Tooter teamFacts checked 3 min readThe short answer
- To talk from the first minute: Tooter, with 5 to 30 minute conversations with a Tokyo Japanese tutor you pick.
- For a video course: Speak. For hands-free audio: Pimsleur, with 150 lessons and an AI Conversation Coach. For a free course: Duolingo.
- Babbel doesn't teach Japanese, and Jumpspeak offers it as AI Tutor conversations only.
At a glance
| App | Japanese course | AI conversation | Free to start | Monthly plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tooter | Guided lessons | 5 to 30 min | Free chapters | See current plans |
| Duolingo | Free course | Video Call (Max) | All lessons | In the app |
| Pimsleur | 150 audio lessons | Conversation Coach | First lesson | $19.95/mo |
| Speak | Video course | Speak Tutor | 7-day trial | $17.99/mo |
| Praktika | Avatar-led lessons | Avatar tutors | Free plan | $9.99/mo |
| Langua | Call Mode | 3 min a day | $19.99/mo | |
| Jumpspeak | AI Tutor only | 7 min a day | Sample lessons | $79/year |
Other apps' prices are their lowest US monthly prices, or yearly where there's no monthly plan; Tooter's are its current website prices. Checked October 31, 2026.
Why these apps
How hard is Japanese to speak?
The US Foreign Service Institute puts Japanese in its hardest group for English speakers, at about 88 weeks of full-time study. The sounds are fairly easy; the work is in writing, which mixes two syllable alphabets with thousands of kanji, and in politeness levels that change the words you use. Many learners start speaking with romanization or kana and learn kanji alongside, which is why speaking practice can start long before reading does.
Which app suits you?
Tooter
- 5 to 30 minute conversations in Japanese
- Tutors speak Tokyo Japanese
- Corrections as you speak
Speak
- Lessons with instructor videos
- Speak Tutor AI conversations
- 7-day trial
Pimsleur
- 150 audio lessons
- AI Conversation Coach with All Access
- Free first lesson
Duolingo
- Every lesson free, with ads
- Video Call with Max
- Short daily lessons
Praktika
- AI avatar tutors
- Per-word pronunciation scores
- Free plan
How Tooter teaches Japanese
Every Tooter Japanese tutor speaks Tokyo Japanese. You pick one by coaching style, such as conversation-first, travel-focused or natural correction, choose a session of 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 minutes, and talk the whole time. Your tutor corrects pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and fluency as you go and can explain in your native language when you're stuck, and guided lesson chapters build the phrases you'll use. To warm up, hear everyday Japanese phrases spoken aloud, or build a Japanese speaking plan.
