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The best free apps for learning Korean (honest comparison)

The short answer

For most beginners: learn Hangul with any free guide, use one app for a daily habit, a free review deck for the sentences you meet, and dramas or K-pop for the hours. Every free option is below with what it is good for and what you would pay later.

Free Korean apps, compared

Duolingo

JapaneseKoreanFree option

Good for: Short, game-like daily lessons that make showing up every day easy.

Price: Free. Optional Super Duolingo subscription (App Store lists in-app prices from $9.99), 14-day free trial. (source)

Fits: Total beginners who want a free daily habit.

Watch out: Mostly app-made sentences; add real listening alongside it.

Anki

Any languageFree option

Good for: Spaced-repetition flashcards that bring each card back right before you would forget it.

Price: Free on computer and Android (AnkiDroid). The official iPhone app, AnkiMobile, is a one-time $24.99. (source)

Fits: Anyone who wants to keep the sentences they meet in shows and songs.

Watch out: You bring the content (your own cards or shared decks); it is a tool, not a course.

Busuu

JapaneseKoreanFree option

Good for: Short expert-made lessons plus corrections from native speakers in its community.

Price: Free tier. Premium price is not shown publicly; its site says it varies by region and platform. (source)

Fits: Learners who want a course plus feedback from native speakers.

Watch out: You only see the price at checkout.

HelloTalk

JapaneseKoreanFree option

Good for: Chat with native speakers who want to learn your language, with built-in translation and corrections.

Price: Free. Optional VIP $12.99/month or $79.99/year (App Store). (source)

Fits: Learners who want real people to practise with.

Watch out: The free version has daily limits that VIP removes.

Tandem

JapaneseKoreanFree option

Good for: Find a language-exchange partner and chat by text, voice or video.

Price: Free to join. Tandem Pro is an in-app purchase; the App Store lists several regional prices. (source)

Fits: Learners who want conversation partners by interest or location.

Watch out: Pro price depends on your region and the offer shown.

Language Reactor

JapaneseKoreanFree option

Good for: Dual subtitles, a pop-up dictionary and playback controls on Netflix and YouTube.

Price: Free Chrome extension; offers in-app purchases (prices not shown on its listing). (source)

Fits: Learners who train with Netflix and YouTube on a computer.

Watch out: Desktop Chrome only, not a phone app.

Memrise

JapaneseKoreanFree option

Good for: Videos of native speakers, spaced review and AI conversation practice.

Price: Free to start. Paid plan price was not shown on its site when we checked. (source)

Fits: Learners who want natural phrases from real speakers.

Watch out: Check the price in the app before paying.

Refold

Any languageFree option

Good for: An immersion-first roadmap: a step-by-step path built around watching and reading real content.

Price: Free roadmap, tracker and 10-day starter course; paid decks, courses and coaching (prices on its pricing page). (source)

Fits: Self-starters who like a content-first method.

Watch out: A method, not a language course by itself.

How to Study Korean

KoreanFree option

Good for: A free, detailed Korean course from reading Hangul to advanced grammar, with audio.

Price: Lessons free ("will always be free", per its site); optional paid workbooks and books. (source)

Fits: Self-directed Korean learners who like detailed explanations.

Watch out: Text-based; no speaking feedback.

Papago

JapaneseKoreanFree option

Good for: NAVER's translator for Korean, Japanese, English and more: text, image, document and voice.

Price: Free on the web; a paid Papago Plus is also offered. (source)

Fits: Checking what a Korean or Japanese line means.

Watch out: A translator, not a teacher; use it to check, not to learn grammar.

Lingram

KoreanFree optionOur app

Good for: A feed of short real street clips: each shows the Korean line, how to say it and what it means.

Price: Free to scroll. (source)

Fits: K-drama and K-pop fans who want real lines in seconds.

Watch out: Korean only for now, and still in beta. It is our app.

Prices and free tiers were read on each app's own website in October 2026. They change; the link next to each price is the page we read.

Keep it to three

Habit, memory, real Korean. More apps rarely means more progress.

The full directory

Paid courses, tutors and methods are in the app and method directory.

“And as you're learning from YouTube and Netflix, you know, just take the sentences that you learn and put them into Anki, get them into Anki, so you can get spaced repetition with that.”Languy · from a recorded lesson

Questions people also ask

Can I learn Korean for free?

Yes. Free Hangul guides, How to Study Korean, Naver Dictionary, Anki on desktop or Android, and dramas or YouTube for listening cover a full beginner path.

What is the best app for Korean beginners?

There is no single best one. Pick one daily-habit app you enjoy, then add a review deck and real Korean content.

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