--- title: "Carna vs the alternatives — AI English tutor comparisons" description: "Carna beside Duolingo, Speak, ELSA, Cambly, Babbel and Busuu: the same seven questions asked of both, checked in May and October 2026 and dated on every page." canonical: https://carna.ai/en/compare/ lang: en dateModified: 2026-10-30T00:06:08+03:00 --- COMPARE # Carna beside the apps you know. 18 comparisons, each asking the same seven questions of both columns. [Join the early-access list](https://carna.app/individual-waitlist) [Book a demo](https://carna.ai/en/schools/#demo) Schools and teams run on Carna today; individuals join the early-access list Find your app AI speaking apps - [Speak](https://carna.ai/en/compare/speak/) - [ELSA Speak](https://carna.ai/en/compare/elsa-speak/) - [BoldVoice](https://carna.ai/en/compare/boldvoice/) - [Praktika](https://carna.ai/en/compare/praktika/) - [Loora](https://carna.ai/en/compare/loora/) - [TalkPal](https://carna.ai/en/compare/talkpal/) Language-learning apps - [Duolingo](https://carna.ai/en/compare/duolingo/) - [Babbel](https://carna.ai/en/compare/babbel/) - [Busuu](https://carna.ai/en/compare/busuu/) - [Memrise](https://carna.ai/en/compare/memrise/) - [Rosetta Stone](https://carna.ai/en/compare/rosetta-stone/) Live tutor marketplaces - [Cambly](https://carna.ai/en/compare/cambly/) - [Preply](https://carna.ai/en/compare/preply/) - [italki](https://carna.ai/en/compare/italki/) - [Lingoda](https://carna.ai/en/compare/lingoda/) General tools and round-ups - [ChatGPT](https://carna.ai/en/compare/chatgpt-for-english/) - [Top English Apps](https://carna.ai/en/compare/best-english-learning-apps/) Platforms for schools - [Duolingo for Schools](https://carna.ai/en/compare/duolingo-for-schools/) 18 comparisons, each checked May 2026 or October 2026 — AT A GLANCE ## 18 products, seven questions. Every comparison asks these seven questions of both columns. Carna's row is the reference; a product's name opens the full comparison, with its notes and the month it was checked. Show the answers to Carna and 18 other products, question by question. Each product name opens its full comparison. Checked May 2026 and October 2026. | Product | All eight skills | Full A1 to C2 curriculum | Real conversation practice | Pronunciation feedback | Essay & writing evaluation | IELTS / TOEFL exam prep | Free tier, no credit card | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Carna Schools and teams today; early access for individuals | Yes | Yes | Yes Live speaking practice with Mia, the AI tutor | Yes Scored from your own voice, one of eight skills | Yes Writing scored by AI on four criteria | Partly An IELTS band on a practice grading, not a course | No The app will open with a free plan | | AI speaking apps Apps built around speaking out loud to an AI: drills, scenarios and accent work. | | | | | | | | | [Speak](https://carna.ai/en/compare/speak/) Speak drills conversation out loud | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No. A 7-day trial | | [ELSA Speak](https://carna.ai/en/compare/elsa-speak/) ELSA Speak drills your pronunciation | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Partly. 8 free lessons once, and a 7-day Premium trial | | [BoldVoice](https://carna.ai/en/compare/boldvoice/) BoldVoice coaches your accent | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | | [Praktika](https://carna.ai/en/compare/praktika/) Praktika offers realistic AI avatars | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Partly. Three avatars and limited practice | | [Loora](https://carna.ai/en/compare/loora/) Loora is a conversation tutor for professionals | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Partly. One full lesson, no payment details | | [TalkPal](https://carna.ai/en/compare/talkpal/) TalkPal is a multi-language conversation app | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Partly. 10 minutes a day, and a 14-day Premium trial | | Language-learning apps Course and vocabulary apps for many languages, with English as one of them. | | | | | | | | | [Duolingo](https://carna.ai/en/compare/duolingo/) Duolingo is the gamified app that gets you started | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes. All courses are free | | [Babbel](https://carna.ai/en/compare/babbel/) Babbel teaches through a polished, structured course | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | | [Busuu](https://carna.ai/en/compare/busuu/) Busuu's community corrects your exercises | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | | [Memrise](https://carna.ai/en/compare/memrise/) Memrise builds vocabulary with spaced repetition | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | | [Rosetta Stone](https://carna.ai/en/compare/rosetta-stone/) Rosetta Stone built its name on immersion lessons | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | | Live tutor marketplaces Human tutors and classes booked by the hour or on a timetable. | | | | | | | | | [Cambly](https://carna.ai/en/compare/cambly/) Cambly connects you with native speakers on a schedule | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Partly. Self-study activities and a $1 trial lesson | | [Preply](https://carna.ai/en/compare/preply/) Preply is a tutor marketplace paid by the hour | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | | [italki](https://carna.ai/en/compare/italki/) italki connects you with tutors by the hour | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | [Lingoda](https://carna.ai/en/compare/lingoda/) Lingoda runs scheduled live classes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | General tools and round-ups A general assistant used for English, and the round-up of the popular apps. | | | | | | | | | [ChatGPT](https://carna.ai/en/compare/chatgpt-for-english/) ChatGPT is a brilliant general assistant | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | | [Top English Apps](https://carna.ai/en/compare/best-english-learning-apps/) The most popular English apps each do one thing well | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | | Platforms for schools Products built for a teacher and a class, not for one learner on their own. | | | | | | | | | [Duolingo for Schools](https://carna.ai/en/compare/duolingo-for-schools/) Duolingo for Schools is free for the classrooms it already has, takes no new ones and closes on 31 July 2027 | No | Partly. Courses set to CEFR levels; top level not stated | No. Not stated by Duolingo | Partly. Listen-and-repeat exercises; feedback not stated | No. Not stated by Duolingo | No. Not stated by Duolingo | Yes. Free for those who already have access | Every column checked May 2026 or October 2026, and the free plans of 8 products again on 27 September 2026 and 5 October 2026. Each product's page explains its own "Partly" and notes, and asks the questions only some products answer, such as live human teachers. ### Carna's own column, in full The questions Carna answers partly or no, with the limit on each. - **IELTS / TOEFL exam prep**: Partly An IELTS band on a practice grading, not a course - **Free tier, no credit card**: No The app will open with a free plan Running in schools today ## What a Carna yes looks like. Five of Carna's seven answers are a yes. Here is one of them, the path from A1 to C2, in Carna for Schools, which runs today: every module a student is assigned wears its CEFR level and the skills it works on, soonest due first. [Book a demo](https://carna.ai/en/schools/#demo) [See Carna for Schools](https://carna.ai/en/schools/) A student's Learn screen in Carna for Schools: the assigned modules, each with its CEFR level and the skills it works on, sorted by due date. Carna School London is a sample school; the names, courses, levels and scores are demo data. FAQ ## How the comparisons are made. Straight answers about the method, about Carna's own no, and about what you can use today. How Carna handles school and learner data is written down in [Trust and privacy](https://carna.ai/en/trust/). ### How are these comparisons built? Every page asks the same questions of both columns: what you learn, and how you get it. The other product's column reflects the plans and features it publishes, checked in May 2026 or October 2026 and dated on the page. Carna is held to the same standard, so where it falls short its column says so, and a "Partly" always names the limit under the row. ### Why does Carna's own column show a no? Because it is true today. The Carna app is in early access, so no individual can use it yet; it will open with a free plan, and joining the early-access list is free. Carna does not connect you to live human teachers either. A table that could only say yes would not be worth reading. ### How can I check your answers? Every row on a product's page carries the month its column was checked, and the other column reflects what that product publishes on its own site, so you can read it yourself. Carna's column is answered from Carna's own apps, Carna for Schools and the Carna app in early access, and where an answer falls short of a yes, the limit is named. If you find a row that is out of date, tell us and we will change it and re-date the page. ### Can I use Carna today? Schools and teams can: Carna for Schools and Carna for Business run today, and a demo is one click away. Individual learners join the early-access list and hear from us once, when the personal tutor opens. ### What if I want to dabble in several languages? Then a multi-language app is the better buy, and the tables say so. Carna teaches English only, from A1 to C2, and it is built for the learner who wants that one language scored and taken somewhere. If you want ten languages and a streak, Duolingo, Babbel and Busuu each have a page here explaining what they do well. ### How do you choose which products to compare? They are the products English learners and schools actually weigh against Carna, in the five groups this page lists: AI speaking apps, language-learning apps, live tutor marketplaces, general tools and round-ups, and platforms for schools. The list is not a ranking and it is not exhaustive; when a product earns a place, it gets a page with the same seven questions and its own checked date. — KEEP EXPLORING ## Keep exploring. - [Alternatives to Duolingo, Cambly, Babbel, Speak and ELSA Speak](https://carna.ai/en/alternatives/) - [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 ## Skip the comparison. Get in first. 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)