The best app to learn Hebrew: an honest comparison
Updated: 20.10.2026
There is no single best app to learn Hebrew. There is the best app for what you need: reading the alphabet, building vocabulary, or actually holding a conversation in Israel.
Here is what the apps people search for most are good at, and what to check before you pay. Full disclosure: we make Yalla, and it is on the list. We tried to be fair to everyone, and the information is as of October 2026.
What to check before you choose
Does it teach spoken, everyday Hebrew, or formal and written Hebrew?
Is every word also written in Latin letters (transliteration) while you learn the alphabet?
Do you speak out loud, or mostly tap the right answer?
Are the situations real: work, shopping, phone calls, small talk?
Can you start for free?
Duolingo
The best-known language app, with a Hebrew course for English speakers and short game-like lessons. Its strength is the daily habit: streaks, points and reminders.
Good for: a light daily habit, the alphabet and basic vocabulary.
Pimsleur
An audio-first method: you listen, repeat and answer out loud, which builds pronunciation and listening. It is a paid subscription.
Good for: learners who prefer listening and speaking practice, for example while driving.
Mondly
Offers dozens of languages, Hebrew among them, with short lessons, vocabulary and speech recognition.
Good for: people who want several languages in one app and a vocabulary-first start.
Tutors on Preply or italki
Not an app with ready-made lessons, but marketplaces of private tutors for video lessons. The strength is a human teacher who adapts to you. You pay per lesson or per package, and the price depends on the tutor.
Good for: learners who want one-on-one lessons and are ready to pay for them.
Yalla
Yalla teaches spoken languages with teachers you see and hear: Hebrew, Arabic, English, Spanish, French and Russian. English speakers learn the spoken Hebrew Israelis really use, with every explanation in English and transliteration on every word.
Each lesson is a short conversation with a teacher who listens and corrects, out loud, in situations from real life, a few minutes a day. It is free to start.
Good for: anyone living in Israel, moving there, or with Israeli family and friends, who wants to understand and answer back.
So which app should you pick?
A light daily habit and the alphabet: Duolingo.
Listening and repeating on the go: Pimsleur.
Many languages in one place: Mondly.
A human tutor: Preply or italki.
Spoken Israeli Hebrew, explained in English, with conversation from day one: Yalla.
It depends on your goal. Duolingo is good for a daily habit and the alphabet, Pimsleur for listening and repeating, tutors for one-on-one lessons. For spoken Israeli Hebrew explained in English, with conversation from the first lesson, Yalla is built for exactly that.
Is there a free app to learn Hebrew?
Yes. Most apps, Yalla included, let you start for free and offer a paid plan with more. In Yalla you can upgrade to Yalla Pro with a free trial inside the app.
Which app teaches spoken Israeli Hebrew?
Look for an app that teaches everyday conversation, transliterates every word and makes you speak out loud. Yalla teaches the Hebrew people really speak in Israel, with explanations in English.
Can I learn Hebrew with an app alone?
An app can take you far if you practice a few minutes every day and speak out loud. Adding real conversations, with people around you or a tutor, makes the biggest difference.