Want to learn English on a budget? You’ve come to the right place!
This short guide will help you discover the best, top-rated, most affordable (or free) apps and extensions for learning English in 2022.
Ready? Here we go!
- Best for beginners
1# Learn the basics: Duolingo
Are you an absolute beginner who wants to start from scratch? Duolingo’s free app is where you may want to start your English learning journey. Duolingo is great for new English learners who want to understand how to construct simple sentences, using the right tenses and linking phrases. Naturally, you’ll also get to pick up some nice vocabulary along the way.
Duolingo is ideal for learning basic English grammar and vocabulary in a fun way. It’s a great stepping stone for people who are starting out their English learning journey, as it breaks up English grammar essentials into easy, bite-sized lessons.
However, while Duolingo is great for picking up the basics, it won’t help you speak or communicate in English more fluently. This brings us straight into the next app!
- Become a fluent English speaker by talking with Loora
2# Learn how to speak English fluently: Loora
If being able to communicate confidently with native English speakers is your main goal, and if you’re looking for a practical way to improve your English conversational skills, you need to check out Loora.
Unlike other English learning apps, Loora takes a more practical, “hands-on” approach: The app offers real-time, audio conversation lessons that train you to communicate effectively in common, everyday, real-life situations. Every lesson starts and ends by talking to “Loora” – the apps’ motivational, AI-powered coach, famous for her ability to inspire confidence even in shy or inexperienced English speakers.
Loora’s power lies in the very “realness” of the lessons: When practicing real-time conversations, you get to experience speaking English first hand, just like when speaking to a colleague or a friend.
To make sure you get the most out of each conversation lesson, Loora sends you visual lesson summaries highlighting the new vocabulary you learned, and suggestions on how to improve your grammar and pronunciation.
Annual subscriptions start at $99/year, and you can explore the app for free with a 7-day trial period.
- Eliminate your grammar errors
3# Learn how to write English like a native speaker – Grammarly
While Grammarly isn’t exactly a learning app, it’s one of the most powerful tools you can use to write clearer, more effective, and accurate sentences.
Grammarly is a friendly, AI-powered writing assistant that checks your sentence structure, spelling, grammar, and punctuation as you type. The app’s power is twofold: Grammarly isn’t only the world’s most popular grammar and spell checking tool, it’s also the only virtual writing assistant that scans your text for style, tone of voice, and overall clarity.
Just like any other grammar and spell-checking tool, Grammarly will underline errors and suggest on-the-fly auto-corrections. But the real magic comes in as Grammarly hands you recommendations for turning each sentence you write into a simpler, punchier, ‘air-tight’ unit, in real-time.
As one reviewer commented, using Grammarly is like having “a second pair of eyes that never gets tired, looking over your work”. You can use Grammarly for absolutely free or try their extended premium plan starting at $12/month.
- Learn English vocabulary
4# Learn English vocabulary without even trying: Toucan
Toucan takes a different approach from most learning apps. Instead of offering structured lessons like many apps do, Toucan re-packages the internet as “one big school” for you to use. The idea is to help you learn new words, and expand your vocabulary, as you browse the social media networks and websites you already love.
The learning method is simple: When you visit a website, Toucan automatically translates certain words and phrases on the page into English. That way, you can easily pick up new words, while enjoying the warm and familiar context of your own native language.
What’s nice is that Toucan is a very “chilled” app. Instead of disrupting your routine, it tags along with you, turning every online venue you visit into a casual, stress-free learning opportunity. However, while Toucan is a simple way to learn English, the app has a powerful algorithm behind it: As you get more comfortable, Toucan will keep challenging you by introducing new words and adding more complex phrases into the mix.
Learning English with Toucan is currently available for native speakers of Spanish, Portuguese, and German, and more languages will be added soon. You can download their Chrome extension for absolutely free or try their extended premium plan at $ 8.99/month.
Learn English on a budget in 2022: Conclusion & Recap
While learning English is a journey, it is no longer a privilege, and you can achieve great results even on a tiny budget or by learning for absolutely free!
