Pick Cambly for lessons with native English-speaking tutors, small groups or structured Pro lessons, pronunciation practice, or Android. Pick Smort to learn more languages than English, to choose the words you keep, or to bring your Anki decks.
Publisher disclosure: Smort publishes this page and is one of the two apps in it. We say where Cambly is the better pick. Smort’s status: Private beta. It requires an iPhone with iOS 26 or later.
Smort vs Cambly, side by side
How each app gets you talking, what you keep, and how you review it.
| Topic | Cambly | Smort |
|---|---|---|
| How you talk | 1-on-1 video lessons with native English-speaking tutors, 24/7, or small group lessons with a tutor and 1 to 2 other students. Cambly Go, a separate app, has daily AI speaking practice. | 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 you can learn | English only. Cambly Kids, a separate app, teaches English to children. | English, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, French, German, and more. English has Official Packs, like a job interview. |
| Feedback when you speak | Tutors give feedback in your lessons. Private+ adds automated feedback after every lesson, and Pro adds targeted tutor feedback. Cambly Go shows what you said beside a better way to say it. | 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 | Private+ gives you a recording and a transcript of every lesson. Cambly Go builds your next practice from your mistakes. | Pick up to 10 words. Smort drafts the flashcards, and you edit them before you save. |
| How you review | Personalized activities based on your lessons, and unlimited pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary activities. | Say or type each card from memory before you see the answer. Spaced repetition brings it back when it’s due. |
| Your own material | Cambly Courses for speaking, vocabulary, grammar, reading, and exam prep. Pro tutors follow a learning plan built from your goals. | Make cards from a topic, your notes, or a screenshot. Import Anki .apkg decks. |
| Price | Small groups start at $17 a month, Private+ at $39, and Pro at $56, marked down from $24, $56, and $80. Plans set your minutes a day and days a week, and unused days expire each week. | 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 14 or later, and Android. Cambly Go needs iOS 17 or later. | iPhone with iOS 26 or later. |
When Cambly is the better pick
- You want a real tutor
- Cambly connects you with native English-speaking tutors over video, 24/7. Smort’s conversation partner is AI.
- You want small groups or structured lessons
- Cambly’s small groups have a tutor and 1 to 2 other students. Pro tutors give structured, goal-based lessons with targeted feedback.
- You want pronunciation practice
- Cambly plans include unlimited pronunciation activities. Smort checks what you said, not your accent.
- You use Android
- Cambly has apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android. Smort needs an iPhone with iOS 26.
When Smort is the better pick
- You want to learn more than English
- Cambly teaches English only. Smort’s Voice Chat speaks English, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, French, German, and more.
- You want to choose the words you keep
- After a Voice Chat, you pick up to 10 words, and Smort drafts flashcards you edit before you save. Cambly’s Private+ gives you a recording and a transcript of each lesson.
- You have Anki decks
- Smort imports your .apkg decks. Cambly’s practice activities come from your lessons and its courses.
Methodology and sources
Criteria: How each app gets you talking, what you keep afterward, how you review, your own material, price, and devices. Cambly 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. Cambly changes often, so check its own pages for the latest.
Primary sources: Cambly home page and plansCambly help: About CamblyCambly help: AI at CamblyCambly help: subscriptions and reservationsCambly help: Private+ and ProCambly on the US App StoreCambly Go on the US App Store