Pick Busuu for feedback from fluent speakers in its Community, lessons with videos of real people, certificates, or to learn on Android or the web. Pick Smort to talk with AI in Japanese or Mandarin, to talk about any topic you choose, or to keep the words from each chat as flashcards.
Publisher disclosure: Smort publishes this page and is one of the two apps in it. We say where Busuu is the better pick. Smort’s status: Private beta. It requires an iPhone with iOS 26 or later.
Smort vs Busuu, side by side
How each app gets you talking, what you keep, and how you review it.
| Topic | Busuu | Smort |
|---|---|---|
| How you talk | Lessons with videos of real people. Premium Plus adds AI Conversations: goal-based chats about everyday situations, in the English, Spanish, German, Italian, and French courses. | Live Voice Chat on a topic you pick or type, with captions and translations. Tap Help me or ask Smort to slow down. Up to 100 minutes a month. |
| Languages for English speakers | Busuu’s catalog has 14 languages in all: English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Polish, Russian, Arabic, Dutch, and Turkish. | Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, French, German, and more. |
| Feedback when you speak | Speaking practice compares your voice with a native speaker’s recording and gives instant pronunciation tips. Fluent speakers in the Busuu Community give feedback on exercises. | Checks what you said, not your accent. Kana or kanji both count in Japanese. Simplified and traditional characters count as the same word in Mandarin. |
| What you keep after a chat | With an English, Italian, or Spanish interface, each AI Conversation ends with feedback on what went well and what to improve. | Pick up to 10 words. Smort drafts the flashcards, and you edit them before you save. |
| How you review | Premium adds Grammar Review and Vocabulary Review for what you learned in lessons. | Say or type each card from memory before you see the answer. Spaced repetition brings it back when it’s due. |
| Your own material | Lessons come from Busuu’s courses, with videos of real people and cultural tips. | Make cards from a topic, your notes, or a screenshot. Import Anki .apkg decks. |
| Price | Many features are free, with ads. Busuu’s plans page lists Premium at $12.49 a month and Premium Plus at $14.90 a month, or $87.90 for 12 months on sale from $178.80. | Subscription required: $7.99/month or $79.99/year (USD). One plan, with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. |
| Devices | iPhone and iPad with iOS 18 or later, Android, and the web. | iPhone with iOS 26 or later. |
When Busuu is the better pick
- You want feedback from real people
- Fluent speakers in the Busuu Community give feedback on your exercises, and you can help other learners in return.
- You want to see real speakers
- Busuu lessons use videos of real people, and speaking practice lets you compare your voice with a native speaker’s recording.
- You want a certificate
- Busuu Premium includes Busuu certificates as proof of your level.
- You use Android or the web
- Busuu runs on Android, the web, and iOS 18. Smort needs an iPhone with iOS 26.
When Smort is the better pick
- You want to talk in Japanese or Mandarin
- Busuu teaches both, but its blog lists AI Conversations only in its English, Spanish, German, Italian, and French courses. Smort’s Voice Chat includes Japanese and Mandarin.
- You want to pick the topic
- Busuu’s AI Conversations follow each lesson’s goal and steer you back if you stray. In Smort’s Voice Chat, you pick or type any topic, for up to 100 minutes a month.
- You forget words after the chat
- Keep up to 10 words from each Voice Chat as flashcards, then say them from memory until they stick.
- You have Anki decks or your own notes
- Import an .apkg, or make cards from a topic, your notes, or a screenshot. Busuu’s lessons come from its own courses.
Methodology and sources
Criteria: How each app gets you talking, what you keep afterward, how you review, your own material, price, and devices. Busuu facts come from its own pages, and Smort facts from its App Store description.
What we did not do: We didn’t score either app. Busuu changes often, so check its own pages for the latest.
Primary sources: Busuu plans pageBusuu Conversations launch postBusuu speaking practice postBusuu on the US App StoreBusuu on Google Play