Best Apps to Learn Indonesian in 2026

There is no single best app to learn Indonesian. The right choice depends on whether you want a free start, audio you can do hands-free, everyday spoken Indonesian or a human to talk to. Here are nine options for 2026, including our own app, each with its limits.

Quick picks by goal

• Free first taste and a daily habit: Duolingo
• Everyday spoken Indonesian with guided daily lessons: JADI
• Learning by ear, hands-free: Pimsleur
• A large library of audio and video lessons: IndonesianPod101
• Short structured beginner lessons before a trip: Babbel
• Seeing and hearing real native speakers on video: Memrise
• Game-style practice across many Asian languages: Ling
• Building your own flashcards: Anki
• Real conversation and correction: a tutor on italki or Preply

1. Duolingo

Best for: starting from zero for free and building a daily habit.

• Strengths: The whole Indonesian course is on the free tier. Short lessons, streaks and reminders keep you coming back.
• Limits: The Indonesian course is much shorter than Duolingo's big courses and stays at beginner level. It teaches standard, formal Indonesian, with little grammar explanation and limited listening and speaking practice.
• Price model: Free with ads and usage limits on mobile. Optional subscription removes them.

More detail in Duolingo Indonesian: is it enough?

2. JADI

Best for: learning the Indonesian people actually speak, in a guided daily routine.

This is our app, so weigh this entry accordingly.

• Strengths: Daily guided lessons written by Yohana, a native Indonesian teacher with 3,400+ five-star reviews on iTalki. It teaches colloquial Indonesian alongside the standard forms, so you learn nggak as well as tidak. It covers root word families, has audio for every sentence, includes Indonesian stories and uses spaced repetition for review.
• Limits: Beginner through intermediate only. More advanced content is in development. It is mobile only (iOS and Android), with no web version. It is a newer app than the others on this list. There is no live tutoring and no AI chat.
• Price model: First 6 lesson days free, no card needed. Then US$7.99 a month or US$59.99 a year. See pricing. Get it on the App Store or Google Play.

3. Pimsleur

Best for: learning by listening and speaking aloud, for example while commuting or walking.

• Strengths: An audio-first method that prompts you to say sentences out loud. Pimsleur says its course teaches standard Indonesian as spoken in Jakarta. Lessons are about 30 minutes, and Level 1 has 30 of them.
• Limits: It is built around listening and speaking, so expect little reading, writing or explicit grammar. Check how many Indonesian levels are offered before you commit.
• Price model: Subscription, with a free lesson to try. One-off purchases are also sold.

4. IndonesianPod101

Best for: learners who like podcast-style lessons and want a lot of material.

• Strengths: A large library of short audio and video lessons with dialogues, slowed-down audio and line-by-line breakdowns. Higher tiers add flashcards and access to a teacher for feedback.
• Limits: The library is big, so you need to pick a pathway and stick to it. A free account only opens the first lessons of each pathway, and the more useful study tools sit in the higher tiers.
• Price model: Free account with limited access, then tiered subscriptions (Basic, Premium, Premium PLUS).

5. Babbel

Best for: short, tidy beginner lessons with clear explanations.

• Strengths: Lessons of about 10 to 15 minutes built around practical situations. Native-speaker audio and a built-in review feature.
• Limits: Babbel's Indonesian course covers beginner levels only, so you will finish it fairly quickly.
• Price model: Subscription (monthly, multi-month or lifetime plans). The first lesson is free.

6. Memrise

Best for: vocabulary and phrases with video of real native speakers.

• Strengths: Short clips of native speakers saying the words and phrases you are learning. Includes review of saved words and an AI chat partner for practice. Has a free plan.
• Limits: It is built around words and phrases, so pair it with something that explains grammar.
• Price model: Free plan with ads, plus a Pro subscription that unlocks all features.

7. Ling

Best for: learners who like game-style lessons and are studying more than one Asian language.

• Strengths: Bite-sized lessons with native audio, games, flashcards and a dialogue feature for practising conversations. One subscription covers a wide range of languages.
• Limits: The free version has limited lessons and ads. It uses the same lesson format across dozens of languages, so check that it goes as deep on Indonesian as you need.
• Price model: Limited free version, then subscription with a free trial.

8. Anki

Best for: self-directed learners who want full control over what they review.

• Strengths: A flashcard program with spaced repetition. Make your own cards or download shared decks. It is open source.
• Limits: It is a review tool, not a course. The interface takes time to learn and shared Indonesian decks vary in quality.
• Price model: Free on desktop and Android. The official iOS app is a paid one-off purchase.

9. Tutors on italki or Preply

Best for: real speaking practice and personal correction.

• Strengths: One-to-one video lessons with Indonesian tutors. A good tutor adapts to your level and corrects you on the spot.
• Limits: It costs more per hour than any app, and quality depends on the tutor, so expect to try two or three.
• Price model: Pay per lesson at rates set by each tutor. Both platforms offer trial lessons, and Preply also sells lessons as a recurring plan.

How to combine them

A simple setup that works for most people:

• One main course for structure (for example JADI, Babbel or Pimsleur).
• One listening source you enjoy. The JADI podcast is free and has Indonesian and English captions and transcripts.
• Speaking practice with a tutor or exchange partner once you have a few weeks behind you.

For a step-by-step plan, see our guide on how to learn Indonesian, and for realistic timelines see how long it takes to learn Indonesian.

FAQ

What is the best free app to learn Indonesian?

Duolingo is the most complete free starting point, and Anki is free on desktop and Android for flashcards. Memrise, Ling and IndonesianPod101 have limited free tiers, and JADI's first 6 lesson days are free.

Which app teaches spoken, informal Indonesian?

Most apps teach standard Indonesian, such as tidak for "not" where everyday speech uses nggak. JADI teaches colloquial Indonesian on purpose, and a tutor can also teach you how people speak in daily life.

Can I learn Indonesian with apps alone?

Apps can take you a long way with vocabulary, grammar and listening. To speak comfortably you will also need practice with real people, through a tutor, a language exchange or time in Indonesia.

How many apps should I use at once?

One main course, one listening source and some speaking practice is enough. Adding more usually splits your time without adding progress.