Best App to Learn Turkish: Babbel, Mondly, Duolingo & More Compared

You downloaded an app before your last trip to Turkey, kept your streak for two weeks and still froze when the waiter asked you something. The problem usually isn’t you, it’s picking an app that doesn’t fit your goal. Here’s an honest comparison of the apps and courses that really teach Turkish.

Turkish is one of the better-supported languages in the app world. Babbel, Mondly and Duolingo all offer Turkish for English speakers, and there are specialised courses and tutor platforms on top. That’s good news, but it also makes choosing harder. Every app promises that you’ll be chatting with locals in no time, and most of them look the same in the app store.

I’ve been learning languages on my own for over 20 years and have written four books about language learning. Turkish isn’t one of my languages, so this comparison isn’t about who teaches the nicest accent. It’s about method: which app builds vocabulary that stays in your head, which one explains grammar, and which one gets you speaking.

Why most people quit their Turkish app after three weeks

The pattern is almost always the same. You start motivated, collect points and badges, and after a few weeks you notice that you can translate “the boy eats an apple” but can’t order a tea in Antalya. Then the app slowly disappears from your home screen.

From my own experience, there are three reasons for this:

• Game first, learning second. Streaks and points keep you opening the app, but they don’t guarantee that words move into your long-term memory.
• Turkish grammar needs explaining. Vowel harmony and the long words built with endings are hard to guess from examples alone. Apps that never explain the “why” leave you confused.
• No speaking. Tapping on word tiles isn’t talking. Without real conversations, you’ll still freeze when someone speaks to you at normal speed.

So the question isn’t “which app is the best?”, but “which app is best for my goal?”. Here’s how they compare.

Best apps to learn Turkish: the comparison at a glance

App / course	Turkish levels	Method	Free option	Best for	Rating
17-Minute-Languages	Beginner to advanced (A1 to C2)	Spaced repetition, 15 to 20 min/day	2-day free trial	Vocabulary that sticks
Babbel	Beginner to intermediate	Dialogues, grammar tips, review	First lesson free	Understanding grammar
Preply	All levels	1-on-1 live lessons	Pay per lesson	Speaking practice
Mondly	Beginner to intermediate	Short daily lessons, chatbot	Free daily lesson	Playful daily habit	3 out of 5
Duolingo	Beginner	Gamified exercises	Free with ads	First steps on a zero budget	3 out of 5
Pimsleur	Beginner, short course	Audio, listen and repeat	Free trial	Pronunciation on the go	Not rated

How I rated: I looked at the learning method, how far each course takes you in Turkish and how much real speaking it trains, not at the app design. Prices change often and depend on your country and current offers, so I don’t list fixed numbers. All providers let you test before you pay.

1. 17-Minute-Languages: best for vocabulary that sticks

17-Minute-Languages isn’t a classic game app, it’s a structured online course that runs in your browser and on your phone. I put it first because it’s built on spaced repetition, the same method I describe in my books and used for my own Scandinavian vocabulary: words come back right before you would forget them, and words you know move into longer review cycles.

• Levels: beginner (A1 to A2), intermediate (B1 to B2) and an advanced course (C1 to C2). That’s more depth for Turkish than any other app in this comparison.
• Content: according to the provider, over 1,300 words in the beginner course, embedded in dialogues and recorded by native speakers.
• Daily plan: the software sets your tasks each day, so you don’t waste time deciding what to review.
• Risk-free: 2-day free trial without payment details and a 31-day money-back guarantee.

Weak spots: it looks less flashy than Duolingo or Mondly, and it doesn’t replace real conversation. If you love points and leagues, you’ll miss them here.

2. Babbel Turkish: best for understanding grammar

Babbel is the app I’d recommend to anyone who wants to know why Turkish works the way it does. Instead of throwing you into random word drills, Babbel teaches through short, realistic dialogues and adds short grammar notes along the way. For a language like Turkish, where vowel harmony and suffixes confuse almost every beginner, that’s a real advantage.

• Practical dialogues: ordering in a café, shopping, talking about yourself, the situations you’ll really face in Turkey.
• Grammar explained: short tips that make the logic of Turkish endings visible instead of leaving you to guess.
• Review manager: personalised repetition of words you’ve learned, so they don’t fade after a week.
• Speech recognition: lets you practise pronunciation, even if it’s no replacement for a real listener.

Weak spots: the Turkish course is smaller than Babbel’s flagship courses like Spanish or French, and it takes you to an intermediate level, not beyond. Babbel is subscription-only after the first free lesson, and like every app, it doesn’t give you real conversations with native speakers.

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How much does Babbel Turkish cost?

Babbel works with subscriptions from one month up to a year, and the longer the plan, the lower the monthly price. There’s often a discount campaign running, and in some countries a lifetime plan is available too. The first lesson is free, so you can test the method before you commit. → Check the current Babbel Turkish offers*

Tips to get more out of Babbel

1. Use waiting times. Babbel lessons take 10 to 15 minutes. The bus, your lunch break or the doctor’s waiting room are perfect slots.
2. Read the grammar notes, don’t skip them. They’re Babbel’s biggest strength for Turkish.
3. Add listening practice. Turkish music, podcasts or a dizi with Turkish subtitles train your ear for real-speed Turkish, which no app can fully do.

3. Mondly Turkish: best for a playful daily routine

Mondly is built around a short daily lesson that takes just a few minutes. It mixes multiple choice, cloze exercises, listening tasks and a chatbot that lets you practise simple conversations with speech recognition. If you struggle to stay consistent, Mondly’s daily lessons and quizzes make it easy to open the app every day.

• Quick daily lessons: ideal if you only have five minutes.
• Conversation chatbot: practise answering simple questions out loud.
• Free daily lesson: you can use Mondly for a long time without paying, and upgrade to Premium if you want the full course.
• Multi-language plans: Mondly offers Premium plans that cover several languages, useful if Turkish isn’t the only language on your list.

Weak spots: Mondly uses a very similar course structure for all its languages, so Turkish-specific challenges like vowel harmony get little explanation. Advanced learners will find the content thin. That’s why it gets 3 stars here: a good habit builder, but not a complete Turkish course.

How much does Mondly cost?

The daily lesson is free. Premium is available as a monthly or annual subscription, and Mondly regularly runs promotions, including lifetime deals for all languages. Since you can start for free, you can test it without any risk.

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4. Preply: best for speaking practice

Preply isn’t an app with a fixed course, it’s a marketplace for live tutors. You book 1-on-1 video lessons with a Turkish tutor of your choice, filtered by price, availability and reviews. In my experience, nothing gets you speaking faster than a real person who corrects you, adapts to your goals and asks follow-up questions.

• Flexible: book single lessons whenever they fit your schedule.
• Tailored: tell your tutor you want to prepare for your next holiday or talk to your Turkish neighbours, and the lessons focus on that.
• All levels: from absolute beginner to advanced conversation.

Weak spots: it costs more per hour than any app, and the quality depends on the tutor you pick. Take a trial lesson with two or three tutors before you commit. → Find a Turkish tutor on Preply*

5. Duolingo Turkish: good for first steps, not for conversations

Duolingo offers a free Turkish course for English speakers, and it’s the most popular way people get their first taste of the language. Streaks, leagues and short exercises make it easy to keep going.

My honest take: Duolingo is fine for learning the alphabet, basic words and simple sentences, and it costs nothing. But the Turkish course is less extensive than Duolingo’s big courses like Spanish, grammar is barely explained and the sentences are often far from what you’ll need in Turkey. Use it as a free warm-up or a daily add-on, not as your main course. Duolingo has no affiliate link on this page, so this recommendation is purely about the method.

6. Pimsleur Turkish: good for listening on the go

Pimsleur is an audio course: you listen, repeat and answer out loud. That’s great for pronunciation and for using commute time, because you don’t need to look at a screen. The downside is that you build less vocabulary per hour than with a structured course, and the Turkish course is much shorter than Pimsleur’s courses for the big languages. A solid add-on if you drive a lot, not a complete solution.

Which Turkish app is right for you?

• You want a complete path from beginner to advanced: 17-Minute-Languages.
• You want to understand Turkish grammar: Babbel.
• You have only 5 minutes a day: Mondly or Duolingo.
• You want to speak before your next trip: Preply.
• You learn mainly in the car: Pimsleur.

My recommendation for most Turkey fans: one structured course for vocabulary plus a tutor or real conversations for speaking. If you’d like the full step-by-step method, including how long it really takes, read my guide on how to learn Turkish. And to get started right away, our common Turkish phrases cover the expressions you’ll use every day in Turkey.

Frequently asked questions about Turkish learning apps

What is the best app to learn Turkish?

It depends on your goal. For structured vocabulary from beginner to advanced, 17-Minute-Languages is my top pick. Babbel is best for understanding grammar, Mondly and Duolingo for a playful daily habit and Preply for speaking with a real tutor.

Is there a free app to learn Turkish?

Yes. Duolingo is free with ads, and Mondly offers a free daily lesson. Babbel lets you try the first lesson for free, and 17-Minute-Languages has a 2-day free trial. For a complete course, you’ll need a paid plan sooner or later.

Is Babbel good for learning Turkish?

Yes, especially if you want grammar explained. Babbel teaches Turkish through realistic dialogues with short grammar notes. The Turkish course is smaller than Babbel’s Spanish or French courses and goes up to an intermediate level.

Is Mondly good for learning Turkish?

Mondly is good for building a daily routine with short lessons and a conversation chatbot. It explains little grammar and has limited content for advanced learners, so it works best as an add-on to a structured course.

Can you learn Turkish with Duolingo?

You can learn the basics with Duolingo for free. For real conversations, it isn’t enough on its own, because grammar is barely explained and there’s no real speaking practice. Combine it with a structured course and a tutor.

Can an app make you fluent in Turkish?

No app alone makes you fluent. Apps are great for vocabulary and grammar, but fluency comes from listening to real Turkish and speaking with real people. Use an app as your foundation and add conversations as early as possible.

Related links

• Learn Turkish: the complete guide for beginners
• Common Turkish phrases for everyday life and travel
• The different ways of learning languages
• Learning vocabulary successfully
• Motivated language learning

Prefer another language?

• 🇩🇪 – Türkisch lernen mit Babbel und Mondly