- Russian courses and apps compared
- Ten ways to learn Russian on your phone
- Pick a Russian app by learning style
- The FSI's 44-week estimate for Russian
- Your first month with Russian
- The alphabet, cases and verbs in plain English
- Where Russian learners get stuck
- Milestones to watch for in Russian
- My plain advice on Russian
- Frequently asked questions
The best Russian learning app teaches the Cyrillic alphabet early, explains the case system in small steps, and gives you plenty of listening and speaking practice. Strong options mix short daily lessons with audio from native speakers and regular review. Ten options follow, in no particular order.
Russian looks harder at first than it turns out to be. The Cyrillic alphabet takes days to learn, not months, and once it clicks, words that looked impossible turn out to be familiar.
The harder part comes later, with cases and verb aspects, which is where a good app or course earns its place. The ten options below range from vocabulary games to structured courses and audio lessons. They're listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and each description comes from the app's own website, read this week. My ten-minutes-a-day language prompts are a good daily add-on.
Russian courses and apps compared
I checked the free plan column on each app's own website or store listing, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the page says the app, or a plan or version of it, is free. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a download button or a sample to try, so check before you commit.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babbel | Language learning app | Conversation-focused courses | Not stated |
| Drops | Vocabulary learning app | Five-minute vocabulary sessions | Yes |
| Duolingo | Language learning app | A daily habit with streaks | Yes |
| Ling | Language app with games | Pronunciation with native audio | Not stated |
| Pimsleur | Audio language course | Listening to Moscow and St Petersburg | Not stated |
| Rocket Russian | Online Russian course | Lifetime access to a course | Trial only |
| Russian for Everyone | Self-study Russian website | Alphabet, topics and games | Not stated |
| RussianPod101 | Audio and video lesson app | Core words and live classes | Yes |
| Speakly | Language learning app | The most useful words first | Trial only |
| Wlingua | Russian course app | A course by level with a free account | Yes |
Ten ways to learn Russian on your phone
Babbel
Best for: Learners who want structured lessons aimed at conversation, with a sample lesson to see how it works.
Drops
Best for: Learning Russian words in five-minute illustrated sessions when you only have a few spare minutes.
Duolingo
Best for: Building a daily habit with short lessons, points and levels while learning to read, write, listen and speak.
Ling
Best for: Practising pronunciation, vocabulary and real conversations through short games and lessons built with native speakers.
Pimsleur
Best for: Learning spoken Russian by ear from speakers from Moscow and St Petersburg in audio lessons.
Rocket Russian
Best for: Getting lifetime access to one course, with updates included and a focus on pronunciation and culture.
Russian for Everyone
Best for: Self-learners working through the alphabet, vocabulary topics and language games, with news about Russian proficiency tests.
RussianPod101
Best for: Studying the most common Russian words and key phrases, with live group classes and a teacher option.
Speakly
Best for: Learners who want the most relevant words taught first so they can manage real conversations sooner.
Wlingua
Best for: Working through a complete course of grammar, vocabulary, audio and readings, with a basic account that is free.
Pick a Russian app by learning style
- A complete course with a free account: Wlingua.
- Learning by ear on the move: Pimsleur.
- Lifetime access to one course: Rocket Russian.
- Live group classes: RussianPod101.
- The most useful words first: Speakly.
The FSI's 44-week estimate for Russian
The U.S. Department of State's Foreign Service Institute lists Russian in Category III, which it describes as hard languages with significant linguistic and cultural differences from English. Its training time is approximately 44 weeks, or 1,012 class hours.
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That's nearly twice the time it gives languages close to English such as Spanish or Italian. The good news is that the early stages move fast, because the alphabet is quick to learn. Plan for months of steady practice rather than a quick holiday crash course.
Your first month with Russian
- Learn the Cyrillic alphabet in your first week, with sounds, not just shapes.
- Read simple words aloud every day until reading feels automatic.
- Learn common phrases for greetings, numbers and directions.
- Meet the cases one at a time, starting with the nominative and accusative.
- Listen to native speakers daily, even when you understand only a little.
The alphabet, cases and verbs in plain English
Cyrillic has 33 letters, and several look like English letters while sounding different, which trips up beginners for a few days. After that, reading becomes a matter of practice.
Cases change the ending of a word depending on its role in a sentence. There are six, and nobody learns them all at once. Verb aspects, which show whether an action is complete or ongoing, come later. Apps that introduce these gradually, with lots of examples, make the climb much easier. Don't worry if they don't stick at first; they're learned through use, not tables.
Where Russian learners get stuck
- Relying on transliteration. Learn Cyrillic from day one.
- Memorising case tables without examples. Learn endings in phrases.
- Skipping stress marks. Stress changes pronunciation and meaning.
- Studying in long, rare bursts. Little and often works better.
Milestones to watch for in Russian
- You read Cyrillic without sounding out each letter.
- You can order food and ask for directions.
- You recognise case endings in phrases.
- You understand slow native speech.
Do you make language learning apps? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on Russian
Master the alphabet first and you'll feel progress within a fortnight, which keeps you going through the harder grammar later. Pick one main app and stick with it rather than hopping between five. You'll learn more from one course you finish than from five you've only started.
Add a teacher or conversation partner once you can introduce yourself. If you're weighing up the effort, my piece on how learning a language can boost your career is a good reminder of the pay-off.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best app to learn Russian?
One that teaches Cyrillic early, introduces cases gradually and includes plenty of native audio.
Are Russian learning apps free?
Several apps on this list name a free app or a free account on their own site, as the table shows.
How long does it take to learn Russian?
The FSI estimates about 44 weeks of full-time training, or 1,012 class hours, for English speakers.
Is the Russian alphabet hard to learn?
Most learners can read Cyrillic within a week or two of daily practice.
How many cases does Russian have?
Six, and most courses introduce them one at a time.
Can I learn Russian with an app alone?
An app builds the habit, but speaking with real people speeds things up.
