strengths: wide price range; many tutors who speak your native language; good for conversation practice.
• Limits: like Preply, quality depends on the tutor you pick; no built-in course path.

7. ELSA Speak: best for pronunciation

• Best for: learners who are understood in writing but not when they speak.
• Price model: limited free use; paid subscription for full access.
• Strengths: focused on English sounds, stress and intonation, with automatic feedback on your recordings.
• Limits: not a full course; narrow focus; feedback is automatic, not human.

Pair it with our English pronunciation tips.

8. Memrise: best for vocabulary with real speakers

• Best for: learners who want to hear real people say everyday phrases.
• Price model: free to start; Pro subscription unlocks unlimited speaking practice and all word lists.
• Strengths: short videos of native speakers; scenario-based vocabulary; an AI conversation feature.
• Limits: lighter on grammar; not a complete course on its own; free speaking practice is limited.

9. Babbel: best paid self-study course with clear explanations

• Best for: adults who like a traditional course with grammar explained clearly.
• Price model: paid subscription after a short free sample.
• Strengths: well-written dialogues; clear grammar notes; review tool.
• Limits: almost all content is paid; less game-like; fewer free options than Busuu.

Comparison table

App	Best for	Price model	Human feedback	CEFR course	Free option
Duolingo	Free daily habit on mobile	Free with paid upgrades	No	Yes	Large
LearnLingo	Free full course in browser, Turkish speakers	Free, optional Plus	No	A1 to C1	Full course
Cambly	Conversation on demand	Subscription	Yes, tutors	No fixed path	Very limited
Preply	Goal-based tutoring	Pay per lesson	Yes, tutors	Depends on tutor	No
Lingoda	Live structured classes	Class packages	Yes, teachers	Yes	No
italki	Budget tutoring	Pay per lesson	Yes, tutors	Depends on tutor	No
ELSA Speak	Pronunciation	Freemium	Automatic	No	Limited
Memrise	Vocabulary from real speakers	Freemium	Automatic	Placement A1 to C2	Limited
Babbel	Clear paid self-study	Subscription	No	Yes	Sample only
Busuu (for reference)	Community feedback, certificates	Freemium	Yes, community	A1 to C1 for English	Limited

How to choose: a decision guide

By goal

• "I need to speak at work in three months." A tutor on Preply or Cambly, two or three times a week, plus a free course for grammar between lessons.
• "I want to pass IELTS or TOEFL." A tutor who specializes in the exam, plus official practice tests. See IELTS vs TOEFL to choose the exam.
• "I want to finally understand grammar." A course with explanations: LearnLingo for free, Babbel if you prefer to pay. Use the English grammar for beginners guide as a map.
• "I want to understand native speakers." Memrise for real voices, plus podcasts and video every day.
• "My pronunciation is the problem." ELSA Speak plus daily shadowing.

By budget

• Zero: LearnLingo or Duolingo, free podcasts, YouTube and a library card. See free English courses online.
• Low monthly budget: one free course plus one app subscription, such as Busuu Premium, Memrise Pro or LearnLingo Plus.
• Medium budget: a free course plus one tutor lesson a week.
• Higher budget: Lingoda classes or several tutor lessons a week.

By level

• A1 to A2: a structured app matters most. LearnLingo, Duolingo, Busuu or Babbel.
• B1: add speaking. This is the level where apps alone stop being enough.
• B2 to C1: most of your time should be real English: reading, listening, writing and conversation, with an app for review.

A 30-day plan: free course plus real practice

This plan uses a free app for structure and adds real practice. It assumes 25 minutes on weekdays and 40 minutes on weekends. Start by taking the free English level test so you begin at the right level.

Week 1: set up the habit

• Daily: one lesson in your level on LearnLingo or another free course.
• Daily: five minutes of listening to a podcast for learners.
• Weekend: write six sentences about your week and check them with the grammar guides.

Week 2: add review

• Daily: one new lesson plus spaced practice of your mistakes.
• Three times: ten minutes of a vocabulary game.
• Weekend: watch one short video with English subtitles and note five new phrases.

Week 3: add speaking

• Daily: one lesson.
• Three times: five minutes of shadowing, repeating a short audio clip line by line.
• Weekend: one conversation, either a free language exchange or one paid tutor lesson.

Week 4: check and adjust

• Daily: one lesson plus review.
• Midweek: record yourself speaking for one minute and listen back.
• Day 30: take the level test again and compare with day 1.

For a longer routine, see our daily English study routine.

Practice set: which tool fits you?

Read each situation and choose the best kind of tool: A) free course app, B) human tutor, C) pronunciation app, D) live class, E) real-speaker video app.

1. Ana understands grammar but freezes in conversations.
2. Mehmet is a total beginner with no budget.
3. Li writes well, but people often ask him to repeat himself.
4. Sara needs a fixed schedule or she stops studying.
5. Omar can read English news but cannot follow fast native speech.
6. Elif wants to review grammar in Turkish every day.
7. Jonas has a job interview in English next month.
8. Priya wants to learn travel phrases the way people really say them.
9. Can wants to practice every day for ten minutes on his laptop at work, for free.
10. Maria wants a teacher and classmates to keep her accountable.

Answers: 1 B, 2 A, 3 C, 4 D, 5 E, 6 A, 7 B, 8 E, 9 A, 10 D.

What to keep from Busuu when you switch

Switching apps does not mean losing what you built. Before you leave Busuu, do three things.

Save your corrections. If people in the community corrected your writing, copy the best corrections into a notebook or a document. These are the most personal learning material you have: they show the exact mistakes you make. Turn each one into a short practice sentence and review the list once a week.

Note your level. Write down the CEFR level and the last unit you finished. When you start a new course, you can skip what you already know instead of starting again from zero. If you are not sure, a placement or level test in the new app will confirm it.

Keep the habit, not the app. Your streak belongs to Busuu, but the time of day you study belongs to you. Keep the same time and the same length of session in the new tool for the first two weeks, so the change of app does not break the routine.

Common mistakes when choosing an alternative

• Choosing by features instead of habits. The best app is the one you open every day. A simple free course used daily beats a rich paid course used once a week.
• Paying for two subscriptions that do the same thing. If you pay for one course app, spend any extra money on a different kind of practice, such as a tutor, rather than a second course.
• Restarting at A1 every time. Use a level test and start at the right point.
• Ignoring speaking until "later". From B1, plan at least one real conversation a week.
• Treating app certificates like exam results. If you need proof of English, plan for an official exam from the start; our guide to Cambridge English exams explains one option.

Final advice

Busuu is a solid choice, and many learners keep it alongside another tool. If you are leaving because of price, a free full course will cover the same CEFR ground. If you are leaving because you need to speak, no app will replace a person, so put your budget into a tutor or class. And whatever you choose, keep the routine small and daily. For more context, read our best apps to learn English roundup, the alternatives hub, and the direct LearnLingo vs Busuu comparison.

People Also Ask

What is the best free alternative to Busuu for English?

For a structured free course, LearnLingo and Duolingo are the strongest choices. LearnLingo gives the full A1 to C1 English course free in the browser with Turkish support, while Duolingo has a very large free course and strong mobile apps. Add free listening from podcasts or video to either one.

Which Busuu alternative is best for speaking practice?

Human tutors are best for speaking, so Cambly, Preply or italki are strong choices if you can pay per lesson or per month. For pronunciation drills without a tutor, ELSA Speak focuses specifically on English sounds.

Is there an alternative to Busuu with live classes?

Yes. Lingoda runs live small-group classes with teachers on a fixed curriculum, which suits learners who want structure and accountability. It costs more than an app.

Do any Busuu alternatives give certificates?

Some apps and class providers give their own completion certificates, but none of them replace official exams. If you need proof of English for study, work or a visa, prepare for IELTS, TOEFL, a Cambridge exam or the Duolingo English Test.

Why do people look for alternatives to Busuu?

The most common reasons are that key tools are in paid plans, that they want more speaking with real people, that they want a free full course, or that they want explanations in their own language. The right alternative depends on which of these matters to you.