The best AI apps to practice English speaking, compared

There is no single best AI for practicing spoken English. The apps differ in three ways that matter more than their marketing: whether you talk freely or follow lessons, whether they run in a browser or only on a phone, and how you pay.

We compared eleven of them, using only what each company publishes on its own website, help center and app listing, checked on 2 October 2026. Where a company does not publish something, we say so instead of guessing. One of the eleven, Airi, is our own product, so we also list the cases where another app is the better choice.

The short version: for measured pronunciation, ELSA Speak. For a course with lessons, Speak or Duolingo. For open conversation in a browser, Airi, Gliglish, TalkPal, Talkio AI or Langua. If you already pay for ChatGPT, its voice mode is worth trying before you buy anything else.

The eleven apps at a glance

Every row comes from the company's own pages. "Apps only" means the company's help center says there is no browser or desktop version of the main product.

What each one costs

These are the United States prices each company listed on 2 October 2026, mostly in the price list of its iPhone app. They change with country, with promotions and with where you subscribe, and several of these apps list lower local prices outside the US. Check the official page or the app before you pay.

The real difference is the model. Ten of the eleven sell a subscription that renews until you cancel. Airi sells packs of credits that you use up at your own pace, which suits people who practice in bursts and do not want another monthly charge.

Which one fits your goal

• You want your pronunciation measured. ELSA Speak. Its lessons return a percentage and mark individual sounds, and you can choose an American, British or Australian accent.
• You want lessons in order, like a course. Speak, or Duolingo if you already use it. Both teach first and let you talk second.
• You want to talk about anything, with nothing to install. Airi, Gliglish, TalkPal, Talkio AI and Langua all run in a browser.
• You want free minutes every day. Gliglish and TalkPal both give ten minutes a day. Langua gives three minutes of call mode.
• You practice more than one language. TalkPal lists more than 130 languages, Talkio AI more than 70, and Langua more than 20. Airi is English only.
• You do not want a subscription. Airi is the only one of the eleven sold as one-off packs.
• You already pay for ChatGPT. Try its voice mode first. Tell it your level and ask it to correct you, because it will not do that on its own.

The assistant and the course apps

ChatGPT Voice. A general assistant, not a language course. In the mobile app you tap the voice icon and hold a real-time spoken conversation, and OpenAI's own listing names practicing a new language as one use. It will talk about any subject. Nothing in its description mentions lessons, levels or a correction routine, so you have to set those up yourself.

Duolingo Max. The top tier of Duolingo. It adds Roleplay and Video Call with the character Lily to the regular course. It works only in the iPhone and Android apps, and some features exist only in certain courses. Duolingo has told its shareholders that it is moving Video Call into the cheaper Super tier during 2026, so check what each tier includes on the day you subscribe.

Speak. Speaking-focused lessons in which you repeat phrases aloud and get feedback, followed by role-plays with AI characters. English courses are offered to speakers of fifteen languages. It runs on phones and tablets only, and after the seven-day trial a subscription is required to continue.

ELSA Speak. The specialist for pronunciation. Lessons give a percentage and colour-coded feedback on individual sounds, and a Speech Analyzer rates unscripted speech on pronunciation, intonation, fluency, grammar and vocabulary. The main app has no browser version. AI role-play is part of Premium, not of the cheaper Pro plan.

The conversation tutors

Praktika. AI avatar tutors that answer in real time, with feedback on pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and speaking pace. There is a free version, but the company describes its limits only as "limited". There is no desktop version.

Loora. Built for English. Lessons last about five to twenty minutes in classic, role-play or read-and-talk form, and corrections appear in the chat with a takeaway at the end. It is mobile only for now. You get one free lesson, and the price depends on your country and the current promotion.

TalkPal. More than 130 languages on web and mobile, with chat, an audio-only call mode, role-plays, characters and debates. The free plan covers basic chat for ten minutes a day. The other modes are part of Premium.

Talkio AI. More than 70 languages and several hundred AI tutors, in the browser and in mobile apps with one account. There is no free plan: you start a seven-day trial and then pay for three months or a year.

Langua. Conversation in more than 20 languages with a hands-free call mode, a choice of written or spoken corrections, and saved vocabulary with flashcards. One subscription covers web and mobile. Free use is small: three minutes of call mode a day.

Gliglish. Voice conversation and role-play in a browser or on an iPhone or iPad, with reply suggestions and adjustable speech speed. The free version gives ten minutes of speaking every day. Android users are sent to the website.

Where Airi fits, and where it does not

Airi is a character you talk with, not a course you work through. You open the page, sign in with Google and speak. She answers out loud within a couple of seconds, shows one small fix when you make a mistake and keeps the conversation moving, and remembers your name and what you talked about last time. There are six personalities, from gentle Easy English to sarcastic, and she will play a role if you ask: an interviewer, a customer, a border officer.

Pick something else if any of these matter to you:

• You want a number for your pronunciation. Airi does not score pronunciation or analyse individual sounds.
• You want lessons, levels or a study plan. Airi has none: you bring the topic.
• You want to practice a language other than English.
• You want an installed phone app. Airi runs in the browser and can be added to your home screen, but it is not in the App Store or Google Play.
• You want free minutes every day. Airi's 600 free credits are given once.

Airi suits you if you would rather have a conversation than complete exercises, if you want corrections that do not stop you mid-sentence, and if you prefer to pay for the minutes you use over a subscription that renews whether you practiced or not.

How to test any of them in ten minutes

Feature lists say little about how an app feels when you are the one speaking. Give each candidate the same short test before you pay for anything.

1. Talk about your day for two minutes without stopping. Notice how long the app takes to answer and whether the voice sounds like a person.
2. Make a mistake on purpose: say "Yesterday I go to the office." See whether it corrects you, and whether the correction stops the conversation.
3. Interrupt it in the middle of a sentence. A good speaking partner stops and listens.
4. Ask for the situation you actually need, such as a job interview or a phone call to a hotel, and see whether it stays in the role.
5. Come back the next day. Check whether it remembers anything about you, and how much free time you have left.

How to get the most from it

Frequently asked questions

Last updated: 2026-10-03