Praktika made AI tutors feel human: a face, a name, an accent and endless patience, all for a low monthly price. Most people who leave it do not leave because it is bad. They leave because the daily path is the same for everyone, the words from each call are not collected anywhere, the avatar is always on screen, and English gets far more depth than its other eleven languages. Reviews on Trustpilot and Reddit add a practical reason too: trial and cancellation surprises.
TL;DRFor a structured spoken course, pick Speak. For voice-only calls that remember you and turn words into flashcards, pick ISSEN. For English conversation without an avatar, pick Loora. For a course built around your own goal or interest, pick Slova. For a real human on the other side, pick Cambly.
We used Praktika for a month to set the bar, then tested each alternative on its paid plan during 2026, on iPhone and Android. For each app we took the first lesson, practised for seven days in a row, and then checked one thing Praktika struggles with: could we find, a week later, the words we had used in our conversations?
This is not a ranking. Some apps below feel like Praktika with one problem fixed, and others work in a completely different way. Pick the entry that names the thing you miss, and ignore the rest.
Comparison table
✓Yes◐Partly✕No
| App | Best for | How it differs from Praktika | Keeps your words | Languages |
|---|
| Speak | A structured spoken course | Clear units instead of a fixed daily loop | ◐Smart Review | 7 |
|---|
| ISSEN | Voice-only calls with memory | No avatar, remembers past calls | ✓flashcards | 50+ |
|---|
| Loora | English conversation, no avatar | Voice coach focused on work and daily life | ✕ | English only |
|---|
| Slova | Learning around your goal or interest | Personal path and a full curriculum | ✓one list | 10 and growing |
|---|
| Langua | Detailed correction reports | Full report after each chat | ✓flashcards | 20+ |
|---|
| Univerbal | Clear levels from A1 to C2 | Scenarios matched to your level | ◐ | 20+ |
|---|
| Busuu | Grammar with human feedback | Course plus native speaker corrections | ✓ | About 14 |
|---|
| Cambly | A real human tutor | Paid video calls with people | ✕ | English only |
|---|
| HelloTalk | Free chats with native speakers | Real people, no tutor | ◐saved notes | 150+ |
|---|
How we chose
- A path that bends. Whether the course changes with your level and aims, or runs the same loop for everyone.
- Memory for words. Whether new words from a conversation come back later for review.
- Screen or no screen. Whether you can practise by voice alone, on a walk or a train.
- Depth beyond English. How good the app is in the other languages it lists.
- Fair billing. How clear the trial, the renewal and the cancel steps are.
The best Praktika alternatives
1
Speak
Best for a structured spoken course
Speak teaches through lessons you say out loud, moving from short phrases to guided practice to a small roleplay where you use what you just learned. It has clear units and a review mode, so you always know where you are. It teaches English plus Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Italian and Mandarin.
On day two of Korean the lesson had us repeat 이거 얼마예요? until the app was happy, then drop it into a market roleplay a few minutes later. Compared with Praktika's open chat, it felt strict and a bit school-like. It also meant that by day seven we knew exactly which phrases we owned. The price was the part that made us think twice.
GoodThe clearest spoken course here, with units you can follow and a review mode.
Watch outAbout twice Praktika's monthly price, and the roleplays repeat at higher levels.
- About 18 to 40 dollars a month
- 7 languages
- iPhone, Android
2
ISSEN
Best for voice-only calls that remember you
ISSEN is a realtime voice tutor with no avatar and no push-to-talk button: you just talk, and it knows when you have finished. It remembers what you said in earlier calls and turns new words into flashcards on a spaced schedule. It works on the lock screen, so you can practise with your phone in your pocket.
On day four we took a French call on a walk, phone in pocket, and talked about a film we had seen. We tried le film m'a beaucoup plu, and the tutor picked it up two days later when it asked what else we had watched. That night the word bouleversant was waiting in our flashcards. It was the first time all week that a conversation turned into something we could review.
GoodVoice only, with memory and flashcards built in, which fixes Praktika's two biggest gaps.
Watch outFast for beginners, and noticeably more expensive than Praktika.
- About 15 to 39 dollars a month
- 50+ languages
- iPhone, Android, web
3
Loora
Best for English conversation without an avatar
Loora is an English-only AI coach built around real talk about work, travel and daily life, with feedback on grammar and word choice after each conversation. There is no avatar, just a voice and your screen of notes. It suits working adults in places like Brazil, Japan or the Philippines who already know some English.
We used it on four lunch breaks in a row, talking about a work deadline. On day three we said I am agree with my manager, and the summary afterwards showed I agree with my manager, with a short note on why. The talks felt natural and unhurried. We did have to copy useful phrases into our own notes, because nothing collected them for us.
GoodNatural English conversation with very high store ratings.
Watch outEnglish only, and new words are not saved for review.
- About 15 to 20 dollars a month
- English only
- iPhone, Android, web
4
Slova
Best for a course built around your goal or interest
Slova replaces the one-size daily path with a path built from one sentence about why you are learning. That reason can be a career goal like a job interview or an exam, a life goal like moving to Dublin or talking with your in-laws, or something you love, like cooking or anime. Behind the path is 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.
The difference from Praktika is that you learn inside the thing you care about from the first lesson. If your goal is a job, your first conversations are about your job; if it is cooking, your first words come from a kitchen, not a list of weather phrases. You can make your own practice with AI, too: describe a place and get a picture scene with every object labelled in your language, 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 quickly for a simple reason: the words you learn today are the ones you need tomorrow, so you use them right away and they stick. Every word from lessons, tutor conversations, pictures and texts ends up in one list, the Lexicon, and comes back for review, which is the part Praktika users most often say they miss. And because the course is about your life, it is easier to keep opening in week six than a path written for everyone.
We tested it as a nurse getting ready to work on a hospital ward in Ireland. The path opened with patient handovers, asking about pain and talking to worried relatives, and on day three the tutor stopped us on the patient is complaining from pain and changed it to complaining of pain, then had us say the whole handover again. We asked for a short B1 podcast about a night shift, and words like obs, discharge and on call went into the Lexicon with the ones from the lesson. A week in, we could give a two-minute handover out loud without reading it.
GoodA path and a curriculum shaped by your own reason, with every word from every call kept in one list.
Watch outNewer than Praktika, with 10 languages today and more on the way.
- 10 languages and growing
- A0 to C2 curriculum
- AI tutors in every lesson
5
Langua
Best for detailed correction reports
Langua, from LanguaTalk, is an AI conversation partner with voices cloned from native speakers. After each chat you get a report of your mistakes with explanations, and you can send words and corrections straight to flashcards. It is aimed at learners who can already hold a conversation and want feedback with more detail than Praktika gives.
On day five we talked in German about moving flat. The report listed ich habe umgezogen and corrected it to ich bin umgezogen, with a note on verbs of movement taking sein. We tapped the correction into our flashcards in one step. The voices sounded close to real people, though the cheaper plan capped our daily call time.
GoodThorough feedback, natural voices and an easy link from mistakes to flashcards.
Watch outPricier than Praktika, and there is little structure for beginners.
- About 20 to 30 dollars a month
- 20+ languages
- Web, iPhone, Android
6
Univerbal
Best for clear levels from A1 to C2
Univerbal is a Swiss AI conversation tutor, built with the University of Zurich, that matches its scenarios to your level from A1 to C2. You get instant feedback while you talk, and the conversations get harder as you improve. It is a good fit if Praktika felt either too easy or too hard for you.
We set our level to B1 in Italian and, on day three, booked a hotel room that turned out to be double-booked. The receptionist spoke at a speed that felt right, and when we said vorrei cambiare la mia prenotazione per domani, it accepted it and offered a more natural vorrei spostare la prenotazione a domani. Moving up to B2 on day six made the receptionist noticeably less patient, which was the point. The app is smaller and quieter than the big names.
GoodScenarios pitched at your actual level, with a clear way to move up.
Watch outA small team and a smaller community, so fewer guides and updates.
- About 15 to 20 dollars a month
- 20+ languages
- iPhone, Android, web
7
Busuu
Best for grammar with human feedback
Busuu is a course app tied to CEFR levels, with grammar taught step by step and a community of native speakers who correct your answers. Premium Plus adds AI Conversations with instant feedback in the mobile app. It gives you the structure Praktika's chat-first design leaves out.
On day two of Spanish we recorded a short introduction and said soy 30 años. A native speaker in Mexico replied within hours with tengo 30 años and a friendly note about age using tener. The lesson that followed explained it again, with review cards the next day. It felt slower than a tutor call, but the rule stuck.
GoodStructure, CEFR levels and corrections from real people.
Watch outLess speaking time than Praktika, and AI conversation is only in the top plan.
- Free, or about 10 to 14 dollars a month
- About 14 languages
- iPhone, Android, web
8
Cambly
Best for a real human on the other side
Cambly connects you to English tutors by video, at almost any hour, on plans sold by minutes per week. The tutors are mostly native speakers who chat rather than teach a set course. If an avatar never felt like enough, this is the step up to a person.
On day one we booked a 30-minute call and talked about a job application with a tutor in Canada. When we said I have applied since last month, she stopped, laughed, and walked us through I applied last month and I have been applying since last month. No AI we tried explained it with that much patience and humour. It also cost several times more per minute than Praktika.
GoodReal people, flexible hours and honest, human reactions.
Watch outEnglish only, far more expensive, and tutor quality varies.
- About 24 to 220 dollars a month, by plan
- English only
- iPhone, Android, web
9
HelloTalk
Best for free chats with native speakers
HelloTalk is a language exchange app: you chat with native speakers who want to learn your language, by text, voice notes or calls. Built-in tools translate and correct messages. It is free to use, with a paid VIP plan for extras.
On day three a partner in Tokyo corrected our Japanese message 昨日は映画を見ました、とても面白いでした to とても面白かったです, and explained the adjective ending in a voice note. It felt more real than any tutor, avatar or not. It also felt less safe: we got a couple of messages that had nothing to do with language, and a few partners stopped replying after a day.
GoodReal native speakers for free, in a huge range of languages.
Watch outNo course, unreliable partners, and some users report unwanted messages.
- Free, or about 7 dollars a month for VIP
- 150+ languages
- iPhone, Android
Best app by goal
| Your goal | Our pick | Also good |
|---|
| Follow a clear course by speaking | Speak | Univerbal |
|---|
| Practise without looking at a screen | ISSEN | Loora |
|---|
| Keep every word from your calls | Slova | ISSEN |
|---|
| Learn for a job, a move or a hobby | Slova | Loora |
|---|
| Get detailed feedback on mistakes | Langua | Busuu |
|---|
| Practise at exactly your level | Univerbal | Speak |
|---|
| Talk to a real person | Cambly | HelloTalk |
|---|
| Spend nothing | HelloTalk | Busuu |
|---|
Avatar or voice only
Praktika's avatars are its best idea for some people and its worst for others. A face gives shy learners something to talk to, and many say it makes practice feel less like a test. Others find it distracting, or simply want to practise while walking, cooking or driving.
If you liked the face, stay close to it: Speak and Univerbal keep a clear screen-based lesson, and Cambly gives you a real face instead of a drawn one. If you want your eyes free, ISSEN and Loora are built for voice first, and ISSEN keeps working from the lock screen. Try one week of each style before you decide. Most people know by day three which one they actually open.
Before you cancel Praktika
If you signed up through the App Store or Google Play, cancel from your phone's subscription settings, not only inside the app. Take a screenshot of the confirmation. If you started a free trial, check the renewal date in the same screen, because the trial usually turns into a yearly charge unless you stop it a day before.
Before you go, write down the phrases you used most in your Praktika calls. None of the apps above can import them, and you will learn faster if your new app starts from words you already half know.
Which one should you pick
If you want the same kind of speaking with a real structure, go to Speak. If the fixed path was fine but you hated losing your words, ISSEN keeps them as flashcards, and Langua turns your mistakes into cards too. If you want English without a face on screen, Loora is the calmest choice.
If Praktika felt the wrong level, Univerbal matches you to A1 through C2. If you want grammar explained and checked by people, pick Busuu. If you want a real person, Cambly costs more but talks back like a human, and HelloTalk costs nothing but comes with no structure.
If what you actually want is a course about your own life, whether that is a new job, a move abroad or a hobby you love, try Slova. It is the one app here that builds the lessons, the speaking practice and the word review around that reason.
Conclusion
Praktika is still a good first tutor. The best alternatives each fix one thing it does not: Speak gives structure, ISSEN gives memory, Loora drops the avatar, Langua explains your mistakes, Univerbal sets your level and Cambly gives you a person. If you want one app that ties a full course, AI tutor practice and word review to your own goals and interests, give Slova a try.
Still weighing Praktika against one app? Read Duolingo vs Praktika, Learna vs Praktika and Pingo AI vs Praktika. For the wider picture, see the best AI language learning apps.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an app like Praktika without the avatars?
Yes. ISSEN and Loora are voice-first AI tutors with no animated face. ISSEN covers 50+ languages and works from the lock screen, and Loora focuses on English conversation.
Which Praktika alternative helps me remember new words?
ISSEN turns words from your calls into flashcards, and Langua sends mistakes and new words to flashcards after each chat. Slova keeps every word from lessons, tutor calls, pictures and texts in one list, the Lexicon, and brings them back for review.
Is there a free alternative to Praktika?
HelloTalk is free and puts you in touch with real native speakers, and Busuu has a free plan for its course. Neither gives you an AI tutor on demand for free, so expect to pay for daily AI conversation.
Which alternative is better than Praktika for languages other than English?
Speak has strong courses in Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Italian and Mandarin. ISSEN covers 50+ languages with regional accents, and Univerbal works well for European languages at a set level.
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