​​​​​​Spanish is one of the most popular languages in the world. Spanish is a primary or secondary language on every continent, so odds are you might live or work with people who speak Spanish.

If you want to learn Spanish fast, there are great apps to help you learn and master the Spanish language. Check out the best Spanish learning apps below, and see if you can start learning the Spanish language today.

The Best Spanish Learning Apps for Knowledge

Let's begin with some apps that let you build knowledge. There are three mainstream apps worth considering, but one of them isn't available for iOS devices. So, if you're lucky to own an Android device, we can vouch for it.

1. Duolingo

Duolingo is arguably the most well-known app for learning a foreign language. Each lesson is customized to suit your native tongue. From a Spanish-speaking standpoint, it offers Spanish for English speakers, French speakers, German speakers, Russian speakers, and more.

Duolingo is excellent if you want to learn grammar. Remember, grammar is the backbone of every language; if you understand the syntax, you'll be well on your way to success. So if you want to learn Spanish, understanding grammar will be helpful.

The Spanish courses cover the most common tenses and more complicated constructions and grammatical moods like the conditional and subjunctive. You can get started with Duolingo for free, but for $7 per month, you can upgrade to Duolingo Plus, which lets you download lessons for offline use and strips out the ads.

Download: Duolingo for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

2. Memrise

There's a counterargument to spending too much time learning grammatical rules. Some experts suggest it's not as efficient; after all, we don't spend hours studying grammar rules when we first learn languages as children.

Instead, some argue it's better to focus on expanding your vocabulary and using it in context that's more akin to how children learn.

Memrise is much better than Duolingo when it comes to vocab. It uses a flashcard approach, along with heavy repetition to drill the words into your brain. This can help you learn Spanish by naming basic things around your house as well.

Importantly, Memrise also accommodates for regional variances. Much like there are subtle but significant differences between U.S. English and British English, so too are there differences between Mexican Spanish and Iberian Spanish.

Finally, Memrise offers a bevy of user-created Spanish courses, meaning you'll never run out of new material even once you've completed Memrise's official courses. We have a great Memrise discount available if you want to save money on premium.

Download: Memrise for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

3. Spanish Verbs Trainer

Spanish has a dizzying number of verb endings. Of course, you must know all the usual indicative tenses, but there's also a separate set of endings for their subjunctive and imperative counterparts, as well as the conditional. And let's not mention irregular verbs.

Spanish Verb Trainer uses the same flashcard approach as Memrise; however, instead of focusing on general vocab, it exclusively teaches you verb endings. Ignore the less-than-impressive visuals—this is a great learning aid.

When learning a new romantic language, understanding verb endings can help you go from knowing verbs and vocab to using them correctly in conversations. This makes Spanish Verb Trainer one of the best Spanish learning apps you can try on your phone.

Unfortunately, this particular app is only available on Android, but it seems like Spanish Verbs Trainer on iOS (from a different developer) provides a similar experience.

Download: Spanish Verb Trainer for Android (Free)

The Best Spanish Learning Apps for Reference

There are times when you need to look up a new word, check the conjugation for a less used tense, or read grammatical rules about a language. In those instances, keeping one of these apps below on your phone may be handy.

4. SpanishDict

If you've already been learning Spanish for a while, you've probably come across the SpanishDict website. It's one of the best resources for looking up words and grammatical information.

But did you know the company also makes a free smartphone app? It has a dictionary, translator, tense conjugations, and Word of the Day.

Downloading this app can be helpful once you have already started with some basic Spanish learning apps and want to get more advanced or keep up with what you've learned already.

Download: SpanishDict for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

5. Spanish Verbs

As a native English speaker, the most challenging aspect of learning many Western languages is the verb endings. Ultimately, verbs can sometimes catch out even experienced speakers, so keeping a verb app on your phone is wise.

Spanish Verbs offers 18 different verb forms. It is based on the work of renowned Spanish professor Fred Jehle. Learning verb forms is helpful when you want to speak Spanish correctly and start sounding like it's a native language. This makes Spanish Verbs one of the best apps to learn Spanish.

This app is only available on Android. If you use iOS, check out an alternative app called Conjuu - Spanish Conjugation.

Download: Spanish Verbs for Android (Free)

6. Anki

Anki is a bit different from all the other apps on this list, as you need to enter your own content. At the most basic level, you can use the app to generate custom flashcards to learn and reinforce new material.

However, you'll quickly realize that if you create a master list and use the tags correctly, you can create a vast database of learning material useful for both reference and educational purposes.

You can also use Anki's desktop app that'll sync with your smartphone. We recommend using it to create and manage your master list; it is less fiddly than the mobile app. So, if you want to learn Spanish on both your mobile device and your desktop, Anki is a great Spanish learning app to download.

Download: Anki for Android (Free) | iOS ($25)

The Best Spanish Learning App for Immersion

It's widely accepted that the best way to learn a language is to use the immersion technique. If you're immersed in a language, you will learn it faster and Spanish is no exception.

Language immersion means you should surround yourself with as much of your target language as possible throughout the day. This is much more effective than merely focusing on it for an hour and then not thinking about it again until the following learning session.

Understandably, smartphones have become one of the best ways to assist in language immersion.

7. BBC Mundo

BBC Mundo is part of the BBC's foreign language output. It has been active (under different names) since 1938, so there's no risk of the service going away anytime soon. Today, the website is the central focus of BBC Mundo's offering, though it still produces a fair amount of video content.

The BBC offers a BBC Mundo smartphone app. Its design exactly mirrors that of the main BBC News app, and you can also use it to watch the service's Spanish-language video content.

Because many of the same stories are covered on the English and Spanish language apps, you can flick between the two to help understand how the two languages tackle the same content in different ways. This can be helpful when learning Spanish.

BBC Mundo also has a heavier focus on Latin American news, providing you with an opportunity for cultural learning alongside your Spanish language learning.

Download: BBC Mundo for Android | iOS (Free)

Don't Overlook the Obvious When Learning Spanish

When you're searching for the best Spanish learning apps, it's easy to overlook some of the most obvious tools you have at your disposal.

For example, Spotify is packed with Spanish music and podcasts. There are millions of Spanish Twitter accounts (often, your favorite sports team will maintain a Spanish Twitter profile), and YouTube is its usual trove of content.

No matter what you do, we've shown you the best Spanish learning apps that can help you speak like a native if you put in the work.