--- title: "Alternatives to Duolingo, Cambly, Babbel and more — Carna" description: "Why learners leave Duolingo, Cambly, Babbel, Speak and ELSA Speak, what to check before you switch, and where Carna, a structured A1 to C2 English tutor, fits." canonical: https://carna.ai/en/alternatives/ lang: en dateModified: 2026-10-30T00:06:08+03:00 --- ALTERNATIVES # Thinking of switching? Five guides for learners weighing a move away from Duolingo, Cambly, Babbel, Speak and ELSA Speak. [Join the early-access list](https://carna.app/individual-waitlist) [All comparisons](https://carna.ai/en/compare/) Five guides, one per app 1. All eight skills Carna's answer: Yes 2. Full A1 to C2 curriculum Carna's answer: Yes 3. Real conversation practice Carna's answer: Yes Live speaking practice with Mia, the AI tutor 4. Pronunciation feedback Carna's answer: Yes Scored from your own voice, one of eight skills 5. Essay & writing evaluation Carna's answer: Yes Writing scored by AI on four criteria 6. IELTS / TOEFL exam prep Carna's answer: Partly An IELTS band on a practice grading, not a course 7. Free tier, no credit card Carna's answer: No The app will open with a free plan — THE GUIDES ## Why learners switch. Each guide names the app's strength, the three reasons people look elsewhere, and the questions to check before you move. Carna is described as what it is: a structured English tutor, in early access for individuals. - ### [Alternatives to Duolingo](https://carna.ai/en/alternatives/duolingo-alternatives/) Duolingo is the gamified app that gets you started. - The intermediate plateau - Little real speaking practice - No writing evaluation [Carna vs Duolingo](https://carna.ai/en/compare/duolingo/) - ### [Alternatives to Cambly](https://carna.ai/en/alternatives/cambly-alternatives/) Cambly connects you with native speakers on a schedule. - Paying for tutor time - Conversation only - No structured progression [Carna vs Cambly](https://carna.ai/en/compare/cambly/) - ### [Alternatives to Babbel](https://carna.ai/en/alternatives/babbel-alternatives/) Babbel teaches through a polished, structured course. - Speaking is scripted - Writing is not evaluated - No exam route [Carna vs Babbel](https://carna.ai/en/compare/babbel/) - ### [Alternatives to Speak](https://carna.ai/en/alternatives/speak-alternatives/) Speak drills conversation out loud. - Speaking only - No structured curriculum - Exam prep missing [Carna vs Speak](https://carna.ai/en/compare/speak/) - ### [Alternatives to ELSA Speak](https://carna.ai/en/alternatives/elsa-alternatives/) ELSA Speak drills your pronunciation. - Pronunciation only - No conversation practice - No curriculum [Carna vs ELSA Speak](https://carna.ai/en/compare/elsa-speak/) — BEFORE YOU SWITCH ## Seven questions to ask. Ask them of any app, Carna included. Each row counts how many of the 18 products on our comparison pages answer yes, as checked in May 2026 and October 2026; Carna's own answer is on the right, including the ones that are a no. 1. All eight skills 0 of 18 answer yes Carna Yes 2. Full A1 to C2 curriculum 3 of 18 answer yes, 1 partly Carna Yes 3. Real conversation practice 9 of 18 answer yes Carna Yes Live speaking practice with Mia, the AI tutor 4. Pronunciation feedback 16 of 18 answer yes, 1 partly Carna Yes Scored from your own voice, one of eight skills 5. Essay & writing evaluation 3 of 18 answer yes Carna Yes Writing scored by AI on four criteria 6. IELTS / TOEFL exam prep 3 of 18 answer yes Carna Partly An IELTS band on a practice grading, not a course 7. Free tier, no credit card 6 of 18 answer yes, 5 partly Carna No The app will open with a free plan — THE FIELD ## Four kinds of alternative. Alternatives come in four kinds, and each kind has a strength. Carna is one option among them: a structured English tutor with an A1 to C2 path, in early access for individuals and running in schools and teams today. - ### AI speaking apps Apps built around speaking out loud to an AI: drills, scenarios and accent work. - [Carna vs Speak](https://carna.ai/en/compare/speak/) - [Carna vs ELSA Speak](https://carna.ai/en/compare/elsa-speak/) - [Carna vs BoldVoice](https://carna.ai/en/compare/boldvoice/) - [Carna vs Praktika](https://carna.ai/en/compare/praktika/) - [Carna vs Loora](https://carna.ai/en/compare/loora/) - [Carna vs TalkPal](https://carna.ai/en/compare/talkpal/) - ### Language-learning apps Course and vocabulary apps for many languages, with English as one of them. - [Carna vs Duolingo](https://carna.ai/en/compare/duolingo/) - [Carna vs Babbel](https://carna.ai/en/compare/babbel/) - [Carna vs Busuu](https://carna.ai/en/compare/busuu/) - [Carna vs Memrise](https://carna.ai/en/compare/memrise/) - [Carna vs Rosetta Stone](https://carna.ai/en/compare/rosetta-stone/) - ### Live tutor marketplaces Human tutors and classes booked by the hour or on a timetable. - [Carna vs Cambly](https://carna.ai/en/compare/cambly/) - [Carna vs Preply](https://carna.ai/en/compare/preply/) - [Carna vs italki](https://carna.ai/en/compare/italki/) - [Carna vs Lingoda](https://carna.ai/en/compare/lingoda/) - ### General tools and round-ups A general assistant used for English, and the round-up of the popular apps. - [Carna vs ChatGPT](https://carna.ai/en/compare/chatgpt-for-english/) - [Carna vs the top English apps](https://carna.ai/en/compare/best-english-learning-apps/) — KEEP EXPLORING ## Keep exploring. - [All Carna comparisons](https://carna.ai/en/compare/) - [What is an AI English tutor?](https://carna.ai/en/ai-english-tutor/) - [Carna for Schools](https://carna.ai/en/schools/) - [Carna for Business](https://carna.ai/en/business/) - [Pricing](https://carna.ai/en/pricing/) - [English levels, A1 to C2](https://carna.ai/en/learn/) EARLY ACCESS ## Ready for the switch? Carna's personal tutor is not open to individual learners yet. Leave your name on the early-access list and we write once, when it opens. Schools and teams run on Carna today and can book a demo. [Join the early-access list](https://carna.app/individual-waitlist) [Book a demo](https://carna.ai/en/schools/#demo)