Portuguese comes in two main flavours. Brazilian Portuguese is spoken by over 200 million people and is what most apps, songs and series use. European Portuguese, spoken in Portugal, shares the same grammar core but sounds very different: vowels get swallowed, pronouns move and everyday words change. If you are moving to Lisbon and learn only Brazilian, people will understand you, but you will struggle to understand them at first. So the first question for any app is simple: which Portuguese does it teach?
TL;DRFor an AI tutor in either Brazilian or European Portuguese, pick Praktika. For Brazilian grammar explained clearly, pick Babbel. For Brazilian Portuguese built around your own goal or passion, pick Slova. For a free daily habit in Brazilian, pick Duolingo. For European Portuguese, pick Practice Portuguese. For audio in either variant, pick Pimsleur.
We learned Portuguese on each app below with a paid plan in 2026, on iPhone and Android. Every app had the same week: the first lessons, daily practice, introducing ourselves out loud, ordering food, asking for directions and one conversation about a topic we picked. We tested European Portuguese wherever an app offered it. At the end we asked whether we could say more, and understand more, than on day one.
This list is not a ranking. Someone moving to Porto, someone with a Brazilian partner and someone who wants to understand bossa nova lyrics need different apps. Each one below fits a particular learner and a particular variant, so look for the line that matches yours.
Comparison table
✓Yes◐Partly✕No
| App | Best for | Variant | Talk with AI | Full course | Word review |
|---|
| Praktika | An AI tutor in either variant | Brazilian and European | ✓ | ◐ | ✕ |
|---|
| Babbel | Clear grammar | Brazilian | ✕ | ✓to B1 | ✓ |
|---|
| Slova | Your goal or passion | Brazilian | ✓ | ✓A0 to C2 | ✓one list |
|---|
| Duolingo | A free daily habit | Brazilian | ◐Video Call | ✓ | ◐ |
|---|
| Practice Portuguese | Learning for Portugal | European | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
|---|
| Pimsleur | Learning by ear | Brazilian and European | ✕ | ◐audio only | ◐spaced audio |
|---|
| Busuu | Human corrections | Brazilian | ◐Premium Plus | ✓to B2 | ✓ |
|---|
| Memrise | Native speaker clips | Brazilian and European | ◐AI Buddies | ◐ | ✓ |
|---|
| Lingvist | Fast vocabulary | Brazilian | ✕ | ◐ | ✓ |
|---|
| LingoDeer | Grammar notes | Brazilian | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
|---|
How we chose
- Clear about the variant. We checked which Portuguese each app teaches and put it in the table, because the wrong one costs you months.
- Nasal sounds out loud. Words like pão, mãe and bem need your voice, not your thumb. We favoured apps that make you speak and check it.
- Grammar that goes somewhere. Ser and estar, the personal infinitive and two past tenses come quickly. We looked for explanations in plain English.
- Life after the first unit. We checked how far each course goes, and whether there is a path past the beginner phrases.
The best AI apps to learn Portuguese
1
Praktika
Best for an AI tutor in Brazilian or European Portuguese
Praktika puts a lifelike avatar tutor on your screen and has you talk. It is one of very few AI tutors that lists both Brazilian and European Portuguese as separate options, so you can practise the variant you actually need. You can also set how strict the feedback is.
We tried both on day two. The Brazilian tutor accepted você pode me ajudar?, while the European tutor steered us towards pode ajudar-me?, with the pronoun after the verb, which is exactly the kind of difference textbooks skip. On day five we asked for directions in the European version and learned autocarro for the bus we had been calling ônibus. We missed a list where those new words were saved.
GoodReal speaking practice in either variant, for a low monthly price.
Watch outThe daily path is fairly fixed, and words from your calls are not collected for review.
- About 7 to 10 dollars a month
- 12 languages, both Portuguese variants
- iPhone, Android
2
Babbel
Best for Brazilian Portuguese grammar explained clearly
Babbel teaches Brazilian Portuguese in short lessons written by teachers, from beginner to B1, with extra topics beyond. Each new structure comes with a short explanation in English. It does not offer European Portuguese, and Babbel Speak, its AI trainer, does not cover Portuguese yet.
On day four a lesson on ser and estar finally explained why eu sou cansado is wrong and eu estou cansado is right, with a simple rule about lasting and passing states. On day six the review mixed both verbs and we got most of them right, which felt like real progress. The lessons are tidy and a little dry, best with a coffee at home.
GoodThe clearest Brazilian Portuguese grammar here, with steady review.
Watch outBrazilian only, no AI conversation for Portuguese, and the course stops around B1.
- About 9 to 18 dollars a month
- 14 languages, Brazilian Portuguese
- iPhone, Android, web
3
Slova
Best for Brazilian Portuguese built around your own goal or passion
Slova starts with one sentence about why you want Portuguese, and builds your path around it. Its Portuguese course is Brazilian. Your reason can be a career goal like a job with a team in São Paulo, a life goal like moving to Florianópolis or talking with your partner's family in Recife, or something you love, like samba, football or Brazilian cooking. Behind the path sits a full A0 to C2 curriculum made by language learners and computer scientists, and every lesson can be done visually at your own pace or out loud with our AI tutors, who listen and correct you.
That makes it immersive from the first day. You learn the Portuguese of your own world straight away, instead of weeks of o menino come a maçã. You can make your own practice with AI too: describe a place and Slova draws the scene and labels every object in Portuguese, or ask for a short podcast or story on your topic at your level. It is the only app on this list where you make your own practice material with AI.
Results come fast because the words you learn today are the words you need tomorrow, so you use them straight away and they stay. Every word from lessons, tutor conversations, pictures and texts you read lands in one list, the Lexicon, and comes back for review. And because the course is about your own life, it is much easier to open in week six than a course written for everyone.
We tried it with a passion: Brazilian music. The path opened with the words of a night out in Rio, and a labelled scene of a roda de samba in a small bar gave us o pandeiro, o cavaquinho and o violão in one picture. In the tutor lesson we talked about our favourite singers and were corrected from eu gosto de samba muito to eu gosto muito de samba, with a short note on where muito goes. A podcast at our level about Lapa on a Friday night brought the same words back the next morning, and the lyrics of an old bossa nova song started to make sense.
GoodImmersive, quick to show results, and built around what you care about, so you keep coming back.
Watch outNewer than the big names, with 10 languages today rather than 40, and Brazilian rather than European Portuguese.
- 10 languages and growing
- A0 to C2 curriculum
- AI tutors in every lesson
4
Duolingo
Best for a free daily habit in Brazilian Portuguese
Duolingo's Portuguese course teaches Brazilian Portuguese, and the free plan covers a lot of it. Short lessons, streaks and leagues make it easy to open every day. Video Call with Lily includes Portuguese, and Duolingo is moving it into the cheaper Super plan.
By day ten the food unit felt easy, so we tried Video Call. Lily asked what we had for breakfast and eu comi pão de queijo came out fine, but the follow up question about coffee left us searching for words. That gap between tapping and talking is Duolingo in one moment. For people moving to Portugal, the accent and some words will not match.
GoodFree, fun and very good at building the daily habit.
Watch outBrazilian only, and a lot of tapping compared with speaking.
- Free, or about 10 to 13 dollars a month
- 40+ languages, Brazilian Portuguese
- iPhone, Android, web
5
Practice Portuguese
Best for European Portuguese
Practice Portuguese is built only for European Portuguese, by a small team in Portugal. It has a learning path, short videos of Portuguese people talking, audio dialogues and a review system for the words you meet. If you are moving to Lisbon or Porto, this is the most focused option on the list.
On day three a short video had two people in Lisbon chatting, and estou a trabalhar came up where a Brazilian would say estou trabalhando. We also noticed how obrigado shrinks to something like brigad in fast speech. The website felt more complete than the app, so we mostly studied in a browser.
GoodThe best resource here for real European Portuguese, with native voices from Portugal.
Watch outNo AI conversation, and the mobile app is simpler than the website.
- About 16 to 20 dollars a month
- European Portuguese only
- Web, iPhone, Android
6
Pimsleur
Best for learning Portuguese by ear, in either variant
Pimsleur teaches through 30 minute audio lessons: you hear a prompt, answer out loud, then hear the right answer. It has a long Brazilian Portuguese course and a shorter European one. It fits people who commute, walk a lot or learn best by listening.
The Brazilian course had us saying com licença, a senhora fala inglês? on a morning drive, and the nasal sounds were close to right by the time we parked. By lesson six the answers came without thinking. The European course is much shorter, so learners heading to Portugal will need a second app sooner.
GoodGreat for pronunciation and listening, completely hands free, in both variants.
Watch outExpensive, slow to build vocabulary, and the European course is short.
- About 20 to 21 dollars a month
- 50+ languages, both Portuguese variants
- iPhone, Android, web
7
Busuu
Best for native speakers who correct your Portuguese
Busuu teaches Brazilian Portuguese along the CEFR levels, from A1 to B2. At the end of many lessons you write or record a short answer, and Portuguese speakers in the community correct it. AI Conversations with feedback sit in the top Premium Plus plan.
On day three we wrote that we live em o centro of our city. By the next morning a Brazilian had corrected it to no centro and explained that em and o join together. It was a tiny fix that we have not forgotten since. Replies are not always that fast.
GoodReal human corrections and a clear course up to B2.
Watch outBrazilian only, and the AI conversation feature needs the top plan.
- About 7 to 14 dollars a month
- 14 languages, Brazilian Portuguese
- iPhone, Android, web
8
Memrise
Best for hearing both accents from native speakers
Memrise mixes spaced review of words with short videos of native speakers, and it has official courses for both Brazilian and European Portuguese. That makes it one of the easiest ways to hear the difference between the two. AI Buddies, chat partners for roleplay and grammar questions, are in the paid Pro plan.
We ran both courses side by side for a week. A clip from Portugal said está bem while the Brazilian clip said tá bom, and hearing them back to back on the bus made the difference obvious. The AI chat was handy for quick questions but not a real tutor.
GoodNative voices in both variants, with good spaced review for vocabulary.
Watch outThe monthly price is high, and AI Buddies are Pro only.
- About 5 to 25 dollars a month
- 20+ languages, both Portuguese variants
- iPhone, Android, web
9
Lingvist
Best for building Brazilian Portuguese vocabulary fast
Lingvist teaches the most common words through fill in the gap sentences, and adapts to what you already know. Its Portuguese course is Brazilian. There is no AI conversation, so it works best next to a speaking app.
The placement round skipped the obvious words and went straight to aliás, então and a gente, which Brazilians use all the time for "we". By day seven we had typed through a couple of hundred new words in context during lunch breaks. Useful and quiet, but we still needed another app to say them.
GoodA fast, focused way to grow your vocabulary with the words that come up most.
Watch outNo speaking practice, and the app is updated less often than it used to be.
- About 10 dollars a month
- Brazilian Portuguese and about a dozen more
- iPhone, Android, web
10
LingoDeer
Best for clear grammar notes in Brazilian Portuguese
LingoDeer is a structured course known for clear grammar notes, and it now teaches 20 languages, including Brazilian Portuguese. Each lesson explains a structure in short notes, then practises it with audio and exercises. It suits learners who like to know the rule before they use it.
On day five a note on plurals explained why pão becomes pães but mão becomes mãos, and we read it to the end. The review the next day mixed old and new words fairly. Speaking is limited to repeating after the audio, so it needs a talking partner alongside.
GoodClear notes and a steady, well built course for beginners.
Watch outWeak on open speaking, and Brazilian only.
- About 8 to 15 dollars a month
- 20 languages, Brazilian Portuguese
- iPhone, Android, web
Best app by goal
| Your goal | Our pick | Also good |
|---|
| Move to Portugal | Practice Portuguese | Praktika |
|---|
| Move to Brazil | Slova | Babbel |
|---|
| Speak with an AI tutor in either variant | Praktika | Slova |
|---|
| Learn for free | Duolingo | Memrise |
|---|
| Understand the grammar | Babbel | LingoDeer |
|---|
| Learn for a partner's family or a passion | Slova | Busuu |
|---|
| Learn while driving | Pimsleur | Memrise |
|---|
| Hear both accents | Memrise | Pimsleur |
|---|
| Grow vocabulary fast | Lingvist | Slova |
|---|
Brazilian or European: pick before you pay
Choose Brazilian Portuguese if your goal is Brazil, Brazilian friends or family, or Brazilian music, series and football. It is also the easier start: vowels are clearer, there are far more apps and courses, and most learners find it easier to understand.
Choose European Portuguese if you are moving to Portugal, working with Portuguese colleagues or have family there. The written language is close to Brazilian, but the spoken one is not: unstressed vowels almost disappear, tu is common where Brazilians say você, and many everyday words differ, like comboio and trem for train.
If you already started with Brazilian and now need European, do not start again. Grammar and most vocabulary carry over. Spend a few weeks on listening, with Practice Portuguese or Memrise's European course, and practise speaking with a European Portuguese tutor in Praktika.
If you already speak Spanish
Spanish speakers can read a surprising amount of Portuguese from day one, and that is both a gift and a trap. The gift is speed: you can skip many beginner lessons. The trap is portuñol, a mix of the two that feels right and sounds wrong, like saying pero for mas or mucho for muito.
The fix is to spend most of your early time listening and speaking, not reading. Pick an app that makes you use your voice, and pay extra attention to the nasal sounds and open vowels Spanish does not have.
Which one should you pick
If you are heading to Portugal, start with Practice Portuguese for the real accent and add Praktika's European tutor for speaking. Pimsleur and Memrise help too, since both have European courses.
If your goal is Brazil and you want to start free, Duolingo is the easiest first step. Babbel and LingoDeer explain the grammar most clearly, and Busuu adds real Brazilians who correct your writing. Lingvist is a good extra for vocabulary.
If you are learning Brazilian Portuguese for a clear reason, a job with a Brazilian team, a partner's family, a move to Florianópolis or a love of samba and football, Slova is where we would start. It turns that reason into the course, the tutor conversations and one list of words to review.
Conclusion
The best Portuguese app is the one that teaches the Portuguese you need. For Brazil, Babbel explains it best and Duolingo is the easiest free start. For Portugal, Practice Portuguese is the most focused, and Praktika is the rare AI tutor that speaks both. If you want Brazilian Portuguese with the course, the speaking and your word list built around your own reason, give Slova a try.
Just starting Portuguese? See the best language apps for beginners. To talk sooner, try the best apps for speaking practice or the best AI conversation apps. Learning more than one language? We also rank apps for Japanese and Arabic.
Frequently asked questions
Should I learn Brazilian or European Portuguese?
Choose by where the people you want to talk to live. Brazilian is spoken by far more people and has more apps. European is the right choice if you are moving to Portugal or have family there.
Does Duolingo teach European Portuguese?
No. Duolingo's Portuguese course is Brazilian. For European Portuguese, look at Practice Portuguese, Memrise's European course, Pimsleur's European course or Praktika's European tutor.
Can Brazilians and Portuguese people understand each other?
Yes, with some effort. Brazilians often find European Portuguese hard to follow at first because of the swallowed vowels, while Portuguese people hear Brazilian Portuguese all the time on TV and in music.
Which app is best for speaking Portuguese with AI?
Praktika gives the most AI conversation time and covers both variants. For Brazilian Portuguese built around your own goal, Slova lets you take every lesson out loud with its AI tutors.
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