What it is
Speak is a language-learning app focused on getting you to talk. Lessons are mostly spoken drills and role-play conversations with an AI tutor that listens, corrects pronunciation and phrasing in real time, and adapts to your level. Its biggest market is people learning English in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Europe and Latin America; English speakers can learn Spanish, French, Korean, Japanese, Italian or Mandarin.
Premium includes the full lesson library and open AI conversation practice. Premium Plus adds 'Made for You' lessons built from your recurring mistakes, unlimited personalised review and Speak Tutor, which creates a lesson around any topic or situation you choose. Speak for Business sells the same practice to companies with an admin portal.
Speak says the app has been downloaded more than 15 million times. It is backed by the OpenAI Startup Fund and, according to its business page, has raised more than $75 million.
Our review
Speak is built on a simple bet: fluency comes from saying things out loud, many times, to something that answers back. Almost every lesson is spoken, and the tutor corrects pronunciation and phrasing as you go rather than at the end. Where Duolingo leans on tapping and matching, Speak makes silence the exception.
The price structure decides who gets the good version. The US App Store lists Premium at $17.99 a month or $83.99 a year, roughly $7 a month, and Premium Plus at $39.99 a month or $164.99 a year. Plus is where the tutor stops being generic, with lessons built from your weak spots, unlimited personalised review and Speak Tutor, which builds a lesson around any situation you name. There is no free tier after the 7-day trial, and Speak's own site says prices vary by plan, region and promotion.
Every lesson sends your voice to Speak. Its privacy notice says microphone recordings are used to score pronunciation and also to improve its voice input and to train and refine AI tools, with retention set by purpose rather than a fixed period. That is common in the category, but it belongs in any review of Speak for Business, which adds an admin portal for adding learners and tracking engagement at prices the company does not publish.
Coverage is uneven. The course was built for English learners, and the six languages offered to English speakers are a short list next to Duolingo's. Speak does little for reading, writing or formal grammar. A general chatbot in voice mode will hold a conversation for less, but it will not track which sounds you keep getting wrong.
Where it earns its place
A software engineer in Seoul preparing for English-language interviews
Practise answering interview questions aloud every day
Premium Plus lets Speak Tutor build role-plays around a specific interview, with corrections on phrasing. At $164.99 a year in the US App Store (local prices differ) it costs less than a few hours of human coaching, but it cannot judge the technical content of an answer.
An L&D manager at a 200-person company with offices in Japan and Latin America
Improve staff spoken business English
Speak for Business offers business English courses, workplace role-plays and an admin portal to add learners and track progress. Per-seat pricing is not published, and HR should read the voice-data clauses before rollout.
A US engineer learning Italian for a three-month posting in Milan
Get conversational before arriving
Monthly Premium at $17.99 for three months costs about $54 and covers the full lesson library and open conversation practice; the $83.99 annual plan only pays off if study continues past five months.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Install on iOS or Android (rated 13+), pick a language and level, and start the 7-day trial; billing runs through Apple, Google Play or the app, and can be cancelled at any time there.
- Integrations
- No public API. Companies manage learners through the Speak for Business admin portal.
- Data and privacy
- The privacy notice says voice recordings are used to provide lessons, improve voice input and train and refine AI tools; retention depends on the legal basis and has no fixed period. Security certifications are not published.
- Cost at scale
- An individual pays $83.99 to $164.99 a year in the US; Speak for Business pricing is not published.
- Limits
- English speakers get six languages: Spanish, French, Korean, Japanese, Italian and Mandarin. Course depth is greatest for English learners.
What's good
- Speaking-first lessons with real-time pronunciation feedback
- Annual Premium works out at about $7 a month in the US
- Speak Tutor builds a lesson around any situation
- Admin portal for company programmes
What's not
- No free plan after the 7-day trial
- Personalised review only in Premium Plus at $164.99 a year
- Voice recordings used to train its AI tools
- Little for reading, writing or grammar
Best for
Learners, especially of English, who want daily speaking practice with an AI tutor rather than flashcards.
Alternatives
Speak: common questions
- Is Speak worth it?
- Speak gets learners talking more than any flashcard app can, though the version that adapts to your own mistakes costs nearly twice as much. We rate it 4.1 out of 5.
- How much does Speak cost?
- 7-day free trial, no permanent free plan. US App Store: Premium $17.99/month or $83.99/year; Premium Plus $39.99/month or $164.99/year. Prices vary by region; Speak for Business by quote.
- What are the downsides of Speak?
- No free plan after the 7-day trial; personalised review only in Premium Plus at $164.99 a year; voice recordings used to train its AI tools; little for reading, writing or grammar.
- Who is Speak best for?
- Learners, especially of English, who want daily speaking practice with an AI tutor rather than flashcards.
- How much does Speak cost for a team or in production?
- An individual pays $83.99 to $164.99 a year in the US; Speak for Business pricing is not published.
- Is Speak safe for company data?
- The privacy notice says voice recordings are used to provide lessons, improve voice input and train and refine AI tools; retention depends on the legal basis and has no fixed period. Security certifications are not published.
- What are the best Speak alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Duolingo (Super and Max) and ChatGPT.
Answers checked Oct 23, 2026.
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