Best AI Apps to Practice Speaking a Language (2026)

Every AI speaking app promises “real conversations”. The differences that matter are duller: which languages it actually offers, whether it has role-plays or just open chat, whether it prepares you for an exam, and what you get before paying. This roundup compares eight apps on exactly those points, from their own documentation.

How we compared these apps

We read each app’s own website and, where the site was thin, its App Store listing, on 4 November 2026, and recorded only what the app claims for itself. We did not run a lab test, measure speech-recognition accuracy or time responses, and we did not rate a feature that an app does not document. Where a page could not be fetched (Duolingo’s Max page returned no content; Pingo AI’s old domain is for sale), we used the company’s own blog or current store listing and say so in the entry. StudySes is our app, so its row uses the same rule: only what its listing and product facts state.

The comparison table

StudySes: nine languages and IELTS Speaking in one free app

Best for: learners who want to practise more than one language, and anyone with an IELTS Speaking test coming up.

What stands out: StudySes gives you an AI conversation partner in nine languages (English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Italian, German, Portuguese and Mandarin Chinese), role-play scenarios for travel, work and everyday situations, and a full IELTS Speaking track: Parts 1, 2 and 3 with sample questions, study plans and full-length mock tests. You get feedback on what you said after a conversation, plus speaking lessons, grammar, vocabulary flashcards, an audio pronunciation guide and offline downloads for lessons. Free with optional in-app purchases on iPhone and Android.

Honest limit: no human tutors, no pronunciation scoring and no estimated IELTS band score. Conversations need a connection; only downloaded lessons work offline.

Speak: a structured course with a conversation tutor

Best for: English speakers learning Spanish, French, Korean, Japanese, Italian or Mandarin who want a curriculum, not open chat.

What stands out: Speak’s site (read 4 November 2026) describes “an expert-crafted curriculum, personalized by AI”, a Speak Tutor for “real back-and-forth conversation”, and real-time feedback on pronunciation and phrasing. Non-English speakers use it to practise spoken English. It is also the app with the clearest lesson structure of the eight, which beginners tend to prefer.

Honest limit: six target languages for English speakers, no exam preparation stated, and the consumer site does not mention role-plays (its business product does). Access is a 7-day free trial followed by a paid subscription; prices are not published on the site. The detailed StudySes vs Speak page goes feature by feature.

Pingo AI: the widest language list with custom role-plays

Best for: learners of a language the other apps skip, such as Turkish, Vietnamese, Hindi or Thai.

What stands out: Pingo AI’s App Store listing (read 4 November 2026) says “learn 25+ languages”, names 25 of them, and promises “instant feedback on pronunciation and grammar for every language conversation”. Version 5.0 added a Free Chat mode for open-ended conversation and custom role-play, and the app remembers your progress between sessions.

Honest limit: the listing says “a subscription is required to access full conversation practice”, so the free download is a preview. No exam preparation is stated. We read only the App Store listing; the company’s old web domain is for sale, so there was no official site to check. See StudySes vs Pingo for the two side by side.

Duolingo Max: Roleplay and Video Call inside the Duolingo path

Best for: people who already keep a Duolingo streak and want speaking practice without a second app.

What stands out: Duolingo’s own blog (post of March 2023, and the Video Call post of September 2024, read 4 November 2026) describes two Max features: Roleplay, with AI feedback after each conversation, and Video Call with Lily, who remembers past calls and provides a transcript afterwards. Both come with the Super benefits and run on iOS and Android.

Honest limit: Duolingo’s Max page itself returned no readable content when we fetched it, so this entry relies on the blog posts; the StudySes vs Duolingo page sets the two side by side. Roleplay was described for English speakers learning Spanish, French, German, Italian or Portuguese only, Video Call reached Japanese and Korean on iOS later, and Lily does not correct grammar during the call. Max is a paid tier above the free app; no price is published in the posts. The StudySes vs Duolingo page covers the gap in detail.

ELSA Speak: pronunciation first, English only

Best for: English learners whose main problem is being understood.

What stands out: ELSA’s site (read 4 November 2026) is built around a speech analyser with “real-time, AI-powered feedback tuned to your voice”, and ELSA AI conversations across scenarios that include job interviews, meetings and presentations. A bilingual AI tutor lets beginners start in their native language. The individual plan is listed as free with upgrades available, and there is a web-based quick evaluation.

Honest limit: English only. The homepage does not name IELTS or any exam, only “test-score predictions” inside the speech analyser. The site does not say how the scores are calculated, and we did not test them.

Praktika: AI tutors with personalities and exam lessons

Best for: learners who want a tutor-like character and a long lesson library.

What stands out: Praktika’s App Store listing (read 4 November 2026) lists English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Polish and Dutch, “lifelike AI tutors who listen, respond, and correct you in real time”, role-plays such as being a tourist or a startup founder, pronunciation and fluency feedback, and “1,000+ lessons” that include “IELTS and TOEFL prep”.

Honest limit: the listing does not say which features need Praktika Premium, and the website itself does not list its languages at all (the store listing does). The site’s ”~$8/month” comparison figure is marketing, not a published price list.

TalkPal: the most modes and the longest language list

Best for: learners who get bored and want debates, characters and photo prompts, or who learn a rare language.

What stands out: TalkPal’s site (read 4 November 2026) claims “130+ languages” and lists modes called Roleplays, Characters, Debates, Call Mode, Photo Mode, Sentence Mode, Word Mode and Dialogue Mode, with “instant feedback on pronunciation and grammar”. It runs on the web as well as iOS and Android, which none of the mobile-first apps above offer fully.

Honest limit: the language count is inconsistent on the site itself (17 named plus “117 more” in one place, “119+ more” in another), the page does not explain how the modes work, and no exam preparation is mentioned. The free tier is described as limited; Premium has a 14-day trial.

Loora: an English conversation partner for work situations

Best for: professionals who need English for meetings, interviews and presentations.

What stands out: Loora’s site (read 4 November 2026) describes “a real-time conversation partner” that is “up for any topic”, with modules for interviews, meetings and professional presentations, and feedback that targets the sounds you struggle with. The FAQ says it helps prepare for “high-stakes exams like TOEFL or IELTS by simulating speaking sections”. Free to download with a trial period, on iPhone and Android.

Honest limit: English only, no web version mentioned, and no prices on the page. The exam claim is the company’s own; Loora does not publish an IELTS curriculum the way StudySes or Praktika describe one.

Which app for which learner

Pick by goal, not by feature count. If you have an IELTS Speaking date, StudySes is the only app here with Parts 1–3 and mock tests at the centre of the product. If you learn one of Speak’s six languages and want a course, Speak. If your language is rare, Pingo AI or TalkPal. If you only need English and pronunciation is the blocker, ELSA Speak; if it is work conversations, Loora or ELSA. Whatever you choose, the app is the conversation step in a routine, not the routine: the guide on how to practice speaking a language alone shows where a 6-minute AI conversation fits between shadowing and recording yourself.

Download StudySes for free to try the nine-language partner and the IELTS mock tests; it costs nothing to compare it with the others on this page.

StudySes is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the IELTS test owners.