Websites and apps for learning English offer several approaches, including interactive lessons, structured courses, videos and audio programmes. Duolingo, Slow English FM, Babbel, Busuu and Memrise serve different needs. Here are the main features of these five services.
1. Duolingo: learn through short exercises
Duolingo offers English lessons through interactive exercises. Its courses cover vocabulary and sentence structures through a range of activities. The format suits short, regular study sessions.
Duolingo offers free learning and is an option for starting English or revisiting the basics. Available activities vary by course.
2. Slow English FM: easy English web radio
Slow English FM is a web app offering live radio in slow, easy English. Its programmes include news, conversations, stories and English-learning segments. Listeners can follow the text during live broadcasts, while replays come with transcripts and sources.
The service complements lessons on Duolingo, Babbel or Busuu by adding listening practice. Programmes offer connected speech and vocabulary in context across a range of subjects.
Slow English FM is free to use on computers and phones. The app can be installed from the browser onto a phone’s home screen, and its website also offers direct listening.
3. Babbel: follow a structured course
Babbel offers English courses organised into lessons, with topics including grammar, travel and culture. Its defined course structure provides a framework for studying.
Course access requires a subscription. The service is available on the web and through a mobile app, with progress synced between devices. English courses require a supported interface language other than English.
4. Busuu: combine lessons and corrections
Busuu offers courses covering reading, writing, listening and speaking. Lessons are short and focus on specific topics.
Its community allows learners to submit written or spoken exercises and receive corrections from speakers of the language they are studying. Busuu offers free access and a Premium option with additional features.
5. Memrise: study vocabulary through video
Memrise combines words and expressions with videos of people using English. This approach focuses on vocabulary and its pronunciation in filmed content.
The service is available on the web and through a mobile app, with syncing between devices. It can accompany a course or longer listening sessions.
Listen with Slow English FM
Slow English FM offers free live radio in slow, clear English, with news, stories and conversations. Text accompanies the audio, and programmes are available to replay with transcripts. On a computer or phone, the app complements English courses with regular listening practice.
Listen to free English radio →Sources and writing
- Duolingo — How to study English on your own
- Slow English FM — About
- Babbel — Subscriptions
- Babbel — Available languages
- Busuu — What is Busuu?
- Memrise — Learn English
- Memrise — Download the app
Guide written with AI assistance and automatically checked against our editorial standards. The exercises are practice suggestions, with no guarantee of results.