Dev tools · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to Speak your target language with real people, not just an app
Hi HN, I built Lengpal, a simple language exchange platform where two people get instantly matched on video to practice their native and target languages. There’s a timer built in so both sides get equal time to speak. I created this because I wanted something beyond passive apps like Duolingo. Something to actually speak with real people without the hassle of scheduling or chat fatigue. Right now we are testing the concept with a waitlist. We’ve collected 77 emails so far from Reddit and IndieHackers. I would love your feedback before launching the MVP. Site:…
Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.
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Pinch▲535Hey HN! I’m Christian, daily lurker and some might remember our original launch post (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42935355). Today we're launching Pinch for Mac, which we believe is a step-change improvement in real-time AI translation. Our vision is to make cross-lingual conversations feel as natural as regular conversations. TL:DR During an online meeting, the app instantly transcribes and translates all audio you hear, and allows you to decide when you translate your voice and when you don't. It's invisible to others (like Granola), and works everywhere without any…
2025 · startpinch.com · its alternatives →
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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 →
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Immersive language learning app with GPT-driven AI Avatars
2023 · praktika.ai · its alternatives →
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Ask anything. Then play it, Duolingo-style.
7d ago · heytomo.app · its alternatives →
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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 →
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I initially released this as just an IOS app. Since then it has been growing steadily but a lot of people have emailed asking for a web / android version. It took me nearly 2 months to build a version for the web. The nice thing about using Convex as my backend is that all the data is always synced between the app and web. I do not have to setup any syncing logic. The moment you change something in the app, it will reflect on the web version in realtime. I know there are loads of these kind of tools online but it's starting to feel like mine is actually starting to differentiate itself…
2025 · three-cells.com · its alternatives →
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Stop playing, start speaking. The "Anti-Duolingo".
Dec 2025 · getlewis.app · its alternatives →
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Copycat Cafe▲54Learn your next language by copying native speakers
May 2026 · copycatcafe.com · its alternatives →
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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!
2024 · voiczy.com · its alternatives →
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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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I'm Tim. I speak German, English, French, Turkish, and Chinese. I learned Turkish with lairner itself -- after I built it. That's the best proof I can give you that this thing actually works. The other four I learned the hard way: talking to people, making mistakes, reading things I actually cared about, and being surrounded by the language until my brain gave in. Every language app I tried got the same thing wrong: they teach you to pass exercises, not to speak. You finish a lesson, you get your dopamine hit, you maintain your streak, and six months later you still can't order food in the…
Feb 2026 · lairner.com · its alternatives →
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PolyglotGPT▲15Hi HN! I'm trying to learn a language, but I don't have anyone to speak it with, so I made this website to get some practice. To start, all you have to do is set your native language and target language. Then, just start talking to it in either your native or target language. It'll catch any mistakes you make when you speak in your target language and answer any grammar/vocab questions you have. It has a translate button, a romanize button (converts any text into the Latin alphabet), and you can highlight words/phrases you don't know in AI responses to have them explained. I'd…
2025 · polyglotgpt.com · its alternatives →
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It has been a while since I have shared my app, that I made to be able to practice my Danish while chatting with my grilfriend - I often used GPT to write as much as I can in Danish, and I replaced the words I didn't know with {Englis words in curly braces}. While this was great, it was rather annoying to type the prompt always, so I figured a GPT wrapper would work well here. Last time when I launched, it went viral! I was super happy (and grateful!) for all the feedback and excitement — but it also meant my tokens disappeared fast, and many people ended up trying an app that no longer…
2025 · menerdu.com · its alternatives →
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Could I get some opinions on my experiential learning language app? When I learned Japanese with new friends, I didn't know how to ask where we were going or where the bathroom was. It was really motivating. As in-country immersion isn't option in most cases, language exchange is next best option. However, in-person language exchange can be expensive or difficult to schedule. So I built ConvoLive to make language practice more engaging for myself. Open Beta on Android and iOS https://convolive.com Technically interesting bits: - Lip-synced avatars using WebGL. - Continuous speech…
Nov 2025 · convolive.com · its alternatives →
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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 →
- 21IB
Hey HN, I built an alternative to Google translate that's fast, accurate, and 1/30th the price. 20+ supported languages, not billed until 100k tokens, and already used thousands of times with real language learning users. The landing page has a demo for you to test performance yourself for free with no card required. (Also landing page says 1/13 the price because had to account for all 3 big names, with varying prices each). I built this as a workaround for my language learning startup, and it was perfect at a fraction of the cost. Hopefully it can help other devs in accessibility…
2023 · translateapi.web.app · its alternatives →
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I’ve been playing around with local LLMs for the past couple of months and decided to build something that can run on an iPhone. It’s a universal app built with SwiftUI and the excellent ggml library. The model is an SFT fine tuned and 4 bit quantised version of the RedPajama-INCITE-Chat-3B-v1 OSS LLM. It works reasonably well on recent-ish (~3 year old) iPhones, iPads and Macs. It was launched on the App Store yesterday[1] and Product Hunt today[2]. It seems to be reasonably ok at natural language interactions, but given its size, does pretty badly at coding and reasoning. Also, it…
2023 · its alternatives →
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Enkitalki▲13I’m excited to share Enkitalki, a new mobile app that helps you level up your spoken language skills with: - Structured Lesson Plans Tailored sequences for every proficiency—from total beginner to advanced speaker. - Friendly AI Tutor Real‑time, supportive feedback in a judgment‑free environment. - Natural Conversation Simulations Role‑plays and prompts that mirror real‑world speaking scenarios. - Anytime, Anywhere Practice Short drills or extended sessions—fit practice into your schedule. Whether you’re preparing for interviews, travel, or just want more confidence chatting, Enkitalki…
2025 · enkitalki.com · its alternatives →
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Hi Everyone, I recently wanted to learn Japanese with duolingo but it kept giving me repetitive lessons. So I built an app that gives a variety of lessons from anime. You can try it out here:https://kanjieight.vercel.app/ Thanks everyone.
Nov 2025 · kanjieight.vercel.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 →