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At the top of our guide to the best language-learning apps is the much-loved and widely used Duolingo. I’ve even written that “I never thought learning a language could be fun and addictive until I found Duolingo.”
Duolingo offers gamified, bite-sized lessons that build everyday habits using a leaderboard, streak psychology, social accountability, and urgency mechanics. It’s an engaging app that is both fun and easy to use. It’s not for everyone, though, as evidenced by the rise of other language learning apps like Promova.
Promova is a more modern, results-driven platform that offers deeper, real-world conversational context, AI-powered practice, and access to live human tutors. The app’s method follows a learn, speak, grow process with real-life conversations taking center stage in the learning process.
This is part of a regular series of articles exploring the apps that we couldn't live without. Read them all here.
The AI-powered language learning platform is designed to help you speak a foreign language with confidence. It features a wide range of languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Korean, Italian, and other popular languages. It's trusted by, according to the developer, well over 20 million learners in more than 190 countries.
Learning with Promova
After downloading and installing Promova, you’ll be presented with a simple set of questions designed to determine your language level. This lets the app provide you with the right starting point so that you’re not swamped right at the outset. This is reflected in the list of available lessons and modules, which are presented on the homescreen.
Lesson types sit within one of four categories, including video, vocabulary, grammar, and role-play speaking. It’s very different from other gamified approaches, and even though I thought it would be too simple and uninspiring, I actually found it to be an ideal blend of different types of learning.
My favorite was actually the role-play setups, which take the form of a text message conversation with voice functionality. Think WhatsApp, but for language learning. The AI chatbot takes the lead and waits for the user to either text or speak their response. From there, it will respond appropriately.
There was one point when I had no idea what I was being asked, so I told the chatbot exactly that, and it graciously met me where I was at, in terms of understanding, and helped lead me along. The conversational nature of the process made it feel like I was engaging in a real conversation with a real person.
Being encouraged along the way
Despite not being gamified like Duolingo, Promova still offers a selection of motivational tools to keep you moving in the right direction. The primary one of these is the Achievements system, which acts as your personal milestone tracker
As you progress through the modules, you'll be rewarded with various badges and milestones for completing specific tasks, such as mastering a set number of new words, finishing advanced grammar modules, or maintaining consistency.
The tracker is presented in a clear visual so you can see your growth, turning the long-term journey of language learning into a series of small and satisfying wins.
Along with Achievements, there is also a Triple Streak feature designed to supercharge your daily learning habits without causing burnout.
Instead of just tracking a single daily check-in, which is what Duolingo does, a Triple Streak typically encourages you to engage with three core pillars of the app, such as vocabulary, grammar, and speaking practice, in a single day.
This approach ensures you are developing a well-rounded skillset rather than just tapping through a single repetitive lesson to keep a basic streak alive.
Upgrading to Premium
Promova Premium costs $29.99 / £25 per month. When compared to Duolingo (Super), which costs $12.99 / £9.99 per month, it becomes apparent how expensive Promova really is.
Promova does have a free tier, but it's ad-heavy to the point of annoyance and is seriously restricted in terms of module access. You won't need to spend too much time on it before upgrading to Premium becomes a necessity.
That's not to say that everyone should go for Duolingo. Promova is much more conversation-focused and practical than Duolingo, offering features like AI role-playing and live tutoring, whereas Duolingo relies on gamification, translation, and strict daily streak systems. Each learner will need a different experience, and only you can choose which one is right for you.
Download Promova on iOS and Android.
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