The Best Apps to Learn Arabic

Finding a reliable Arabic learning app feels straightforward until you download three, lose interest in two, and can’t explain why the third stopped working for you. The sheer number of options obscures a simple truth: different apps serve completely different learning goals, and choosing the wrong one wastes months of effort.

The best app to learn Arabic depends entirely on what you need to accomplish. For absolute beginners building reading and script foundations, AlifBee leads the field. For speaking and listening on the go, Pimsleur remains the strongest audio-first option. For dialect variety under one subscription, Mango Languages is unmatched. 

1. Duolingo App to Learn Arabic for Complete Beginners

Duolingo is the world’s most downloaded language app and offers a fully free Arabic course covering the Arabic script, basic vocabulary, and foundational sentence structures. It teaches Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) using short, gamified lessons that take five to fifteen minutes to complete, making it the easiest entry point for anyone starting from zero.

Pricing: Free with ads | Super Duolingo: ~$5/month (annual) or $12.99/month | Duolingo Max: ~$29.99/month

Pros	Cons
Completely free core content	Teaches MSA only — no dialects
Gamified streaks build daily habits	Limited grammar explanation
Includes Arabic script from lesson one	Sentences are often impractical
Placement test available	Cannot produce conversational fluency alone
Works offline (paid tier)	Limited speaking practice in free version

In our experience teaching Arabic at Buruj Academy, students who use Duolingo as a daily warm-up tool — rather than a primary course — retain motivation far better during the early weeks. The gamification works for building the habit of showing up, but it cannot replace structured instruction in grammar or pronunciation correction.

Best for: Absolute beginners needing a free, low-pressure way to start reading Arabic script and building basic vocabulary.

2. AlifBee App

AlifBee was designed specifically for MSA learners from absolute beginner through advanced levels. It covers all four skills — reading, writing, listening, and speaking — within a logically sequenced 10-level curriculum built by Arabic language specialists. Its placement test means you don’t waste time on material you already know.

Pricing: Free access to early lessons | Premium: ~$9–$15/month or ~$112/year

Pros	Cons
Structured MSA curriculum from alphabet to advanced	No dialect-specific courses
Covers reading, writing, listening, and speaking	Some users report small text display issues
Teaches over 6,500 words, roots, and sentences	Full content requires paid subscription
Quality Pedagogy certification from Education Alliance Finland	Can feel academic rather than conversational
Placement test for accurate level placement	Less gamified than Duolingo

AlifBee is among the most pedagogically rigorous apps available for non-native speakers seeking a formal foundation in written and spoken MSA. 

For students in our Arabic for Beginners course, we often recommend AlifBee as a companion tool between live sessions — its structured vocabulary progressions complement instructor-led grammar work extremely well.

Best for: Learners who want a comprehensive, research-backed MSA app that builds literacy and speaking from day one.

Begin learning Arabic at Buruj with a FREE trial lesson

3. Pimsleur App 

Pimsleur is one of the oldest and most research-validated language learning systems available. Its Arabic courses consist of 30-minute audio lessons built around spaced repetition, requiring you to actively speak responses aloud rather than passively listen. 

It covers three Arabic varieties: Modern Standard Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, and Levantine Arabic.

Pricing: 7-day free trial | ~$19.99/month (all-access) or $14.99/month (single language) | Individual level purchase: ~$159.99

Pros	Cons
Hands-free learning — ideal for commuting or driving	Minimal reading and writing instruction
Covers MSA, Egyptian, and Levantine varieties	Relatively expensive compared to alternatives
Strong pronunciation development through active speaking	Lessons can feel slow-paced for some
Proven spaced repetition methodology	No community or correction features
Offline access available	Does not explain grammar rules explicitly

Pimsleur is especially valuable for learners whose primary goal is oral comprehension and pronunciation — two areas where most apps fall short. 

For Muslims focusing on Quranic pronunciation accuracy, however, Pimsleur’s MSA track offers only a partial solution; Arabic pronunciation at the Quranic level requires tajweed-specific instruction that no audio app currently delivers.

Best for: Learners who spend time commuting, exercising, or driving and want to build speaking confidence without screen time.

4. Mango App

Mango Languages is the only mainstream language app that offers dedicated full courses in four distinct Arabic varieties: Modern Standard Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, Levantine Arabic, and Iraqi Arabic. 

Its dialogue-centered lessons introduce all vocabulary in realistic conversational context rather than isolated word drills, and it uses minimal transliteration — training learners to engage with the Arabic script directly.

Pricing: 14-day free trial | Single language: $11.99/month or $9.99/month (annual) | All languages: $19.99/month or $16.67/month (annual) | Free via many public libraries

Pros	Cons
Four Arabic dialect courses — unmatched variety	Does not teach the Arabic alphabet from scratch
Dialogue-centered vocabulary introduction	Grammar explanations lack depth
Minimal transliteration — encourages real script use	More expensive than Duolingo
Many libraries offer free access	Speaking practice is limited
Cultural context and grammar notes included	Leveling system less sophisticated than AlifBee

We recommend Mango Languages to students who already know the Arabic alphabet and want to pursue a specific dialect for travel, family communication, or cultural connection. 

Students in our Arabic Speaking course who supplement live sessions with Mango’s dialect dialogues demonstrate noticeably stronger informal comprehension within four to six weeks.

Best for: Learners who need dialect-specific Arabic (especially Egyptian, Levantine, or Iraqi) after establishing basic alphabet knowledge.

Book your free trial to start speaking Arabic fluently

5. Italki App 

italki is not a self-study app in the traditional sense — it is a tutor marketplace connecting learners with Arabic-speaking community tutors and professional teachers for one-on-one video lessons. 

It offers Arabic instruction in virtually any dialect, with tutors from Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and the Gulf region. Community tutors typically charge $5–$15 per hour; professional teachers range from $15–$40 per hour.

Pricing: Pay-per-lesson | Community tutors: ~$5–$15/hour | Professional teachers: ~$15–$40/hour | No subscription required

Pros	Cons
Real human interaction — unmatched for speaking practice	No self-paced structured curriculum
Filter by dialect, country, and teaching style	Quality varies significantly by tutor
Any dialect available	Requires scheduling commitment
Community tutors very affordable	Not ideal as a standalone learning method
Writing correction feature available for free	No formal progress tracking

italki works best as a speaking supplement layered on top of a structured app like AlifBee or Mango Languages.

Best for: Learners who have built foundational vocabulary and grammar and now need real conversation practice to activate their passive knowledge.

Read also: Best Resources to Learn Arabic

6. Memrise App 

Memrise combines spaced repetition flashcard learning with short video clips of real native speakers using target vocabulary in natural settings. 

This dual approach — hearing a word in an app drill and then seeing a native speaker use it casually — trains both recognition and authentic pronunciation simultaneously. Its Arabic vocabulary content focuses primarily on Egyptian Arabic and MSA.

Pricing: Free basic access | Pro: ~$8.99/month or ~$59.99/year

Pros	Cons
Native speaker video clips for authentic pronunciation	Limited grammar instruction
Spaced repetition system proven for vocabulary retention	Arabic content less extensive than major languages
Engaging multimedia format	Not suitable as a standalone course
Affordable Pro pricing	Dialect coverage inconsistent
Good for reviewing and reinforcing vocabulary	Less structured than AlifBee

Memrise works exceptionally well as a vocabulary reinforcement tool running alongside a structured grammar course. 

We’ve observed that students who use it for ten minutes of daily vocabulary review alongside our Arabic Grammar course retain new words significantly faster than those relying on classroom sessions alone. 

For a deeper look at vocabulary-building strategies, our guide on mastering Arabic vocabulary covers techniques that go well beyond what any app provides.

Best for: Learners at any level who want to accelerate vocabulary acquisition using native speaker multimedia content.

Understand the Arabic Grammar with Buruj’s free trial lesson

7. Glossika App 

Glossika uses a mass sentence method — exposing learners to thousands of natural sentences through spaced repetition, dictation, and speaking exercises. 

Its Arabic content covers Modern Standard Arabic. Unlike most apps, Glossika does not teach grammar rules explicitly; instead, it trains intuitive pattern recognition through sheer repetitive exposure to well-constructed sentences.

Pricing: 7-day free trial | Individual language: ~$16.99/month or ~$8.99/month (annual) | All languages: ~$30.99/month

Pros	Cons
Extremely effective for building sentence-level fluency	No grammar explanations
Dictation and speaking exercises activate production skills	Overwhelming without foundational vocabulary first
Spaced repetition system is sophisticated	Not suitable for absolute beginners
Romanized option available for early learners	MSA only — no dialect options
Large sentence bank covers diverse real-life contexts	Expensive for single-language learners

Best for: Intermediate to advanced learners who have core grammar knowledge and want to build automatic sentence production through disciplined repetition.

Discover the Buruj Academy Difference

Step into our virtual classrooms and see how our expert instructors make learning Quran and Arabic intuitive and clear. We focus on overcoming the specific hurdles non-native speakers face, building your confidence and connection with the Quran.

Read also: The Best Books to Learn Arabic for Non-Native Speakers 

Start Learning Arabic Properly with Buruj Academy’s Expert-Led Online Classes

Apps are genuinely useful tools — but they cannot replace the structured correction, personalized pacing, and pedagogical depth that a qualified teacher provides. 

At Buruj Academy, our Online Arabic Classes are taught by Al-Azhar University graduates with 12+ years of experience teaching non-native speakers globally.

Why students choose Buruj Academy:

• Al-Azhar-certified instructors and Ijazah holders with proven classroom expertise
• The Buruj Method: Context-before-abstraction — meaning you understand language in use before memorizing rules
• Personalized 1-on-1 sessions with flexible 24/7 scheduling
• Courses for every goal: Arabic for Beginners, Arabic Grammar course, Arabic Speaking course, and Arabic classes for kids
• Real-time pronunciation correction that no app can replicate

Book your free trial lesson today and experience the difference structured human instruction makes.

Conclusion

Arabic apps have improved dramatically — but knowing which one to use, and when, makes the real difference. For beginners, AlifBee and Duolingo build the foundation. For dialect learners, Mango Languages stands apart. For speaking fluency, Pimsleur and italki fill the gap most apps leave open. 

The pattern across all of them is consistent: apps accelerate vocabulary and listening, but they cannot replicate the precision of a qualified teacher catching your pronunciation errors and adjusting your grammar in real time. 

Use apps to stay consistent — then invest in instruction to move forward with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Apps to Learn Arabic