Best Language Exchange Apps in 2026: An Honest Comparison
By Liebeastra
I build penfolk, so read this with that in mind. I still tried to write the comparison I’d want to read myself: what each app does, what it costs, and who it suits. Prices and features below come from each app’s own website or its US App Store listing, checked in October 2026. Prices change and differ per country, so check the store before you pay for anything.
The short version
If you want the biggest pool of people and lots of tools inside the chat, HelloTalk and Tandem are the two big ones. If you like writing long letters and don’t mind waiting, Slowly is lovely. Speaky is a simple free option. Conversation Exchange is the old-school website that still works for finding people to meet in person.
penfolk is smaller than all 5 apps above. What it does differently: it matches you on your languages and on what you’re into, like your music taste or where you’re travelling next. There’s no recommendation algorithm deciding what you see. And it’s free.
Comparison table
| App | How you practice | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| HelloTalk | 1-to-1 chat (text, voice, video) plus a Moments feed and Voicerooms | Free, VIP from $12.99/month or $79.99/year | Lots of partners plus built-in translation and corrections |
| Tandem | 1-to-1 chat and calls, plus group audio "Parties" | Free, Tandem Pro (12 months listed at $69.99) | 1-to-1 conversation practice in a large, screened community |
| Slowly | Letters that take hours to days to arrive, based on distance | Free letters, optional Slowly Plus (from $7.99) | Long-form writing and slow penpal friendships |
| Speaky | Text and voice chat | Free | A simple, no-frills start |
| Conversation Exchange | Website listings for penpals, chat partners and meetups | Free | Meeting language partners face to face in your city |
| penfolk | Direct messages with voice notes and inline corrections, communities, travel plans | Free, optional $2.99/month supporter tier | Partners who share your languages and your interests |
HelloTalk
HelloTalk is probably the best known language exchange app. You chat by text, voice or video. Translation and corrections are built into the chat, and so is transliteration if you’re learning a language with a different script. There’s also Moments, a public feed where you post and native speakers reply. Voicerooms and livestreams are there if you want to practice speaking with a group.
The free version gets you a long way. VIP costs $12.99 a month or $79.99 a year on the US App Store. According to FluentU's review, free users are capped at 10 new chats and 10 translations a day, and searching by gender or by your own city is VIP only.
Suits you if you want a big, active community and like having a social feed next to your chats.
Tandem
Tandem is built around 1-to-1 conversation. You can text, send voice notes or call by audio or video, with corrections and translation inside the chat. For groups there are audio rooms called Parties. It covers more than 300 languages, including 12 sign languages. Tandem also reviews every application before you get in, which keeps the community cleaner but means you might wait a bit before you can start.
The core app is free. Tandem Pro adds the rest; the US App Store lists a 12-month plan at $69.99.
Suits you if you want proper speaking practice with calls and you’re fine waiting for your profile to be approved.
Slowly
Slowly is a penpal app more than a language app. Letters take a few hours to a few days to arrive depending on how far apart you live. Profiles have no photos and no real names, and you collect stamps from different countries as you go. Sending and receiving letters is free and unlimited, with an optional Slowly Plus subscription.
Suits you if you want to practice writing, you like the waiting, and you’d rather have a few deep conversations than many quick ones.
Speaky
Speaky is free, with no subscription. You make a profile, search for native speakers of the language you want, and chat by text or voice. It runs on the web, iOS and Android, and has user verification and reporting tools.
Suits you if you want something simple and don’t need a lot of extras.
Conversation Exchange
Conversation Exchange is a website, and it looks like one from a while ago. I don’t mind that. It does a few things the apps don’t. You can search separately for penpals, for chat partners (you then talk on whatever tool you both use, like Skype) and for people near you to meet for a face-to-face exchange. It’s free.
Suits you if you live in a city and want to practice over coffee instead of on your phone.
Where penfolk fits
I started penfolk because the language exchange apps I tried felt like work. You find someone who speaks Spanish, you both say hi, you talk about the weather, and it dies after two days because you have nothing in common except the language.
So penfolk tries to match on more than the language. Your profile shows the languages you speak and are learning. The Partners view ranks people by whether their native language is the one you’re learning and the other way round, plus how many interests you share. You can connect Spotify or Last.fm and add Top 3 lists (albums, movies, books) so someone can see your music taste before you start talking. If you add an upcoming trip, penfolk shows you other members going to the same place on overlapping dates.
Conversations happen in DMs, with voice notes and inline corrections, at whatever pace suits you. The feed is chronological by default. Nothing gets pushed at you by an algorithm. You talk to people, not to an AI chat partner.
Being honest about the limits: penfolk is a lot smaller than HelloTalk or Tandem, so for rarer languages you’ll find fewer people. There are no video calls in the app. Free accounts can start up to 10 new conversations a day, and there’s an optional $2.99/month supporter tier if you want to help pay for it.
If that sounds like your thing, have a look at the language exchange page.
Looking for something specific?
I wrote separate posts if you’re already on one of these apps and want something else:
FAQ
What is the best free language exchange app?
It depends on how you like to practice. Speaky and Conversation Exchange are fully free. HelloTalk, Tandem and Slowly have free versions that work fine, with paid tiers for extra features. penfolk is free, with an optional supporter tier.
Is HelloTalk or Tandem better?
HelloTalk has a public feed and group voice rooms, so it feels more like a social network. Tandem focuses on 1-to-1 conversations and screens new members first. If you want calls with one partner, Tandem. If you like posting and getting corrected by lots of people, HelloTalk.
Can I use a language exchange app to make friends, not just practice?
Yes, and I’d say that’s when it works best. You keep talking to people you actually like. That’s why penfolk matches on shared interests as well as languages, and why Slowly’s letters work for so many people.
Do I need to pay for a language exchange app?
No. Every app in this list can be used for free. The paid tiers mostly add filters, unlimited translations or extra features.
How do I find a language partner who replies?
Write a first message that’s about them, not about the language. Mention something from their profile. People reply to someone who noticed their favourite band, not to “hi, can we practice?”.
