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Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

Hey there! Out of the necessity to teach my son a new language, I developed an app just for him. After months of use and realizing how effective it was, I decided to make it available to the public. Now, I’m looking for your support, feedback, and possibly help in reaching potential customers. Take a look and let me know your thoughts! Thank you!

This web app helps kids learn a new language through an interactive platform. Created by a parent who developed it to teach their son and found it effective over months of use, the app is now available to the broader… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language launched in 2024; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

  1. 1

    Actually learn a new language without any of the fuss

    2024 · airlearn.com · its alternatives →

  2. 2GA

    Hi HN, For over two years I've been working on an App to learn languages (currently French, Italian and Spanish), together with my partner, a language teacher. I think it is finally ready to share with this community! The idea is to introduce vocabulary and grammar whilst you read eBooks in your own language. I've found that it is easier to remember vocabulary 'in context' and with regular repetition. Plus you don't have to carve out dedicated time for language learning. Other apps require you to build a habit around various exercises or ‘games’, whereas lots of people already read books.…

    2024 · glossarie.app · its alternatives →

  3. 3

    Hi! Wanted to share the project I really wanted to have. TLDR; this app lets you create your own list of words and you get a Duolingo-like experience (kind of, still needs a lot of features) practicing those words in their context. My English is not the best but not the worst either. But I realized I can't boost it up after a certain level! In my belief, in order to truly learn a language, you need to be exposed to that language often. Vocabulary is the key factor here if you really want to improve in any language. My experience is that when I read a book to improve my English vocabulary, I…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  4. 4

    Hi HN, I watch A LOT of educational YouTube videos but wasn't forgetting a good chunk of the details because I was only really passively watching. So I made a tool that generates quiz questions/flashcards from YouTube videos, and uses spaced repetition like Anki or Duolingo to keep it in memory. Let me know if you find it cool/useful (or terrible ) or if you want to know a bit about the details!

    2024 · platoedu.org · its alternatives →

  5. 5LA

    Hi guys, Hope everyone is well. This app was borne out of my own frustration. I thought that I was terrible at learning languages at school, since I didn't become conversational in French after 5 years of study. However, I later traveled with some French friends and, in just under 3 weeks, I was able to hold a reasonable conversation. I realized that there's no substitute for speaking to native speakers. I tried to adopt this approach for other languages, but it's much harder to find people to practise with when you aren't travelling. I started using iTalki to meet people from different…

    2023 · prettypolly.app · its alternatives →

  6. 6IM

    The idea is actually quite simple. As a Japanese learner and a coder, I've always wanted there to be an open-source, 100% free for learning Japanese, similar to Monkeytype in the typing community. Unfortunately, pretty much all language learning apps are closed-sourced and paid these days, and the ones that are free have unfortunately been abandoned. But of course, just creating yet another language learning app was not enough - there has to be a unique selling point. And then I thought to myself: why not make it crazy and do what no other language learning app ever did by adding a gazillion…

    2025 · kanadojo.com · its alternatives →

  7. 7

    Hi HN! I have been working on a webapp to keep learning German and today I want to share the first version. In the past, I have used books with "Short stories" to learn the language and I always wanted more stories so I thought I could put that into an app. Short stories are nice because the learner can attempt to understand words from the context of the text and it feels like less effort than a traditional language app. Additionally, the app format allows for practice questions at the end and you can use LLMs to check whether the answers are correct; so the users can check themselves. So…

    2023 · webbu.app · its alternatives →

  8. 8

    Hey HN, it’s been 8 years since I posted on here about the launch of my Japanese dictionary app Nihongo [0] and I’m finally back with a new app: Nihongo Lessons! Think of Nihongo Lessons as the textbook to Nihongo’s dictionary. It’s an app for learning Japanese, specifically made for learners who are serious about becoming fluent, and want a guided set of content that will help them efficiently acquire vocabulary and grammar. The project came about when Adam Shapiro of Japanese Level Up (Jalup) [1] announced last April that he was shutting Jalup down. As a fan of Adam’s work I was bummed to…

    2022 · lessons.nihongo-app.com · its alternatives →

  9. 9

    Hi HN, I’m Pablo, I built this application to learn languages using podcasts: https://www.langturbo.com (No signup required) There are a lot of tools to learn languages, but most of them focus on beginners (understandably so, that’s where the money is) but not many exist that target intermediate or advanced learners. The ones that exist make you find content on your own and then import that into their apps, which can be tricky when you don’t know where to look. LangTurbo has a unique curated database of podcasts by language (some even have dialect labels) that you can browse by…

    2025 · langturbo.com · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    Hey everyone! I’ve been learning the Russian language on and off for over 15 years now. I took classes in college, and of course continued my education through apps like Duolingo. I started learning the language because one of my closest friends growing up was Russian, and I thought it would be cool to be able to speak with him in his language. Of all the ways I’ve learned the language, not one of them focused on the modern way we communicate: through text. I decided to make this app to create a text-first language learning experience --mostly so I could keep up with my friends’ groupchat.…

    2025 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  11. 11
    Blarma▲81

    Build vocabulary - learn words & languages with techniques

    2022 · blarma.com · its alternatives →

  12. 12IM

    Recently moved to Egypt, and in dire need to get the numbers down. Great excuse to explore learning software some more. Possibly very niche, but maybe it is useful for someone else out there. Feedback is always welcome.

    2023 · arabic-numbers.koljapluemer.com · its alternatives →

  13. 13IB

    2022 · vocab.ling-academy.com · its alternatives →

  14. 14IL

    I strongly believe that every developer is a teacher and likewise. Every time you are asked to help someone else understand your code, you’ll always be grateful to be able to share your own knowledge with others. Explain Code App is the place you can make this happen! I am eager to hear your thoughts on what I have put together so far. Would love to hear your feedback! Let me know if there are any other features you would like for this site, I’m open for ideas and would love the community feedback. Here is the link: https://www.explaincode.app/

    2022 · its alternatives →

  15. 15IW

    As hard as I tried, I didn't find a modern language learning book that's either very academic, or like "master a language with my super-magic great method in 3 months". So I dug into the academic research, tried many techniques myself, saw what worked, wrote a book for learners of any language and any level, and made it free without ads. Today, finally, a 2 years-long project ends. I hope it helps anyone. Book's here: https://thehardway.guide/ Cheers

    2023 · its alternatives →

  16. 16

    Hi HN, I think many are aware how useful Youtube is for language learning. This app that I'm building helps you get the most out of it. In its simplest form, it's simply a mobile UI for Youtube that lets you copy text from the transcript (Youtube's app doesn't let you do that). More advanced features are a built-in dictionary and translator, web search for names, slang etc. and a flashcard system that creates exercises from your saved words. It's using AI in different places, but I'm making sure that it's always grounded with a lot of real world data, to avoid hallucinations. I think it…

    Feb 2026 · lingolingo.app · its alternatives →

  17. 17SM

    - After starting and quitting so many times, I finally decided to start small project and created SuggetMeLearn - This is my first ever attempt to a complete web application - The idea is to - let people suggest the way they learnt a particular language or technology - let people seeking to learn decide based on the suggestion to pick resources and start learning rather than browsing through infinite search results. - people can vote if they think they also believe that a particular suggestion is a great resource(and suggestions are sorted by votes) - All suggestions are welcome. - URL :…

    2012 · suggestmelearn.appspot.com · its alternatives →

  18. 18AA
  19. 19

    English is my second language. From my experience, I learnt that developing your vocabulary is a long and arduous process. Traditionally, learners used flashcards (or their digital incarnations). I wanted to build something more engaging and more effective in building your vocabulary. DictionaryGames is aimed mostly at ESL (English as a Second Language) students, but I am hoping it might be fun for any English language lovers. The project is in BETA, it is free, and no registration is required. I am looking for feedback to improve it. If you comment, please indicate if you are a native…

    2025 · dictionarygames.io · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    Hello HN - Over the last few years, I've been building an app to learn languages. It supports ~85 languages and ~40 dialects, and is optimized for learning and maintaining multiple languages. Learning a language is a ton of work, but really quite simple. Find text you're interested in, dissect and understand it, and review it often. Grind that every day for a few years, and you'll be fluent. So I built Phrasing for 4 main reasons: 1. To have an app I would actually be excited to use every single day for years. 2. To do all the research, explanation, prioritization, course planning and…

    May 2026 · phrasing.app · its alternatives →

  21. 21YT

    Hey HN, this is my first product launch. I built You2Anki along my language learning journey to aid my vocabulary from any content I want. Most tools I tried weren’t particularly made for language acquisition. You2Anki was designed with that focus in mind. Simple, intuitive and distraction-free. I hope it helps you!

    2025 · you2anki.com · its alternatives →

  22. 22WA

    Hi Hacker News, I'm excited to share a project I've been working on: a web-based word learning app designed to help you effortlessly expand your vocabulary. If you're learning a new language, especially German, this might be just what you need. What is it? This is a straightforward web application that leverages browser notifications to remind you of new words throughout the day. You upload a CSV file with your vocabulary list, and the app takes care of the rest. The notifications will pop up at intervals, displaying words and their translations to keep you engaged and learning. The CSV can…

    2024 · word2go.netlify.app · its alternatives →

  23. 23GA

    I've been fascinated by the Japanese language and culture for a while now, and I wanted to create a simple, no-fuss way for beginners to get started. So, I built *[Nihongo](https://nihongo.site/)*, a free and open-source web app designed to help you learn the fundamentals of Japanese in about a month. The name of the app, Nihongo (日本語), is the Japanese word for the "Japanese language." You can check it out here: *[https://nihongo.site/](https://nihongo.site/)* And for those who like to tinker, the code is available on GitHub:…

    2025 · nihongo.site · its alternatives →

  24. 24

    Hi HN! In the last couple of weeks I've been working on Cranki: Cranki = Crosswords + Anki. (It's a stupid name tbh, haha) I like doing crosswords in Spanish (to learn vocab) but none of the apps out there allowed me to use my own list of words that I come across. So I built one instead. It's entirely client-side. No server, no database, no accounts, etc. Your words and stats are stored in local storage. I built this for myself but let me know if you like it!

    Apr 2026 · cranki.app · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →