11 best apps to learn Dutch

Whether you don’t have time or money to attend an in-person Dutch course or want to do a bit extra to improve your vocabulary or grammar, using your mobile phone to learn Dutch can be an easy and convenient way to level up your language skills. Here’s a breakdown of the best apps for learning Dutch. 

Learning Dutch with apps

With work, school and family taking up most of your time, it can feel overwhelming to try to fit an in-person Dutch language course into your schedule. While the intensive, supported teaching style of classroom learning will get you the best results, many turn to mobile apps for convenience and affordability.

When learning any language, you need to master four key components, namely reading, writing, speaking and listening. You also need to choose an app that matches your learning style. To ensure you make progress while studying the Dutch language with an app, it’s a good idea to cover all your bases.

Some apps for learning Dutch will incorporate lessons into mini gamified formats, while others have more “traditional” teaching methods. Most also have a particular focus, such as grammar rules or building vocabulary. Keeping all this in mind, it may be best to use several apps at the same time when learning Dutch. 

Top apps to learn Dutch

If you live in the Netherlands and want to speak like a local, you can easily learn Dutch with your mobile phone. Whether it’s on your train ride to work or while you’re waiting for your food to heat in the oven, you can immerse yourself in the language for a few minutes every day. Here are some of the best apps to learn Dutch. 

Free apps to learn Dutch

Even if you don’t have the budget for lessons, you can still learn Dutch by using language learning apps that don’t cost a cent. Here are our top picks for free apps to learn Dutch.

Duolingo

The self-proclaimed “world’s best way to learn a language”, Duolingo is one of the most popular language learning apps. Duolingo helps you build vocabulary and sentence structure with bite-sized lessons in the form of quizzes and challenges that help with your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. 

If you’re someone who struggles to stay motivated, you might like the simple, but surprisingly effective “streak” feature, which measures the number of days in a row that you’ve completed your self-set learning goal. Over time, Duolingo’s exercises can get repetitive, but for beginners it’s a great place to start, and there’s lots to enjoy for a free app. There is a premium version, but the lesson content is exactly the same.

Video: YouTube/Duolingo

Clozemaster

A language learning tool that focuses on improving your Dutch vocabulary quickly, Clozemaster is a great complement to a language course or textbook. It gives you sentences, each with a missing word, and then asks you choose the correct word based on the context. 

Clozemaster also allows you to hear each sentence, enabling you to practise your listening skills. This free app is better suited to learners who already have some grasp of the Dutch language. There is also a premium version that allows you to access more content daily. 

Video: YouTube/Clozemaster

Free Dutch learning apps with paid add-ons

These Dutch learning apps are also free, but might be worth upgrading to gain access to a richer learning experience or additional content:

Drops

If you’re looking specifically for an app to improve your Dutch vocabulary, Drops is the one to use. Designed for visual learners, the language learning app has fun and effective game-like language lessons that are short and sweet.

Drops uses text, images and audio to keep learners engaged, and with lessons coming in short bursts of just five minutes, learning Dutch is quick and easy for people with busy lives. While the app is free, the premium version offers valuable upgrades, including unlimited playtime, offline access and pronunciation tests. 

Video: YouTube/Drops - a Kahoot! Company

Memrise

Memrise helps learners master their pronunciation and practise conversations from real-life scenarios, such as ordering food at a restaurant or talking about the holidays. Not only can you improve your vocabulary and sentence structure, but you can also listen to thousands of conversations between native speakers, helping you get used to the different accents in the Netherlands.

There’s also an AI language tutor that lets you practise your pronunciation and gives you feedback. Memrise is free to use, but to access all learning features and remove ads, you’ll need to pay for an upgrade to Pro.      

Video: YouTube/Memrise

Busuu

Combining lessons on vocabulary and grammar with a global community of native speakers to give you learning support, Busuu is a comprehensive language learning app. You learn with quick lessons where you practise writing and speaking with the chance to test your progress regularly.

Other app features include a personalised study plan based on your Dutch level, with the option to receive notifications to keep you on track, and a “Smart Review” that collates all the grammar and vocabulary you’ve learned, so you can go back and brush up any time you need. You even get Busuu language certificates to prove your language capabilities. 

Busuu is free to get started, but you’ll need to upgrade to premium to get your hands on all of its features.

Video: YouTube/Busuu

Mondly

Mondly provides a tailored learning experience with practical lessons on everyday topics such as family, travel and food. The quick daily lessons and weekly challenges keep learners interested in their new language. You also get the option to learn in your native language. 

The app is free to use, but if you want access to all lessons and other helpful features such as a conversation bot to practise your speaking skills, vocabulary review or custom profile designs, you’ll need to subscribe to the premium version of Mondly. 

Video: YouTube/Mondly by Pearson

Best apps for learning Dutch that cost money

If paying for a Dutch language course is just a bit out of your budget, but you still want to invest in your language learning, one of these premium language apps could be the way to go:

Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone’s award-winning “immersive” approach to language learning has now been translated into an app. Using images, texts, sounds and video, users learn Dutch intuitively, without any translations.

The bite-sized lessons of five to 10 minutes recreate real-life scenarios, preparing you for interactions when on holiday, at work or with family. There is also a speech recognition function to help you master pronunciation. Only available with a paid subscription, Rosetta Stone also offers personalised learning plans and offline learning. 

 Video: YouTube/Rosetta Stone

Babbel

If you prefer traditional lessons to gamified content when learning a language, Babbel might be the best app for you. With course material tailored to your proficiency level, the app's short effective lessons help you work on your listening, speaking and writing skills for everyday situations.

Not only does Babbel offer speech recognition tools to improve your pronunciation and conversation skills, but there are also videos and podcasts so that you can further expose yourself to the Dutch language. While the first lesson is free, you’ll need a subscription to access the rest of your learning content. 

Video: YouTube/Babbel

DutchPod101

If you would rather have a self-directed approach to learning your new language, DutchPod101 could be the right fit for you. Through short audio and video lessons with real teachers, you’ll work through real Dutch conversations while going into detail for specific words and phrases.

For rapid learning, DutchPod101 also has word lists, slideshows and flashcards to quiz you on your newly acquired language knowledge. You can even go a step further and get one-on-one guidance on your pronunciation from a teacher with conversation practise. DutchPod101 is available for free online, but it is also available as a mobile app known as Innovative Langauge Learning. After your free seven-day trial, you'll need to purchase a subscription.

 Video: YouTube/Learn Dutch with DutchPod101

Pimsleur

Pimsleur might be the app for you if your main aim is to improve your spoken Dutch. This language learning app is focused on conversational skills with hours of speaking and listening exercises, broken down into 30-minute sessions. It even promises to have users speaking Dutch from day one.

The idea is that it teaches language the same way you learned as a child, by listening to native speakers, to improve your cadence and pronunciation. Rather than matching words and images on a screen, Pimsleur has you role-play, practise vocabulary, and listen to conversations while reading transcripts.

The hands-free mode makes it perfect for learning on the move, even while driving! You can also integrate the app on your mobile phone through your smart speaker to work through the lessons at home. After the first free lesson, Pimsleur is only available with a monthly subscription.

Video: YouTube/Pimsleur

Lingopie

Want to learn Dutch while bingeing TV shows, watching movies and listening to podcasts? Lingopie is a video-based learning app that uses a database of thousands of TV shows, movies and shorts in your target language, to help you get used to hearing the spoken language. To ensure you don’t miss a word, you can select different play speeds, watch with dual subtitles, and click on words to translate and learn about grammar and pronunciation. 

The learning part comes in with exercises and quizzes based on the shows and movies you’ve watched, to help you practise what you’ve just learned. You can also work on your accent and pronunciation with dedicated videos. You can try out Lingopie for free for a week, after which the app is only accessible with a subscription. 

Video: YouTube/Lingopie

The best app to learn Dutch

Whether you’re looking for a Dutch vocabulary app or Dutch pronunciation app, finding the best app for you will take some trial and error. Try one (or a few) out, start learning today and soon you'll be asking for a lekker biertje in no time!