Learn Portuguese

Apps like Duolingo, Rosetta Stone and Babbel

In this article we compare learning apps and software that you can use to learn Portuguese. Other than Rosetta Stone, Babbel or Duolingo, there are also some lesser-known apps that are at least as good or even better.

Portugal and the Portuguese Island of Madeira

Brazilian and European Portuguese do not have that many differences. The relationship between them is similar to American and British English.

There are some minor differences in vocabulary and grammar between Brazilian and Portuguese, as well regional differences in pronunciation.

Among the learning apps, there are some for learning European Portuguese and others that teach Brazilian.

You can find a compact overview of all the Portuguese learning apps below.


Mondly Portuguese App

The Best Alternative to Duolingo

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced Learners, Students, Travel

Content: Portuguese vocabulary trainer (5000 words), playful exercises, grammar

Prices: Free (initial lessons), $12.99
(1 month and 1 language), $59.99
(12 months and all 41 languages)

Discount offer: $99 (Lifetime Access to all 41 Languages)

Overall Value:

The Mondly App lets you learn the Portuguese language in a playful way with a series of interactive exercises.

This Portuguese learning program contains:

Mondly has around 45 million users worldwide. This language course has the advantage of having 41 source languages and 41 target languages.

Summary: Mondly is very similar to the Babbel and Duolingo apps and even better in terms of quality. The cost-benefit ratio for the lifetime access to all 41 languages is unbeatable.

Link: Mondly Portuguese App and Online Course


Rocket Languages: Portuguese

Learn Portuguese Without Subscriptions

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, PC and Mac (Download)

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, advanced learners, students, business

Content: Exercises with native speaker audio and speech recognition, writing, grammar, culture

Prices: Free (initial lessons), $89 (basic course), $249 (full course)

Overall Value:

Rocket Languages offers a complete Portuguese language course for download, without monthly subscriptions. It covers the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels (A1-C2).

This Portuguese learning software and app features:

You can use the Rocket Languages Portuguese course completely offline on the computer and on your smartphone after the download.

Summary: Excellent premium Portuguese course on par with Rosetta Stone but without a subscription. You pay only once and own the software. There is also a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Link: Rocket Languages Portuguese Learning Software


Portuguese Basic Course

Online Language Course App

Systems: Online Access (PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS)

Suitable for: Beginners and Advanced Learners, Students, Professionals

Content: 1300 words (basic course), 5200 words (complete course), complete grammar, verb conjugations, exercises

Prices: $59.95 (Basic Course), $127 (Complete Course)

Overall Value:

The Portuguese Basic Course contains a vocabulary trainer for the basic Portuguese vocabulary (1300 words) with native-speaker audio, as well as grammar explanations and various exercises.

The vocabulary trainer works with a long-term memory method, in which the new vocabulary is checked at increasing intervals.

You can choose between text input, multiple choice or simply confirming whether you knew a word or not.

The exercises include text comprehension questions, filling in word gaps or just vocabulary lists where one side is covered.

The basic course corresponds to the official language levels A1 and A2 (explanation of CEFR language levels).

The Complete Course contains:

There are 17 different languages you can use to learn Portuguese with this app.

Summary: Much cheaper and even better than the famous Rosetta Stone. There is a free demo version available and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Link: Portuguese Basic Course and Complete Course

Link: Brazilian Basic Course and Complete Course


Rosetta Stone: Portuguese

Most Famous Language Learning App

Systems: PC, Mac, Android, iOS Apps

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, experts, professionals, business

Content: Portuguese lessons with native speaker audio and speech recognition

Prices:
$  36 (3 months)
$145 (12 months)
$299 (Lifetime access)
$349 (Lifetime access for 24 languages)

Overall Value:

The Rosetta Stone learning app teaches Brazilian Portuguese, which is not significantly different from European Portuguese.

How does Portuguese learning with Rosetta Stone work?

Rosetta Stone has a different approach to language learning than many other online courses or language apps such as Duolingo, Memrise and others.

The idea behind Rosetta Stone is to learn a language like you did as a child - by using pictures in combination with listening, speaking, and reading.

Each Rosetta Stone lesson includes the following exercises:

A possible disadvantage of Rosetta Stone is that there are no grammar explanations or translations of the Portuguese vocabulary.

Instead, you are supposed to learn the grammar and the meaning of words from the context or recognize the meaning from the pictures.

Rosetta Stone Apps and Online Version:

The Rosetta Stone Portuguese learning software can be used online with a subscription for 3 or 12 months or with a Lifetime Access.

In addition to the online version, there are now also Rosetta Stone apps for iPhones and Android smartphones.

Summary: Time-tested method, but the lack of grammar explanations and translations may make Rosetta Stone not suitable for everyone.

Link: Rosetta Stone App and Online Course


Babbel Portuguese App

Better than Rosetta Stone

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced, Students, Business Portuguese

Content: Vocabulary trainer with native speaker audio and speech recognition, grammar, exercises

Prices:
USD 9.60 (1 month), USD 57 (12 months), USD 159 (unlimited)

Overall Value:

The Babbel Portuguese Learning App is quite similar to Rosetta Stone.

Babbel also focuses on combining pictures, listening, reading, writing and speaking. For this, Babbel has native speaker audio of all the words and speech recognition just like Rosetta Stone.

The Babbel App also offers improvements over Rosetta Stone:

Babbel is one of the oldest language learning apps and has over 10 million subscribed users world-wide. The Babbel learning app focuses on Brazilian Portuguese.

Summary: Babbel includes most of the advantages of Rosetta Stone and even eliminates its disadvantages. Highly recommended!

Link: Babbel Portuguese App and Online Course


LingQ Portuguese App

Innovative Approach to Learn Portuguese

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, advanced learners, students, professionals

Content: Video and text lessons, browser extension to import any Portuguese texts, vocabulary trainer

Price: $15 (1 month), $120 (12 months)

Overall Value:

The LingQ Portuguese App is basically a translation program that is combined with a personalized vocabulary trainer.

In addition to the lessons and texts that are included in this app, any Portuguese text can be imported. LingQ has its own browser extension for Firefox, Safari and Chrome to import texts (including ebooks).

You can click on any word in the texts to see a translation and this adds the word to your personal vocabulary trainer.

LingQ also has many videos and podcasts, the content of which appears as a text next to the video or podcast — so that any word there can be clicked on and saved as well.

Unfortunately, there are no grammar lessons, meaning that this app will not suffice on its own to learn Portuguese.

Summary: Very interesting way to learn Portuguese vocabulary on any subject. However, you need other apps for Portuguese grammar and conjugations.


Duolingo Portuguese App

Well-Known Language Learning App

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online Version (PC and Mac)

Content: Portuguese exercises with native-speaker audio

Prices: Free (with ads), $12.99 (1 month), $60 (12 months)

Overall Value:

The Duolingo App offers beginner language courses for 36 languages, including Portuguese. Duolingo covers mostly the basics as well as some intermediate level Portuguese vocabulary.

The major drawback of Duolingo (just like Rosetta Stone) is that there are no grammar explanations.

The vocabulary learning with Duolingo is "gamified", which means it is structured like a game with levels, experience points, achievements, etc.

The interface is relatively similar to the apps from Mondly and Babbel.

Summary: The vocabulary trainer and the exercises of the program are okay. However, it is not possible to learn Portuguese grammar with this app.


Mango Portuguese App

Includes Grammar

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online Version (PC and Mac)

Content: Portuguese lessons with native speaker audio, grammar, culture

Prices:
USD 12 (1 month and 70 languages)
USD 120 (1 year and 70 languages)

Overall Value:

The Mango Languages App offers 70 languages, including Portuguese.

This app also has some grammar lessons and cultural explanations. The explanations in English are all recorded and well done.

However, the number of lessons for learning Portuguese is quite small, which means that this app is only suitable for absolute beginners.

There are no exercises, except for the repeated vocabulary tests.

You can also record your own pronunciation in the app and compare it with the recording of a native speaker.

Summary: Good quality, but not much vocabulary. Only for absolute Portuguese beginners.


MosaLingua Brazilian

App like Babbel, Mondly or Duolingo

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate learners, pupils, students, travel vocabulary

Content: Portuguese vocabulary trainer and most important grammar

Prices: $5 (Vocabulary Trainer App), $59 (12 months subscription to the full online version)

Overall Value:

The Brazilian App from Mosalingua can teach over 3000 words, which include native speaker audio and pictures.

The grammar explanations in this app are limited to the 20% that are most frequently used in practice according to statistics.

The online version for computers contains the entire Brazilian grammar.

As far as the exercises are concerned, there are classic vocabulary quizzes and also fun exercises like anagrams and word puzzles.

This Brazilian learning app also has a "Hands Free Mode" that allows you to learn words while driving or jogging.

Summary: For beginners, the Mosalingua vocabulary trainer app offers great value for the money. The full subscription version is comparable to Babbel or Duolingo and has a similar price.


Lingodeer Portuguese App

Learning Portuguese for Beginners

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, students, travel vocabulary

Content: Exercises with native-speaker audio and speech recognition, grammar

Prices: $12 (1 month), $60 (12 months), $99 (unlimited)

Overall Value:

The Lingodeer App is somewhat similar to Duolingo or Babbel, but has a more extensive list of features:

The use of playful exercises and "achievements" ("gamification") is supposed to make Portuguese learning more interesting and motivating.

Summary: The Lingodeer App impresses with excellent grammar lessons and speech recognition. However, this app has lessons only for beginners and intermediate level learners.


Busuu Portuguese App

Not really recommended

Systems: Android App, iPhone App, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, high school students, college students, travelers

Content: Lessons and vocabulary trainer with native speaker audio, grammar

Prices: $13.90 (1 month), $80 (12 months)

Overall Value:

The Busuu App is a language learning app for 12 languages, including Portuguese. The interface is similar to apps like Duolingo, Babbel or Mondly.

Unfortunately, the grammar explanations here are not that good and the lessons are also structured strangely (difficult words before easier ones).

Summary: Definitely the weakest of the tested Portuguese learning apps in terms of quality.


Pimsleur Portuguese Course

Most Expensive Software to Learn Portuguese

Systems: PC and Mac (incl. Mobile App)

Suitabe for: Beginners, advanced, students, travel vocabulary

Content: Portuguese vocabulary, lessons with native-speaker audio and voice recognition

Price: $122 (Basics), $469 (Complete)

Overall Value:

The Pimsleur App is very similar to Rosetta Stone in that it does not give grammar explanations, verb conjugation tables, etc.

Instead, the Pimsleur method is supposed to let you learn Portuguese or Brazilian intuitively, just like your native language - by combining pictures, reading and speaking (speech recognition).

The complete course includes a total of five courses (levels 1 to 5). The beginner course is level 1. Each of the five courses offers 30 daily lessons of 30 minutes each and there are various interactive exercises.

This Portuguese learning course for PCs and Macs also includes a mobile app for Android and iOS systems.

Summary: The most expensive Portuguese course, even though it is unlikely that learning with it is much better than with the cheaper apps.


Overview of the Portuguese Learning Apps:

Learning App Subscrip­tion? Price Systems
Mondly
No
$99
PC, Mac,
Apps
Mondly
1
month
$13
PC, Mac,
Apps
Mondly
12
months
$59
PC, Mac,
Apps
LingQ
1
month
$15
PC, Mac,
Apps
LingQ
12
months
$120
PC, Mac,
Apps
Babbel
No
$159
PC, Mac,
Apps
Babbel
1
month
$10
PC, Mac,
Apps
Babbel
12
months
$57
PC, Mac,
Apps
Lingodeer
No
$99
PC, Mac,
Apps
Lingodeer
1
month
$12
PC, Mac,
Apps
Lingodeer
12
months
$60
PC, Mac,
Apps
Mango
1
month
$12
PC, Mac,
Apps
Mango
12
months
$120
PC, Mac,
Apps
Duolingo
1
month
$13
PC, Mac,
Apps
Duolingo
12
months
$60
PC, Mac,
Apps
Mosalingua
(Basic App)
No
$5
Apps
Mosalingua
(Complete)
12
months
$59
PC, Mac,
Apps
Busuu
1
month
$10
PC, Mac,
Apps
Busuu
12
months
$69
PC, Mac,
Apps
17 Minutes
(Basics)
No
$59
PC, Mac,
Apps
17 Minutes
(Complete)
No
$127
PC, Mac,
Apps
Rocket
(Basics)
No
$89
PC, Mac,
Apps
Rocket
(Complete)
No
$249
PC, Mac,
Apps
Rosetta Stone
No
$299
PC, Mac,
Apps
Rosetta Stone
3
months
$36
PC, Mac,
Apps
Rosetta Stone
12
months
$145
PC, Mac,
Apps
Pimsleur
(Basics)
No
$122
PC, Mac,
Apps
Pimsleur
(Complete)
No
$469
PC, Mac,
Apps

Best Apps to Learn Portuguese:
Mondly, Babbel

Best Portuguese Online Course:
17 Minute Languages

Best Learning Software for Download:
Rocket Languages

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